Programs for ELLs - Transition from ELL Services

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

This section addresses the procedures and criteria for determining when students no longer need ELL services and methods that the district will use to monitor the success of students after ELL services have been discontinued. The following are questions that may be used as a checklist in developing a description of the transition procedures:

Transition from ELL Services

• Does the plan describe all assessment instruments and procedures (e.g., tests, teacher observations, etc.) used as part of a transition assessment?
• Are the guidelines and criteria for the use of assessment information included in the procedures?
• Do the transition procedures describe how the district will assess the English language skills of ELL students in the following four proficiency areas: understanding, speaking, reading, and writing?
• Do the transition procedures describe the methods and standards that will be used to assess whether students who have been receiving ELL services have progressed to the point that such services are no longer needed to enable the students to participate meaningfully in the district's regular program?
• Do the transition procedures identify the person(s) who will conduct the transition assessments and any qualifications the person(s) must meet to conduct the assessments?
• Are the timeframes for implementing the transition assessment procedures described?
• Do the procedures include a statement of the criteria (e.g., test scores or other performance standards, teacher observation, etc.) that will determine when a student is English language-proficient and no longer in need of the district's program of services for ELL students?
• Do the criteria include an objective measure(s)?
• How is the objective measure weighted in comparison with other measures? If the objective measure is a test, is the test valid for the purpose for which it is being used?
• Do the procedures include a description of the documentation that will be maintained on the assessment results (e.g., continued need for services) and the decision whether to transition the student from the district's alternative program of services?

Monitoring the Success of Former ELL Students

• Does the plan identify the staff person(s) who will be responsible for monitoring former ELL students?
• Does the plan establish guidelines for how often the district will monitor former ELL students (e.g., quarterly, each semester)? How long will the district monitor such students?
• Does the plan identify the information the district will review to measure whether individual former ELL students are successful in the district's overall educational program (e.g., grades, test scores, teacher observations, etc.)?
• Does the plan include the methods or criteria the district will utilize to measure success of former ELL students in the district's education program? (For example, the district may review the grades, testing results, teacher feedback, or other appropriate information to determine whether or not a former ELL student has meaningful access to the district's education program.)
• If a former ELL student, under the district's criteria, is not successful in the district's regular program, does the plan indicate:

How the district will determine whether a lack of success is due to academic deficits incurred while the student was receiving ELL services, the lack of English language proficiency, or other reasons? If the lack of success is due to academic deficits incurred while the student was receiving ELL services or the lack of English language proficiency, do the procedures set forth the methods to be used and/or services the district will provide to assist the student? (For example, depending upon the reason for the individual student's lack of success, the district may consider approaches such as: providing additional services to develop English language skills, or providing academic tutorial or support services to address academic deficiencies incurred while the student was receiving ELL services.)

• Does the plan include appropriate notification procedures to inform parents of service options?

Source:

Programs for English Language Learners, Transition, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and are intended for general reference purposes only. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the Center, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Some resources on this site require Adobe Acrobat Reader. This website archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.