TITLE III

The term "immigrant children and youth," which is defined in section 3301(6) of Title III, refers to individuals who: (A) are aged 3 through 21; (B) were not born in any State; and (C) have not been attending one or more schools in any one or more States for more than 3 full academic years.

The term 'limited English proficient', when used with respect to an individual, means an individual—
(A) who is aged 3 through 21;
(B) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school;
(C)(i) who was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English;
(ii)(I) who is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas; and
(II) who comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual's level of English language proficiency; or
(iii) who is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; and
(D) whose difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual—
(i) the ability to meet the State's proficient level of achievement on State assessments described in section 1111(b)(3);
(ii) the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English; or
(iii) the opportunity to participate fully in society.

TITLE III—LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION FOR LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT AND IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

Plan for hiring ELL Teachers 

The following wording is taken directly from The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001:  

“Teacher English Fluency--Each eligible entity receiving a subgrant under section 3114 shall include in its plan a certification that all teachers in any language instruction educational program for limited a English proficient child that is, or will be, funded under this are fluent in English and any other language used for instruction, including having written and oral communication skills.” [3116 –c]   

HOLLOW ROCK-BRUCETON SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT COMPLIES WITH STATE REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS OF

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS. THESE GUIDELINES ARE DESCRIBED BELOW:  

All teachers of any language instruction program for English Language Learners must be fluent and competent in the four domains of language assessed by the English Language Proficiency Assessment: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. If personnel not possessing these skills have been previously hired, the district is required to offer help to build the necessary fluency.

A teacher’s fluency in listening and speaking may be documented and evaluating during the interview process by having one person responsible for noting listening mistakes, miscues, grammar and syntax mistakes, and making a judgment as to the level of fluency for both speech and listening.

Reading may be evaluated through the reading and responses that show understanding of the application process. Reading proficiency may also be documented through the college transcript issued by an English speaking university. Districts may also use shelf reading comprehension assessments.

Writing fluency can be more difficult to ensure. Unless the application requires a writing sample, the district may encourage a 15 to 20 minute writing sample during the teacher interview. Topics should vary from applicant to applicant. The sample should be done onsite so that there is no opportunity for outside editing.

The district may also have an assessment designed or contract with an outside agency for this screening. The district should decide if this is to be used with only English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers or with all hires.