English Learners

NEW - U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet: Providing Services to English Learners During the COVID-19 Outbreak

NEW - English Learner Ready for Learning Considerations

The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) English Learners (EL) support program is the result of collaboration among the Division of Learning Services’ English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Unit and the Student Assessment Unit and the Division of Public School Accountability’s Federal Programs Unit. This program provides many resources and services to assist schools in their efforts to support ELs in the development of the skills needed to effectively utilize English both in and out of school.

The DESE will work with schools and educational cooperatives to:

provide assistance through Regional EL Specialists for professional development of teachers and administrators in the implementation of effective Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) design and delivery
assist, upon request, with school improvement program planning for ELs/li>
coordinate ESOL professional development training with Teacher Center Coordinators/li>
convene regional meetings of ESOL personnel to discuss strategies, LIEP implementation, and share resources used to instruct ELs under the AR Academic Content Standards/li>
implement and assess the Arkansas State Board of Education adopted English Language Proficiency Standards/li>
provide on-site technical assistance addressing ESOL techniques and strategies

Legal Obligations for Serving English Learners:

OCR ELL Guide (PDF)

Plyler Letter-Children’s Right to Attend School (PDF)

Information on the Rights of All Children to Enroll in School: Questions and Answers for States, School Districts and Parents (PDF)

Schools’ Civil Rights Obligations to English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents

Dear Colleague Letter, January 7, 2015 (PDF)

OELA English Learner Toolkit

Special Needs Funding Rules-ELL Funds (PDF)

Division of Elementary and Secondary Education ESOL Program Guidance:

NEW DESE ESOL Program Guide (PDF) (DOCX)

District English Learner Plan Requirements:

DESE has a legal responsibility under ESSA, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA) to ensure that all LEAs meet the federal requirements to properly identify, assess, and support English learners through an effective English language development program. In order to meet this requirement, all LEAs must submit an annual district-wide English Learner Plan to the DESE, whether currently enrolling English Learners or not.

Submission Method	Details	Due Date
Title III Grant Application	The English Learner Plan is the first part of the Title III Grant Application.	June 26, 2020
English Learner Plan for Non-Title III Districts	Districts that do not receive Title III funds will submit this plan in Indistar.	October 1, 2020

2020-21 DESE English Learner Plan Walk-Through Pre-Recorded Webinar (PDF) (Webinar Video)
Commissioner’s Memo LS-20-09 2019-20 District English Learner Plans/Language Minority Student and English Learner Data Entry Requirements (NEW LIEP Codes!)/ELL Categorical Funding

Arkansas English Learner Entrance and Exit Procedures

Arkansas English Learner Entrance and Exit Procedures Entry/Exit Manual

Commissioner’s Memo LS-- Arkansas English Learner Entrance and Exit Procedures Manual
DESE Webinar on Arkansas English Learner Entrance and Exit Procedures Manual—September 4, 2018 (Webinar PDF) (Webinar Video)
NEW - Provisional Presumptive English Learner Identification Overview/Q and A (Webinar PDF) (Webinar Video)
HLUS Follow Up Interview (PDF) (DOCX)
Provisional-Presumptive EL Placement Worksheet (XLSX)
Provisional Identification Google Folder

Arkansas Professional Judgment Rubric-Exit Criteria Guidance (PDF)

Commissioner’s Memo LS-18-093 - Arkansas Professional Judgment Rubric/Exit Criteria Guidance
DESE Webinar on Professional Judgment Rubric - Exit Criteria (Webinar PDF) (Webinar Video)

Arkansas Home Language Usage Survey-Required for ALL new students

(Commissioner’s Memo LS-18-083 - Required Home Language Usage Survey, Entry/Exit Procedures, ELPA21 Screener, Summer Training)

Required Forms

Arkansas Home Language Usage Survey (See Commissioner’s Memo LS-18-083)

Arkansas HLUS Verification Form

English (DOCX) (PDF)

ADE Language Minority Student Exit-Monitoring Form

English (DOCX) (PDF)

Sample Forms

The Sample Initial or Annual LPAC Placement Form and the Sample LMS Transfer Data/Records Request Form are both available as links (DOCX) and (PDF) on the following PDF document that also

contains links to Sample Parent Letters in English and 10 additional languages. Please see the Arkansas English Learner Entrance and Exit Procedures Manual for when to use each of these letters.

Required Parent Notifications

TransACT ParentNotices include ESSA Parent Notifications and GenEd Parent Notifications. DESE provides this site free of charge to all public/charter school, Education Service Cooperative, and DESE personnel in Arkansas. Your subscription gives you access to parent engagement guidance, as well as expertly written forms or notices that are required by your district, state or the federal government. The notices are already translated into ten priority languages by certified translators. Arkansas educators may go to the TransACT website and sign up using their district, ESC, or DESE assigned email address and a password of their own choosing.

TransAct ParentNotices

DESE English Learner Data Entry Presentation Materials

2020-21 Language Minority Student/English Learner Data Entry (Webinar PDF) / (Webinar Recording)

2020-21 Back to School Checklist for LMS/EL Data Entry (PDF)

COGNOS Reports Information (PDF)

EL Data Entry Flowchart 2020-21 (PDF)

ESOL Program Guidance Webinar Series (coming soon)

English Language Proficiency Standards

English Learner Resources for ESOL Coordinators/Administrators:

Unlocking the Research on English Learners (PDF)

English Language Learners: Shifting to an Asset-Based Paradigm (PDF)

Serving Foreign Exchange EL Students (PDF)

ELL Low-Incidence Guide (PDF)

Research-Based Options for Educational Policymaking: ELLs and Parental Involvement (PDF)

FAQ—Federal Guidance on ELs with Disabilities (PDF)

Resources for English Learner Students with Disabilities

Navigating the Intervention and Evaluation Process for ELs with Potential Disabilities: A Resource Guide for Local Education Agencies (PDF)

LiveBinder Link - ELs with Disabilities

English Learner Resources for Teachers:

ESOL Considerations for TESS (PDF)

Key Principles For ELL Instruction (PDF)

ESOL Student Assessment

The English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21) tests English Learners (EL) to determine their level of proficiency in the English language. More information on ELPA21 can be viewed by visiting the ELPA21 Page.

Disclaimer: Links to third-party websites do not constitute an endorsement of the content, viewpoint, accuracy, opinions, policies, products, services, or accessibility of the sites.

For more information, please contact:

Tricia Kerr, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program Director

Arkansas Department of Education

Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

Learning Services

NWAESC

4 North Double Springs Road

Farmington, AR 72730

Office: 479-267-7450 ext 334

Fax: 479-267-7456

Dr. Alan Lytle, English Language Learner Assessment Specialist