English as a Second Language
Mayfield City School District English as a Second Language Introduction
Mayfield City Schools serves approximately 100-150 EL students each year. These students represent close to 30 different languages.
Who are our EL students?
A student who is between the ages of 3 and 21
Enrolled in an elementary or secondary school
Has a native/home language other than English, whether born in the U.S. or another country.
Has difficulty speaking, reading, writing or understanding English as determined by the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener.
Why do schools have ESL programs?
Students who are EL may not perform well enough in class or on state tests to meet expected state standards of achievement until intervention with English instruction, modifications, and accommodations are utilized.
EL services are provided in each building in order to we meet the diversified educational and cultural needs of students who are learning English as a second language. We provide instruction in the English Language in four domains: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. Appropriate modifications and accommodations in general education classes are also provided.
How are services provided?
Instruction can be provided as a pull-out or push-in service.
Pull-Out: At all levels of proficiency, students are seen individually or in small groups to receive direct instruction in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Our EL teachers design lessons guided by state standards that meet the unique needs of each student.
Push-In: All EL students are in a general education classroom. There may be classes that are co-taught and may have two teachers, and/or a paraprofessional, to support the needs of all students. At the secondary level, there are scheduled opportunities for academic support classes or learning labs to assist students with their academics.
Middle School Immersion: This service is for students who have not received a composite score of 3 in Reading and Writing. Each student is monitored individually.
Our EL Teachers:
Mayfield High School: Sarah Dellinger - sdellinger@mayfieldschools.org
Mayfield Middle School: Vanessa Braun - vbraun@mayfieldschools.org
Lander Elementary: Molly Luke - mluke@mayfieldschools.org
Millridge Elementary, Gates Mills Elementary & Center Elementary: Trevor Russo - trusso@mayfieldschools.org
Explanation of EL Student Identification
Mayfield City School District will screen all new enrollees for the possibility of English Learner (EL) identification. The following are the steps we follow:
- STEP 1: The EL instructor reviews the student's Home Language Usage Survey. Any family who indicates that a home language other than English is spoken on the Home Language Usage Survey is referred to the EL teacher in that child’s building. The Home Language Usage Survey is completed during online registration. Access the Language Usage Survey here.
- STEP 2: The student is assessed using the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS). The OELPS evaluates English language proficiency in four domains: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. For more information on the OELPS, view the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce website.
- STEP 3: The EL instructor reviews the student's OELPS results. If the student in grades 1-12 receives a Proficiency Status of Progressing or Emerging, the student is eligible for the EL instructional program. A Kindergarten does not qualify for EL services if he/she receives a Proficiency Status of Progressing and scores 4s and 5s in three domains and a 3 in one domain. For Individual Student Reports for OELPS results translated into 12 different languages, view the Ohio Department of Education's webpage.
- STEP 4: A parent notification letter and parent permission form are sent home. To view similar parent notification letters translated into 20 different languages, view the bottom of the Ohio Department of Education webpage.
- STEP 5: Permission forms must be signed and returned to the EL teacher in the child’s building in order for services to begin.
Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA) Explained
.
The Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA) is an end-of-year test used to determined an EL student's English language proficiency. Based on the language proficiency level, an EL student will exit from the English language program or continue in the program.
The OELPA is administered at the student's school using the online Ohio Assessment Portal. The OELPA must be done in person and cannot be done remotely.
Students complete four individual tests in the domains of Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-5.
What Do Scores Mean?
To understand what the Performance Level scores mean for each domain in your child's OELPA results, view the document at the link below:
Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs) for OELPA Results
Exiting From the ESL Program
The OELPA (Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment) was given for the first time in the winter of 2016. Formerly the OTELA (Ohio Test of English Language Acquisition) was given to all identified students to determine their English Language Proficiency Level.
In order to exit an ESL program in the State of Ohio, EL students must demonstrate the ability to comprehend, speak, read and write the English language at a level in which they are able to:
- Achieve successfully in classrooms where the language of instruction is English
- Meaningfully participate in academic assessments in English
- Participate fully in society in the United States
A student has attained the required level of English proficiency to exit a district’s ESL program when the student:
- Obtains an overall performance level of 3 - Proficient on the OELPA
- Overall performance level of 3 - Proficient is defined as any combination of 4s and 5s across all nonexempt domains of Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.
Student success is consistently monitored by the EL teachers at Mayfield City Schools.
State of Ohio ELP Standards That Guide Instruction
Our schools use Ohio English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards to guide instruction for EL students in grades K-12.
The 10 Ohio Department of Education ELP standards are identical for grades K-12. The specific learning outcomes within each standard are different based on grade bands. These 10 ELP standards are listed below:
An English Language Learner can...
- Construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing
- Participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions
- Speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics
- Construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence
- Conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems
- Analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing
- Adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text
- Create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text
- Make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing
To review the Ohio English Language Proficiency Standards in more detail, click the following link: Ohio English Language Proficiency Standards
Federal Guidance for English Learner Programs
The following is federal guidance from The United States of America Department of Education on Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEP) for US schools in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA):
Common Terms
English Learner (EL): the official term used to refer to students whose primary language is not English and whose OELPS results identify the student as not Proficient in the English language
English Language Learner (ELL): a term used to refer to students whose primary language is not English; this has been replaced by English Learner (EL) in Ohio public schools
English as a Second Language (ESL): a term primarily used to describe English language instructional programs in schools within English speaking countries; it is also used to refer to students whose primary language is not English; this has been replaced by English Learner (EL) in Ohio public schools when referring to students; many people and organizations continue to use this term, colloquially and officially, as it is still the most familiar
English as a Foreign Language (EFL): a term used to describe English language instruction in schools outside of English-speaking countries
Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL): a general term that refers to ESL or EFL instruction; it is most often used to refer to professional training or accredited programs that certify individuals in teaching the English language to non-English speakers
Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA): the official assessment designated for use by the Ohio Department of Education to assess the language proficiency of EL students enrolled in Ohio public schools
Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS): the official assessment designated for use by the Ohio Department of Education to identify which newly enrolled students require EL services
New Enrollee: any student who enrolls for the first time in the Mayfield City School district
Newcomer: any newly enrolled student whose primary language is not English, who has never received formal schooling primarily in the English language, and who does not receive a Proficiency Status of Proficient on the OELPS; these students are often new to the United States or did not learn English growing up
Trial Mainstream: a designation given to students who score 4s and 5s in three domains and a 3 in one domain on the OELPA; the following year, these students are not pulled from their homerooms or content teachers' classrooms, instead, they may receive EL services on an as-needed basis