Identification

Every new student to the Sharon Public Schools will have a Home Language Survey completed by a guardian at the time of enrollment. The Home Language Survey is used to determine what languages are spoken in the home. If there is a language other than English listed, the student must be screened for English Language Proficiency. The WIDA Screener Placement Test will be used to assess a student’s proficiency level in English.

The amount of EL support a student receives will be determined by the student’s proficiency level. DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) has guidelines for the amount of services a student should receive based on proficiency level.

Parents/guardians have the right to opt-out of EL services. This will require an opt-out form to be signed. 

Assessments and Progress Monitoring

Students remain in the EL program until they demonstrate that they can perform regular school work in English. Sharon Public Schools must assess ELs each year to measure their listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as considering other important data to support their progress in English in the classroom. EL students will take the ACCESS for ELs 2.0 in January either online or in paper format depending on grade level. Educators use the ACCESS results, along with other resources, to make lesson planning decisions to help facilitate a student’s language development.

Exiting the EL program

When a student has scored a 4.2 overall and a literacy score of 3.9 on the ACCESS test, we consider other data and progress to determine if the student is eligible to exit the EL program. Families will be informed when their child is eligible to exit and will need to sign an exit consent form. Once a student exits the EL program, they will be monitored for 4 years to ensure that they continue to make effective academic progress.