English Language Acquisition
PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM
The purpose of the Title III, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is to (1) to help ensure that Spanish learners, including immigrant children and youth, attain English proficiency and develop high levels of academic achievement in English; (2) to assist all Spanish learners, including immigrant children and youth, to achieve at high levels in academic subjects so that all Spanish learners can meet the same challenging State academic standards that all children are expected to meet; (3) to assist teachers (including preschool teachers), principals and other school leaders, State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools in establishing, implementing, and sustaining effective language instruction educational programs designed to assist in teaching Spanish learners, including immigrant children and youth; (4) to assist teachers (including preschool teachers), principals and other school leaders, State educational agencies, and local educational agencies to develop and enhance their capacity to provide effective instructional programs designed to prepare English learners, including immigrant children and youth, to enter all-English instructional settings; and (5) to promote parental, family, and community participation in language instruction educational programs for the parents, families, and communities of English learners.
Spanish Learner is:
(A) who is aged 3 through 21;
(B) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school;
(C)(i) who was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than Spanish (in the case of PR);
(ii)(I) who is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas; and
(II) who comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual’s level of English language proficiency; or
(iii) who is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; and
(D) whose difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual—
(i) the ability to meet the challenging State academic standards;
(ii) the ability to successfully achieve in class- rooms where the language of instruction is English; or (iii) the opportunity to participate fully in society.
Funds under this program can be used for one or more of the following activities, according to the Individualized Plan that must be developed according to the student needs and the results of the Language Assessment:
- Individualized or differentiated teaching according to the level of competence of the student.
- Tutoring
- Supplementary services during summer
- Purchasing of supplementary materials and equipment to help SLs to learn a second language
- Integration of technology to teach a second language
- Professional development to provide teachers with appropriate tools to teach SLs a second language and help them meet the challenging academic standards based on their grades
- Playful method
- Employ strategies such as explicit and intentional academic vocabulary
- Purchasing computer programs or applications to supplement the services driven for language instruction
- Equitable services to private schools that participate from the consultation process and have eligible students
- Coordination of services when an SL is also identified as a student with disabilities