a.  On or before March 1 each year, district staff shall conduct a count of all limited
proficient students enrolled in district schools, assess the language proficiency of
such students and classify such students by language group, grade level, age and
English language proficiency.
b.  ELL students shall be assessed to determine their English language proficiency
using one of the Department of Public Instruction-approved English proficiency
assessment instruments. The assessment shall be administered by trained
personnel.  The district may also use information such as the following when
assessing a student’s English proficiency: prior academic records from within or
outside the United States, information on everyday classroom performance, and
course grades which, in relation to the student’s grade level, indicate that lack of
progress is due to limited English language skills.
c.  ELL students assessed shall be classified according to their English proficiency
level as outlined in state rules and described below.

➢   Level 1 – Beginning Pre-production if the student does not
understand or speak English with the exception of a few isolated
words or expressions.
➢   Level 2 – Beginning Production if all of the following criteria are
met: (a) the student understands and speaks conversational
English with hesitancy and difficulty, (b) the student understands
parts of lessons and simple directions, and (c) the student is at a
pre-emergent or emergent level of reading and writing English,
significantly below grade level.
➢   Level 3 – Intermediate if all of the following criteria are met: (a)
the student understands and speaks conversational and academic
English with decreasing hesitancy and difficulty, (b) the student is
post-emergent, developing reading comprehension and writing
skills in English, and (c) the student’s English literacy skills allow
the student to demonstrate academic knowledge in content areas
with assistance.
➢   Level 4 – Advanced Intermediate if all of the following are met:
(a) the student understands and speaks conversational English
without apparent difficulty, but understands and speaks academic
English with some hesitancy, and (b) the student continues to
acquire reading and writing skills in content areas needed to
achieve grade level expectations with assistance.
➢   Level 5 – Advanced if all of the following conditions are met: (a)
the student understands and speaks conversational and academic
English well, (b) the student is near proficient in reading, writing
and content area skills needed to meet grade level expectations,
and (c) the student requires occasional support.
➢   Level 6 – Formerly ELL Now Fully English Proficient is all of the
following criteria are met: (a) the student was formerly limited-
English proficient and is now fully English proficient, and (b) the
student reads, writes, speaks and comprehends English within the
academic classroom setting.

d.  Student English proficiency assessment records shall be maintained by the
district in accordance with state and federal laws and district student records
policies and procedures.  Reports regarding ELL students shall be made to the DPI
as legally required.

a.  Decisions regarding academic performance assessment shall be made and
documented on an individual basis for each ELL student.  Assessment decisions
shall be made by classroom teachers, building principal, district reading
specialist, and others as appropriate and communicated to the student’s
parent(s)/guardian.  All communications to parents/guardians of ELL students
shall be given in such manner as to provide understanding of the information.
b. An ELL student may not be exempted from academic assessments based on their
ELL status.  The District shall administer a state-required test to an ELL student
unless a determination has been made that the results of the test, with allowable
accommodations made for the student as needed, will not be a valid and reliable
indicator of the student’s academic knowledge and skills. If an ELL student is
exempted from taking a state-required test, he/she shall be administered a
DPI-approved alternative assessment.
i.  Except as specified below, students at English proficiency levels 1 or 2 as outlined
above shall participate in an alternative assessment even if they participate in a
state-required test.

➢  Students at English proficiency levels 1 or 2 who have attended
school in the first grade or any higher grade in the United States,
not including Puerto Rico, for three or more full consecutive school
years shall participate in academic assessment of reading or
English language arts using tests written in English.
➢  The District may continue, for no more than two additional
consecutive school years, to assess a student described above with
an alternative assessment, rather than the state-required tests, if
the District determines that the student has not reached a level of
English language proficiency sufficient for the tests written in
English to yield valid and reliable information about what the
student knows and can do.  This determination shall be made on a
case-by-case basis.

ii.  Students at English proficiency levels 3 through 5 as
outlined above shall participate in a state-required
test but may also participate in an alternative
assessment. If an ELL student participates in a state-
required test, the District shall provide testing
accommodations for the student if they are needed
and in accordance with acceptable state testing
accommodation guidelines.  Any accommodations
made shall maintain the validity of the test.

c.  Student test/alternative assessment results shall be communicated to the
student’s parent/guardian and to the DPI as required by law.
d. ELL student test results shall be used consistent with District policies when
making instructional, promotion and graduation decisions.