Parents and Students
As the parent of an English Language Learner (ELL), you may feel intimidated by or unable to help with your child’s homework or other schoolwork, especially if he/she has limited education or English skills. As your children grow and learn during the school year, Data Recognition Corporation wants to determine what they know, what are they able to do, and how well they can perform in the classroom.
So how does an ELL program work?
When you enroll your child in school for the first time, he/she will complete a Home Language Survey. This survey is used to identify if a language other than English is spoken in the home. The Home Language Survey is only completed once and will be included in your child’s cumulative file that will follow him or her from school to school within a district and from district to district for in the event of a transfer. If your district uses LAS Links, the procedure will be as follows:
- Identified students are then given the initial LAS Links Placement Test to determine proficiency in English.
- If the LAS Links Placement Test indicates the student is “Proficient” in English, no further action is needed.
- If a student is identified as “Not Proficient” or “Approaching Proficiency,” an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is developed and the student is assessed yearly using the LAS Links assessment.
LAS Links is a research-based test that looks at academic and social competency in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills for English Language Learners in grades K-12. If a student’s LAS Links assessment score indicates the student is a Level 1-4, the student is identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP) and an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) will be developed for the student. The ILP document includes accommodations and strategies your child can use both in the classroom and on state assessments.