Policy Details Page

Regulation 2110R

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Transitional Bilingual Instruction

The following procedures have been instituted for the purposes of implementing an instructional program for limited English Learners (ELs).

Identification and Eligibility

At the time of registration in the district, the student and the student’s parents or guardians of students shall be asked to identify the primary language that is spoken in the home by completing the Home Language Survey as required by the state. Parents will be asked to identify the child’s first language spoken in addition to the home’s primary language. Students whose home language is other than English will be screened for possible eligibility for EL services using the state-approved placement test. Any student scoring below the proficiency level (level 4) will be eligible for EL services. Determination of eligibility shall be made within ten school (10) days of the student’s enrollment and attendance in the district. Students who have been in other Washington State Transitional Bilingual programs will be eligible without further testing. Students from other states will need to be re-tested.

Parent/Guardian Notification

Parents or guardians of the students will be informed of the district’s determination of students’ eligibility in writing, in their native language, and will have the option to either accept or reject services offered. The notice of eligibility will specify the child’s level of English proficiency, the type of instructional model, the purpose of the program and the process for exiting a student from the EL program. Communication with parents or guardians should be provided, when feasible, in the parents’ or guardians’ primary language.

Annual Assessment to Determine Continued Eligibility

Each English Learner shall be assessed annually, using the state-approved language proficiency test to determine continued eligibility. Students remain eligible until they reach the transitional level on this assessment. Students who exit the program will be monitored for two years by an EL specialist at the student’s home school. An exited student whose test score is below standard in English Language Arts will be served collaboratively with the regular education teacher.

Evaluation of Previous Course Work

English Learners with previous academic records will be awarded credit based on the number of hours that the student attended class in accordance with the following guidelines:

1. Any credits to be added to the student’s district transcript shall be entered by the Department of Guidance and Counseling. The department of English Learners shall coordinate the review of foreign transcripts/course work with the Department of Guidance and Counseling. 
2. Credit may be awarded for classes taken in which English was studied as a foreign language.
3. Credit for other course work will be awarded based on established district criteria including a number of hours of instruction, the sequence of courses, course content, and prerequisites.
   
   Credit for course work completed in other United States public or accredited private schools will be awarded based on standards established for awarding credits to other transfer students.
4. When a student enters the school district without academic records from his/her native country, and it is determined that the student had attended high school, equivalent credits may be awarded by the school district's designated official, after an interview with the student.
5. English Learners who enter grades 9, 10, or 11 may be awarded credits toward graduation from high school on the basis of course work successfully completed in foreign schools or on the basis of alternative learning experiences consistent with the district’s high school graduation requirements.

Credit for Course Work Completed in the District

English Learners who requires instruction in English-as-a-Second-Language prior to successful participation in regular academic courses shall not be enrolled as a senior.

A. Students of limited English proficiency may earn a maximum of five credits in required English and social studies courses in the transitional bilingual program.
B. English Learners should be awarded grades for course work on the basis of standards English-speaking students are required to meet while the students are learning English. A no credit mark may be used to indicate participation by the students, and no credit will be awarded.

Non-credit Program

English Learners who enter the school district when they are eighteen (18) years of age or older and who have had less than eight years of formal education will be enrolled in the transitional bilingual program. The district staff will make every attempt to provide these students with an adequate program of basic English, history, mathematics and vocational counseling and training.

Due to the delay in their education, earning sufficient credits to graduate before they are twentyone years of age will limit their opportunity for such students to earn a diploma.

Record Keeping and Documentation

The district will maintain records of eligible students and comply with state reporting requirements. Documents will be kept in the ELL program folder at the district office. These documents include the Home Language Survey, copies of parent notification letters, parental waiver (if applicable), state-approved placement test with test booklet, and language proficiency assessment data.

Communication Plan

The district will develop and provide to parents/guardians, district staff and interested stakeholders a user-friendly description of the Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program. The description will include the process for identifying and serving English Language Learners and provide contact information for the district’s Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program personnel.

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Approved: 3/04/03
Revised: 10/24/17