Arkansas English Learner Entrance and Exit Procedures

English Learner Entrance and Exit Procedures Manual

Identifying which students in Arkansas are English Learners (ELs) is critical to the success of these students. To facilitate consistent identification of ELs, reclassification to Former English Learners (FELs), and monitoring of FELs, the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has standardized statewide entrance and exit procedures effective as of the 2018-19 school year. These standardized entrance and exit procedures were developed after consulting with 51 English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Coordinators throughout Arkansas and gathering feedback from ESOL Coordinator groups at several education service cooperatives, as well as in collaboration with the Arkansas English Learner/Title III Advocacy Group representing districts of various sizes throughout the state.

Home Language Usage Survey Verification Form

Occasionally, responses on a student’s HLUS may not correctly reflect the student’s Language Minority Student (LMS) status. The Home Language Usage Survey Verification Form (HLUS-VF) was created for Arkansas schools to document when this occurs. There are only two reasons to complete the HLUS-VF:

To refer a student with ALL English on his/her HLUS for English Language Proficiency screening or
To document why a student with a response other than English on his/her HLUS is NOT an LMS.

Language Proficiency and Assessment Committee (LPAC)

Placement decisions are made by a site-based Language Proficiency and Assessment Committee (LPAC) consisting of at least three educators, one from each category:

Building administrator (principal, assistant principal
English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) designee (teacher who is English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsed and/or trained to work with ELs)
Certified educator familiar with the student's data and performance in the classroom

The LPAC must meet for the following reasons to review assessment results and other available data to determine placement, services, and recommended classroom and assessment accommodations:

Initial placement
- Within the first 30 days of enrollment at the beginning of the school year
- Within two weeks of enrollment thereafter
Annually thereafter for all current ELs and monitored former ELs (M1-M4)
As needed for student success

Specific EL services offered remain a local decision. Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are expected to offer appropriate English Language Development (ELD) services and meaningful access to content area instruction to ELs. The LPAC must also determine the appropriate classroom and assessment accommodations to be provided to the student due to their EL needs, if any.

DESE Language Minority Student Exit - Monitoring Form

The Language Minority Student (LMS) Exit-Monitoring Form is completed when determining whether a student is a Former English Learner for the following three purposes: (PDF) (DOCX )

Initiating placement as a Former English Learner
Documenting a prior exit that was not documented
Monitoring a Former English Learner

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