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English Learners

English Learners

English Learner (EL) Program

Welcome to Scott County School's EL website.  EL was formerly known as English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learners (ELL).  Our EL program is offered to students who are not yet proficient in English as determined by an English language screener.  We proudly serve almost 400 English Learners (ELs)  that come from many cultures and countries with a variety of languages and dialects. 

EL students have many challenges. They are learning academic content in a language that is not their own while simultaneously learning English.  Scott County School's EL program is grounded in supporting and encouraging  ELs' native language proficiency to the maximium extent possible while providing rigorous content instruction and support. Like all students in SCS, academic expectations are held high for ELs. At the  same time, support in all school environments is also provided.

In SCS, all cultures and languages are welcomed and valued. SCS administrators, teachers, and staff understand that EL students bring important assets into the learning environment.  Teachers rely on these assets as funds of knowledge that help make connections to the EL student's prior experiences.  We believe in parent collaboration and engagement, critical consciousness, authentic learning opportunities, and evidence-based strategies are most effective in helping our EL students to, not only bridge the language gap but, become fluent in both languages.

Program Vision

Scott County Schools will develop multilingual, culturally diverse students who are college and career ready and prepared to enter a global society.

Program Mission

Scott County Schools ELL Program will support students and teachers, maintain high standards and provide an academic experience that ensures an equal opportunity for success and empowers ELs to pursue life goals through language acquisition, academic, and cultural experiences.

Program Goals

  1. Scott County Schools EL Program will provide instruction to each student in the ELL program in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
  2. Scott County Schools EL Program will provide ELs with equal access to content area instruction in order to make progress toward mastery of content standards.
  3. Scott County Schools EL Program will collaborate effectively with teachers and support staff to ensure academic success.
  4. Scott County Schools EL Program will provide and promote nurturing classroom environments for all students to communicate and function successfully.
  5. Scott County Schools EL Program will promote ethnic pride through cultural diversity and sensitivity in order to participate in school and community life. 

Program Staff

Teaching Staff:

Great Crossing High School & Elkhorn Crossing
 
Cathy Reveal - cathy.reveal@scott.kyschools.us
Scott County High School, Phoenix Horizon Community, and Georgetown Middle School
 
Royal Spring Middle School & Scott County Middle School
 
Veronica Holt - veronica.holt@scott.kyschools.us
Lemons Mill Elementary School
 
Katie Mann Adams - katherine.mann@scott.kyschools.us
Anne Mason Elementary School & Garth Elementary School
 
Dana Boggs - dana.boggs@scott.kyschools.us
Eastern Elementary School & Southern Elementary School
 
Laura Willoughby - laura.willhoughby@scott.kyschools.us
Creekside Elementary School & Northern Elementary School
 
Western Elementary School & Stamping Ground Elementary School
 
Instructional Assistants:
 
Brittany Gardner - brittany.gardner@scott.kyschools.us
Anne Mason Elementary School, Garth Elementary, Western Elementary School, Georgetown Middle School, Scott County High School, Phoenix Horizon Community
 
Alma Campos - almadelia.campos@scott.kyschool.us
Royal Spring Middle School, & Scott County Middle School, Great Crossing High School, Elkhorn Crossing, Creekside Elementary School
 
Emily Simpson - emily.simpson@scott.kyschools.us
Stamping Ground Elementary, Northern Elementary, Lemons Mill Elementary School, Eastern Elementary School, & Southern Elementary.

 

 

Resources & Information

Resources

Standford University -  Better understand language to support EL students

Colorin Colorado - Variety of resources for Parents & Educators

WIDA Consorsium - EL Standards for quality EL programming and connection to core content

National Geographic -  Evidence-Based Research for EL program materials. (Type in "Reach" for Elementary Level, "Inside" for Middle School Level, and "Edge" for High School Level)

Information

Identification Procedures: 

School Enrollement Staff  are vital to ensuring that immigrant & refugee students are identified and served by SCS in an efficient and timely manner.

Home Language Survey - Initiates the process to determine if a studnet is eligible for EL services.  All students should have a primary language listed on the HLS.  If the primary language is something other than Enlgish, the student will be administered the Enlish Language Screener to determine eligibility and start the Program Service Plan (PSP).

Type of Student:

1.  Immigrant- New to U.S  

2.  Immigrant- Individual has resided in the U.S. for a period of time prior to moving to Scott County Schools

Students who have been in U.S. schools 3 years or more are no longer classified as "Immigarnt"

3.  “Primary Refugee”- Individual has refugee status and is new to U.S (Resettlement Documentation Papers required)

4.  “Secondary Refugee”- Individual has resided in the U.S. for a period of time and moved to Scott County (Resettlement Documentation Papers required)

State ACCESS Testing:  Part of Kentucky's State Accountability System

All EL students must take the state ACCESS Test each year in order to determine their English language proficiency (ELP). The ACCESS Test assesses ELP in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The scores in the areas are then combined in order to provide ELP scores in Literacy (reading + writing), Oral Language (listening + speaking) and an Overall ELP Score.

The ACCESS Test has three Tiers of difficulty: 

Tier I is intended for students at the beginning to lower intermediate levels of English proficiency

Tier B is intended for students who are at the lower intermediate to lower advanced levels of proficiency

Tier C is intended for students at the advanced levels of proficiency

ELL Exit Criteria:

In the state of Kentucky, EL students are eligible to exit from EL Programs when they achieve an overall score of 4.5 or higher on a Tier B or C ACCESS Test. The student must also have a Literacy Score of 4.0 or higher. Once exited, students are monitored for a four year period.  If monitor students demonstrate acadademic difficulty, then the EL student may recieve additional supports through the EL program.  Once exited, regardless of monitoring supports, tudents will not be required to take state ACCESS testing again.