Home Language Survey
- Which language did your child learn to speak?
- What language(s) are spoken in the home?
- What language(s) does the child speak?
Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State (ACCESS)
If the parent answers a language other than English (i.e., Spanish, Vietnamese, German, etc.) on the Home Language Survey, the student must then be tested on the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT). The W-APT measures language proficiency in English.
Students in grades K-12th are administered the W-APT in English. Students who answered Spanish on the Home Language Survey are also given the IPT oral test in Spanish.
Students in grades K-12th are also administered the reading and writing portions of the W-APT by a trained certified teacher or educational assistant.
If the results of the W-APT indicate that the child is a limited English speaker, he/she qualifies for bilingual education services. Participation in any bilingual program model is a choice made by parents based on language fluency data provided by schools.
Spanish IPT (Idea Proficiency Test)
This assessment will be used to measure Spanish language proficiency of ELL students. K-12 th grade students take the Spanish IPT Oral Test. Second grand through twelfth grade (2 nd - 12 th ) students take the Reading and Writing Test, also. These tests are administered to all new ELL students upon entering LCPS, then every spring thereafter, until they reach fluency. Once a student attains fluency in a skill area, that area is no longer tested. The spring scores become the pre-test scores for the following year. Non-ELL students in Dual Language classes are also tested, on the same schedule, through the Spanish IPT to measure their Spanish language fluency.
Instructional Program: Three bilingual education models are currently being implemented in Las Cruces Public Schools: Dual Language, Maintenance and Transitional. All of these models are sanctioned by the state as research-based models.
A Two-way Dual Language Program consists of Spanish-speaking students and English-speaking students combined in the same educational environment to provide communicative and academic language development through an interactive and cross-cultural setting. Program participation begins in kindergarten and continues through the fifth grade on a voluntary basis. The Two-way Dual Language Program is designed to develop bilingualism and biliteracy in all students through instruction of all curriculum areas in Spanish and English. The amount of Spanish and English instruction for both ELL's and SSL's is 50% of the instruction in English and 50% of the instruction in Spanish in most schools. In one school there is a 90/10 model, wherein instruction in Kinder is initiated 90% of the time in Spanish and 10 % in English. Every year thereafter, Spanish is decreased and English is increased until reaching a 50/50 ratio by fifth grade. The ultimate goal is bilingualism and bi-literacy for all students, as well as academic success.
Top of page
A One-way Dual Language Program consists of students who all belong to one language group (usually Spanish, in this district, but it could be an all English-speaking group as well). Instruction is done in the same way as in the Two-way Dual Language Program. The ultimate goal is bilingualism and bi-literacy for all students as well as academic success.
The focus of the maintenance bilingual education model is to serve as an additive program for English Language Learners (ELL), who are the only population eligible to participate in this model. The development of cognitive academic language is achieved through the use of the student's home language. Instuction in core subjects is done in the student's home language in varying amounts of time, depending upon student language needs. English is added through ESL instruction at all grade levels.
Minimum requirements for the Maintenance Program are the following:
- 60 minutes of Language Arts in the home language (i.e. Spanish Language Arts)
- 60 minutes of structured English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Development (ELD) instruction, depending on the language fluency of the student
- 30 minutes each of two core curriculum content areas such as math, science or social studies for a total of 1 hour of content instruction in the home language or
- 60 minutes of 1 core curriculum content area in the home language
The focus of the transitional bilingual education model is to transition ELL's into English as quickly as possible, with no focus on retaining the student's first language. This program consists of a minimum of 60 minutes of Spanish Language Arts on a daily basis, that leads to literacy in the first language, for students in grades K-5. The second required daily component is 60 minutes of English as a Second Language(ESL) or English Language Development (ELD), depending on the student's fluency in English.
At the middle and high school levels, grades 6-12, students are provided a 60 minute period of Spanish Language Arts for Native Speakers and a period of 60 minutes of English as a Second Language (ESL) for students who score at an English fluency level of A or B or 60 minutes of English Language Development (ELD) for students who score at an English fluency level of C or D on the language proficiency assessment approved by the state NMELPA.
Top of page
2009-10 Programs (Word doc)
Top of page |
Roberto Lozano, Assistant Director of Instruction for English Language Acquisition, Bilingual, and Migrant Education Programs.
Colorin' Colorado