English Learner Policy and Programs

Overview

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) provides school leaders and teachers guidance around maintaining a language instruction educational program (LIEP) for English learners (ELs) that is rooted in federal and local regulations. This guidance, including administrative procedures and instruction, is available in the form of publications, professional development, and in-person technical assistance and programmatic support.

Policy

All staff, including principals, instructional leaders, teachers, and other school personnel, are responsible for ensuring that students learning English are supported in school. State and local education agencies (LEAs) have an obligation to ensure ELs both develop English language proficiency and meet the same challenging state academic standards as their native English-speaking peers. Refer to the policies and procedures document below for details:

Delivering Education Services to English Learners: Policies and Procedures for Administrators, Instructional Leaders, and Teachers in the District of Columbia (February 2024)
Spanish (Español) | French (Français) | Chinese (中文)
English Performance Standards
WIDA English Language Development Standards, 2020 edition
OSSE State Title III Advisory Committee
Training Webinar: English Learners and the Law
U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice Fact Sheet: Confronting Discrimination Based on National Origin and Immigration Status English Spanish

Screening, Identification and Placement in English Learner Services

For all students who have enrolled in a DC school for the first time, schools must begin with administering the OSSE Home Language Survey, a questionnaire completed by parents of all students at the time of enrollment. The OSSE Home Language Survey does not need to be administered to a student who is re-enrolling in a DC school.

OSSE Home Language Survey (updated Sept. 8, 2021) *Available in 8 languages, now including Russian*
OSSE Home Language Survey Frequently Asked Questions
Training Webinar: OSSE Home Language Survey
Training Webinar: English Language Proficiency Screening and EL Program Placement

If the OSSE Home Language Survey indicates that a language other than English is spoken in the home to or by the student, the student must be screened for possible identification as an EL using the appropriate screener within 30 school days of the student’s first official school day (also known as stage 5 enrollment). A student shall not be identified as an EL student only based on OSSE Home Language Survey indicating a language other than English is spoken in the home or routinely used in other settings. The list of appropriate screeners can be found in the links below.

Pre-IPT Oral English for grades pre-K3 - pre-K4
English Language Proficiency Screener for grades K-12 (For questions, please contact Asaad Fulton at [email protected].)
WIDA Secure Portal Login (For questions, please contact Asaad Fulton at [email protected].)
Training Webinar: English Language Proficiency Screeners

Sample Parent Notification Letter Templates

Within 30 days of stage five enrollment at the start of the school year, or within two weeks of placement if not identified at the beginning of school, LEAs must notify parents of ELs that their child was identified as needing EL services. This must be done in an understandable and uniform format, and to the extent practicable, it is strongly recommended to translate the parent notification letter into a language that parents can understand. LEAs should develop a procedure for tracking the issuance of parent notification letters and for documenting parental consent for services. The sample templates below are resources to help LEAs provide parent notification letters that meet the necessary requirements.

Sample Parent Notification Letter Templates

English Learner Program Models

Under federal law, EL programs must be: (1) based on a sound educational theory; (2) adequately supported so that the program has a realistic chance of success; and (3) periodically evaluated and revised, if necessary. In the District of Columbia, five EL program models are commonly used, each of which is considered effective by experts in the field. These models have been designed to meet the varying needs and grade levels of students across English proficiency levels.

English Learner Instruction

Visit the OSSE pages below for resources on instructional practices and to register for professional learning from OSSE.

English Learner Instructional Resources
Dual Language Resources
Subscribe to the Teaching and Learning PD Bulletin (monthly newsletter)
View and register for upcoming professional learning opportunities from OSSE

Using the Early Access to EL Data Qlik Application

OSSE’s data visualization application in Qlik Sense provides timely and appropriate data to help LEAs plan and prepare to meet the needs of EL students, which include current students for the current school year and students who are pre-enrolled in the LEA for the upcoming school year.

Early Access to EL Data Application (login)
Training Video: Introduction to the Early Access to English Learner Data Qlik Application
Training Video: New Features for the 2020-21 School Year
Training Video: New Features for the 2021-22 School Year

Assessments

ACCESS for ELLs is the summative English language proficiency test taken annually by students who are ELs. To exit an LEA’s EL program, EL students in grades K-12 must meet the exit criteria set by the state.