English Learners Department

The English Learners (EL) Department serves more than 24,000 international students who speak over 174 languages and dialects.

Our students originate from over 160 countries.

Who Should Be Screened

All students new to DeKalb County School District registering for kindergarten through 12th grade who meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Students whose primary home language is other than English (PHLOTE)
  This includes students born in the United States

• Students whose first language is other than American English

• Students who were born outside the United States

New student - online registration

Documents needed for registration

• Proof of residence in the DeKalb County School District – updated utility bill (gas, water, electric) or rent/lease agreement in the parents’ name, or an affidavit will be needed

• Photo ID of the parent/guardian registering the child

• Certified copy of birth certificate, passport, or I-94

• Immunization Certificate (GA 3231)

• Hearing, Vision, Dental, and Nutrition (GA 3300)

• Social Security card (if available

• School records (if available)

Forms (Affidavit, Guardian, etc.) Needed for Registration

• These forms are available at the International Student Screening Center or at the local school.

Georgia English Learner Identification

EL eligibility requirements: Students who meet the eligibility criteria receive language support.

• Kindergarten Flow Chart

• 1st-12th Flow Chart

As part of the EL Department, the English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program offers language development classes for over 18,000 qualifying learners who receive instruction from over 300 ESOL teachers.

The ESOL Program is a state-funded language assistance instructional program that serves eligible ELs in grades K-12. The objective of the program is to support the development of English language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
 

The program emphasizes social/instructional and academic language proficiency. ESOL teachers use the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework and the Georgia Standards of Excellence to provide instruction to develop learners listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in the content areas.
 

GADOE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

The EL Department also administers the Title III, Part A grant. Title III, Part A is a part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This formula grant program is designed to improve the education of English learners.

• Funds may be used to provide supplemental services to improve the English language proficiency and academic achievement of identified ELs and immigrant students.

• Services provided using Title III funds must supplement, and not supplant, the services that must be provided under the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA), and other requirements, including those under state or local laws.

• Funds are used to provide evidence-based, supplemental resources and programs to support identified ELs and immigrant students, develop staff, and engage EL and immigrant families.

GADOE Title III, Part A: Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students

The English Learners department provides (at no cost to the participants) many professional learning opportunities for DCSD teachers and staff.

ESOL Endorsement Program

The English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Endorsement Program helps to prepare classroom teachers to effectively meet the language development and academic needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students. The program teaches how students learn English and how to effectively plan, instruct and assess these students. It allows participants to develop a strong foundation in:

• Accurate identification and placement of English learners (ELs) and students whose primary home language is other than English (PHLOTE)
• Phases of English language development
• Appropriate instruction and assessment, including a variety of evidence-based strategies.

The program also assists local schools in meeting the goal of obtaining trained and endorsed staff to teach ESOL courses that support evidence-based instructional practices.

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Training

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) is a research-based and validated instructional model developed to address the academic needs of English learners.

The SIOP Model consists of eight interrelated components:

1. Lesson Preparation
2. Building Background
3. Comprehensible Input
4. Strategies
5. Interaction
6. Practice & Application
7. Lesson Delivery
8. Review & Assessment

By using instructional strategies connected to each of these components, teachers develop lessons that make content material more comprehensible to English learners, supporting language development.

ESOL Book Studies

The English Learners Department facilitates several book studies to meet the needs of teachers of English learners ESOL teachers with different needs.

Book studies last over one semester and bring together educators from schools around the District to participate in discussion, sharing, and deepening knowledge on various topics related to supporting our diverse community of English learners.

DeKalb County School District utilizes Georgia Department of Education approved delivery models pp. 59-60 to provide instruction for English learners.

The English Learner Department provides free school-related interpretation service to our multilingual families to ensure families have equitable opportunities for engagement in their children’s education.

How to Request an Interpreter

• Staff Requests: Each school/Department has a designed person to submit requests via Plunet, the DCSD centralized web-based platform.

• Parents/Guardian Requests: Parents can request the assistance of an interpreter in their preferred language directly at the local school.

• Parents are given a “Language Access” card that indicates their preferred language, that they can show to the school staff to identify the need for an interpreter and the language needed.

   

• The interpreter can be provided either in person or over the phone.

• For general meetings, equipment is provided for the parents to listen to the meeting in their preferred language.

• Vital documents are provided in the parents’ preferred language.

• All District-wide documents are translated into DCSD’s in 15 languages.

• DeKalb County School District uses Google Translate to automatically translate its website.

Note: The English version is considered the most accurate. If there is a discrepancy between the translation and the original English version, the original version takes precedence. Specific departments or schools should be contacted with questions.

English learners who meet the standardized, statewide criteria for English proficiency and no longer meet the definition of an English Learner are exited or reclassified from EL status. They no longer participate in the ESOL language program and assessment, nor in the Title III Part A supplemental language services.

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requires that LEAs monitor the academic progress of post-exit English learners for two calendar years to ensure :

• Students have not been prematurely exited or reclassified;

• Any academic deficits incurred have been remedied; and

• Students are meaningfully participating in standards-based instruction and assessment comparable to their never-EL peers.

Taken from: A Resource Guide to Support School Districts’ English Learner Language Programs Complete EL Entrance & Exit Procedures and Post-Exit Information

The ESOL Program is regularly monitored by the Georgia Department of Education.

The English Learners department ensures that all students who are suspected of having a disability under idea or Section 504 are identified, located, and evaluated in a timely manner and that their language needs are considered in evaluations and services.

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