International baccalaureate organization

Students eligible for the ESOL program are those whose native language/home language/first language is other than English and who, by reason thereof, have sufficient difficulty speaking, reading, writing or understanding the English language to prevent their success in the classrooms where the language of instruction is English.

Where sufficient numbers permit clustering students for instruction, ESOL Center Schools will be identified according to majority of LEP population at a particular home school. Students qualifying for services who are not in the attendance zone of the ESOL Center School receive transportation to and from the ESOL Center School. The normal transportation rules will apply for students living within the attendance zone of the ESOL Center School. If clustering is not an option, students qualifying for ESOL services will be served by an itinerant teacher.

The ESOL Program for grades K-8 follows a pull-out model with services provided on a daily schedule. The number of segments of service is determined by the identified need and in accordance with State Rule 160-4-5-.02, which also specifies the number of students per given segment.

The ESOL Program for grades 9-12 provides scheduled daily class periods. ESOL courses focus on language acquisition skills as well as identified language arts objectives. Beginning ESOL courses receive elective credit; intermediate and advanced ESOL courses receive required language arts credit. Content sheltered ESOL classes facilitate the cognitive academic language acquisition process and credit is awarded based on the content designation. The number of segments of service is determined by the identified need of the student and in accordance with State Rule 160-4-5-.02, which also specifies the number of students per segment.

For purposes of focused instruction in an effort to meet the goal of preparing the students to be successful in the regular classroom, ESOL students are grouped for ESOL instruction. For all other instruction, unless ESOL students additionally qualify for other programs (e.g. Chapter I, TAG, etc.) or other specialized services, they receive instruction from the regular classroom teacher.

*LAC (Language Assessment Conference) participants should include the student's ESOL teacher and the regular language arts, reading or English teacher. Other participants may be selected from the following: (1) principal/assistant principal, (2) other content area teachers, (3) counselor, (4) IRT/Department Chair or (5) school psychologist. The LAC does not take the place of the Educational Support Team (EST) meeting. A non-English background student who is experiencing learning or behavioral problems in a particular instructional setting may be referred to the EST at any time. For such a student, the EST should "identify, plan and recommend alternative instructional strategies for an educational program." A student, for example, who has been served in the ESOL program for more than two years and has not yet passed the LAB could be appropriately referred to the Educational Support Team. This is not to say, however, that a non-English background student should not be referred to the EST until he/she has received two years of ESOL instruction. Whenever it is suspected that something beyond language is a barrier to the student's academic achievement, that student should be referred to the EST. All LAC forms and recommendations are to be kept on file.

ESOL Curriculum and Materials

A specialized curriculum provides for skill acquisition and development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. American cultural concepts often provide the context for language practice. While the ESOL Program seeks to honor and to share the various cultural backgrounds of its students, the need to help LEP students adjust to the new environment for academic and social benefit compels an examination of American culture.

The materials selected are designed to help limited English proficient students acquire English language skills. In addition to materials specifically related to the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, the ESOL Program provides a variety of manipulatives for the hands-on learning and special reference sources.

ESOL teachers must hold a viable Georgia teaching certificate as well as a specialized ESOL endorsement. Regulations for regular certification renewal also apply. Additional local staff development opportunities pertaining to limited English proficient students are available to ESOL teachers.

The ESOL Program provides translations for essential documents in languages represented by thirty or more students. The following types of documents are considered essential: health, behavior, permission requests, free and reduced meals, enrollment, rights, and information of vital importance distributed in all schools.

Cross References: IDDG – English To Speakers Of Other Languages Policy
Student Services
Heritage Language
Language is both the repository and transmitter of any group's culture, history, and traditions. “Heritage Language” is that language a person regards as his/her their native, home, or ancestral language. This covers indigenous languages and immigrant languages (e.g., Spanish in the United States). We propose to implement a Heritage Language program in the existing ESOL framework targeted at the “Newcomer” and “Beginning” stages of language acquisition. Given our demographics, we will limit this program to Spanish speakers. However, if the school demographics significantly shift we will consider additional languages under the guidance of our Local School Advisory Council (LSAC).

The RMS Heritage Language Program will address the needs of our students who are not highly literate in their native Spanish and require a different kind of instruction that enhances the language skills they already have, and amplifies their cultural literacy. Our Heritage Language Program will allow students to work toward high levels of proficiency in their native language and to pursue their personal and academic goals. The study of heritage languages within the regular school day will strengthen our students’ linguistic and cultural heritage, will maintains a valuable economic resource for the individual student and for the nation, and will promote intercultural and cross-cultural understanding in the larger Sandy Springs community.

This program will support the MYP in that it meets the two languages requirement and the humanities interdisciplinary requirement.

The implementation steps will be:

1. 
   The Charter will hire and/or train bi-lingual qualified ESOL staff who are assigned using the current Fulton County Schools hiring practices and professional development programs. These staff (preferably native speakers of Spanish) will be assigned “Newcomer” and “Beginner” classes.
   
2. 
   “Newcomer” and “Beginning” students will be placed in a Heritage Language class for one nine week “connections” class at a minimum.
   
3. 
   This class will meet the fifty hours requirement for the language A(best language) content area in the MYP.
   
4. 
   The Charter will continue to offer sheltered instruction for newcomer/beginner language learners in science, social studies and math to support language development through content instruction. If at such time the system no longer funds sheltered instruction/teachers, the school will seek an amendment to the charter, and a seat-time waiver if needed, to address the significant instructional needs of beginning language learners.
   
5. 
   Recruitment efforts will be made by Fulton County School System within the US to identify teacher candidates for this program, using the IBO, TESOL, OLEA, NABE and other resources often associated with bilingual staff.
   

The purpose of the clinic is to help your child with any health issues that occur during the school day.  It is essential that we have up-to-date phone numbers to reach you or a designated emergency contact in the event your child becomes ill or is injured at school.  It is also very important that we have up-to-date information about any medical conditions your child might have in order to properly care for your child. These conditions include diabetes, asthma, severe allergies, etc.  It is the parent’s responsibility to keep this information updated.

Book:	District Procedure
Section:	I - Instructional Program
Title:	Joint Enrollment/Postsecondary Options
Number:	IED(2)
Status:	Active
Legal:
Adopted:	01/13/1994
Last Revised:	07/01/1998
Last Reviewed: