Harnett County Schools - Inspiring learners to be leaders!

Harnett County Schools ESL Program

Identifying EL

The U.S. Office for Civil Rights, as well as North Carolina State Board of Education policy HSPK000 (16 NCAC 6D.0106), require that a Home Language Survey (HLS) be administered to all students upon initial enrollment. All students whose home language is other than English are considered National Origin Minority (NOM) students. The home language survey is used to help determine if the NOM student is an English Learner (EL)/Multilingual Learner (ML). 

Students Identified as English Learners (ELs)

PSUs must identify students in need of language assistance services within thirty calendar days of enrollment (SBE policy TEST-011). The WIDA Screener for KindergartenTM or the WIDATM Screener is the test used in North Carolina for initial identification and placement of students identified as ELs. The administration of the WIDA Screener is based on results from the Home Language Survey (HLS) process. The HLS process, the identification, and the subsequent placement of EL students in English as a Second Language (ESL) services are guided at the state level by the NCDPI Office of Academic Standards. For additional information or questions concerning students identified as ELs, contact ESLTitleIII@dpi.nc.gov.

Once identified as an EL (results from WIDA Screener for Kindergarten/WIDA Screener or ACCESS for ELLsTM [within one year]), state and federal laws require students to be assessed annually with a state-identified English language proficiency test. The test currently used by North Carolina is the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS) for English Language Learners (ELLs), or the ACCESS for ELLs. Eligible students may participate in the WIDA Alternate ACCESS in place of the ACCESS for ELLs.

Results from these tests for English language proficiency help determine eligibility for state-approved testing accommodations when taking tests that are part of the Annual Testing Program, such as the end-of-grade (EOG) and end-of-course (EOC) tests.

The SBE determines proficiency standards for all North Carolina tests. Individuals responsible for making decisions about testing accommodations for ELs are not permitted to revise the standards

HCS ESL Services

English Language Proficiency Levels
Your child’s proficiency level determines their EL Status and the services and supports they are eligible for.

• Level 1 Entering:  the student knows and uses minimal social language and minimal academic language with visual support.

• Level 2 Emerging:  the student knows and uses some social English and general academic language with visual support.

• Level 3 Developing:  the student knows and uses social English and some specific academic language with visual support.

• Level 4 Expanding:  the student knows and uses social English and some technical academic language.

• Level 5 Bridging:  the student knows and uses social and academic language working with grade-level material.

• Level 6 Reaching:  the student knows and uses social and academic language at the highest level measured by this test.

The expected rate of transition, or the average amount of time Harnett County Schools expects an ML student to be enrolled in the ESL program, is 3 -5 years. Please keep in mind that this is an average time. Some students may exit the program in less time, while others may remain there for a more extended period to complete their English acquisition. 

North Carolina Exit Criteria

Results from the annual ACCESS for ELLs test determine whether a student may exit ML identification. Students must meet the Comprehensive Objective Composite set by the state to exit EL status. The Comprehensive Objective Composite defines the attainment of English language proficiency by a student reaching an overall composite score of 4.8 or above on the ACCESS for ELLs test. The exit criteria are the same for the adaptive online version and the paper version of the ACCESS for ELLs. Additionally, attainment of English language proficiency by a student taking the WIDA Alternate ACCESS assessment is an overall composite score of P1 or higher for two consecutive years.

Students who exit EL identification are no longer assessed on the English language proficiency test nor eligible to receive EL accommodations on state tests.

Monitored Former English Learners

The ESSA requires that each state determine if students who have exited EL status (using the English language proficiency [ELP] test) will be included in subgroup reporting for the accountability model. In North Carolina, students will be considered Monitored Former English Learners for four years after they exit EL status. Thus, they will be a part of the EL subgroup for all disaggregated data (i.e., reading, math, science, graduation rate).

Transferred Students from another WIDA State

Scores from WIDA Consortium member states. When students transfer to a North Carolina school with scores from a WIDA Consortium member state, the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten, WIDA Screener, and ACCESS for ELLs scores can be used for determining EL status by applying the North Carolina criteria for identification and exit. A list of participating states can be found on the WIDA Consortium’s home page (under Members/States). When a student enrolls in a school from a WIDA Consortium member state, the school has up to thirty calendar days from enrollment to obtain WIDA Screener for Kindergarten, WIDA Screener, and ACCESS for ELLs test scores from the member state. If the scores are less than one year old, they may be used for making decisions regarding EL identification and placement. If the receiving school does not receive the scores within the timeline, the school must administer either the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten or the WIDA Screener to determine EL identification and eligibility for ESL services. If scores are received and are more than a year old, PSUs should investigate the need for an Instructional Update using the appropriate WIDA Screener. If the student previously attended a North Carolina public school, the EL identification from the most recent NC enrollment still applies. Each student identified as an EL must be assessed annually. Students who transfer toNorth Carolina during the test window must be assessed even if they have taken the ACCESS for ELLs in another state during the current school year.

Transfer students from non-WIDA states. For students who transfer from non-WIDA states, the PSU should administer and follow the HLS process. If review of the survey indicates no home language other than English, the student will not require screening. The completed HLS is filed in the student’s cumulative folder. Responses to any of the questions on the HLS indicating languages other than English are used in the home, should prompt the school to follow the home language survey process to determine if the student needs to be screened for ESL services. If it is determined that the student should be screened, the PSU must administer the state-identified WIDA Screener for Kindergarten or the WIDA Screener within thirty calendar days of the student’s initial enrollment. For additional information or questions concerning scores from non-WIDA states or the HLS process, visit the ML/Title III website.

Testing Accommodations

Some ML students may qualify for testing accommodations based on their most current ACCESS or WIDA Screener scores. These accommodations may be used on local assessments and the state End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests.

Accommodations must be assigned according to the individual student’s needs and the ML team’s or committee’s input. The ESL teacher will meet with the classroom teacher, and together, they will make recommendations for testing accommodations for the student. Parents are notified in writing of the recommendations. If the parent/guardian disagrees with any recommendations, they may contact the school to speak with the ESL teacher, regular classroom teacher, or the testing coordinator.
If the testing accommodations are refused, the child will take the EOG/EOC without accommodations.

The ML team or committee should consider the following specific student background characteristics when determining accommodations:

• the student’s current level of English proficiency

• the level of previous schooling in the student’s home language

• the amount of schooling and instruction the student has received in US schools

The following accommodations approved for use by the Annual Testing Program will result in valid test scores for EL students when taking North Carolina-developed tests:

• Multiple Testing SessionsScheduled Extended Time

• Student Reads Test Aloud to Self

• Test Read Aloud (in English) (Use of this accommodation during the administration of a state

test that measures reading comprehension invalidates the results of the test.)

• Testing in a Separate Room

• Word-to-Word Bilingual (English/Native Language) Dictionary/Electronic Translator

As illustrated in the table below, students who score below Level 5.0 Bridging on the reading domain of the WIDA Screener or ACCESS for ELLs are eligible to receive state-approved ML testing accommodations on all state tests. Students who score Level 5.0 Bridging or above on the reading domain of the WIDA Screener, ACCESS for ELLs, or exit ML status must participate in all state tests without accommodations (SBE policy TEST-011).

TABLE 1. Eligibility criteria for EL testing accommodations