English Language Learners Program

Program Design:

ELL students receive daily language instruction as part of their language arts curriculum. For the purpose of ELL instruction, students may be grouped according to language proficiency levels. In other situations, they may be grouped across grade levels, never consisting of a span greater than three grade levels. Instruction is always age and grade level appropriate.Curriculum is based on the Language Proficiency Standards for English Language Learners PreK – 12 (Pennsylvania Department of Education 2007).

At the elementary level (grades K – 5), all ELL students receive art, music, library, and physical education instruction with their peers in their regular education homerooms. They also eat lunch and participate in recess and special activities with their homerooms. The ELL teacher maintains weekly communication with regular education teachers to plan for instruction. The ELL teacher should be available to the regular education teachers to assist with modifying and adapting curriculum to meet the needs of the ELL students. Curriculum is based on the Language Proficiency Standards for English Language Learners PreK – 12 (Pennsylvania Department of Education 2007).

At the middle school level (grades 6 – 8), ELL students receive English language instruction through a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) model. ELL students participate in electives (e.g., art, music, technology education, family and consumer sciences, foreign language, and physical education/health, etc.) along with their mainstreamed peers. Instruction in the content areas such as science, math, social studies, and health is modified and adapted to the English linguistic ability of the ELL student. Content-area teachers are responsible for modifying and adapting instruction and assessment, with the ELL teacher serving all teachers as a consultant, using theDRAFT copy of the Language Proficiency Standards for English Language Learners Pre K – 12 (Pennsylvania Department of Education 2007).

At the high school level (grades 9 – 12), ELL students receive English language instruction through a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) model. All ELL students have the opportunity to receive art, music, industrial arts, family and consumer sciences, foreign languages, physical education, and business courses either as a requirement or an elective with their mainstreamed peers. Beginning in the tenth grade, all ELL students are given the opportunity to attend the vocational school with their regular education peers. Content-area teachers are responsible for modifying and adapting instruction and assessment, with the ELL teacher serving all teachers as a consultant, using the DRAFT copy of the Language Proficiency Standards for English Language Learners Pre K – 12 (Pennsylvania Department of Education 2007).

ELL students in Upper Darby School District are not to be denied participation in any school sponsored activity for any reason. All services are provided in the most inclusive manner. Students in the ELL program will be integrated with the general education population whenever possible. In addition, UDSD mandates that instructional materials for ELL students are: age and grade level appropriate, sufficient in quantity and quality, and comparable in quantity and quality to those provided to non-ELL students. Materials are ordered for each school building on a yearly basis. Furthermore, the ELL programs are equipped with technology comparable to the quality and quantity provided to non-ELL students.