Lizzie

The laws and programs that allow ELL and ESL students total accessibility in everyday life in school are growing, however the laws and programs put forth are still far too few.

“According to the National Center for Educational Statistics the general population has grown 9% from 1993 to 2003, while the ELL population has grown 65% in that same time. The ELL student population now comprises 10% of all students.”

====The State of Maine Department of Education's English as a Second Language Program ensures that limited English speaking children have access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschool education, provided to other children. ====

“ELL students face the challenging task of mastering a new language while also learning subject-area content. Although there have been signs of progress, including higher reading and math scores for ELL student as reported on the NAEP 2004 Trends in Academic Progress, more improvement is needed. English language learners receive lower grades, are judged by their teachers to have lower academic abilities, and score below their classmates on standardized tests of reading and math (Moss & Puma, 1995)”

“ From 1998 to 2008, the United States saw an increase of 53% English Language Learners (ELLs). In Maine, the number of ELLs increased by 40% in the last decade (MDOE, 2010). Currently, Maine’s public schools are serving close to 4,600 ELLs from over 100 language groups as the state has experienced dramatic changes in its population through the resettlement of refugees and new immigrants. In addition to the refugees and immigrants, Maine also has a significant population of Franco-American (370 ELLs) and Wabanaki/ Native-American (239 ELLs) communities, mostly clustered in rural areas.” “About 5.3 million English language learners (ELLs) attend American public schools, comprising more than 10 percent of total K–12 enrollment. These students are both new immigrants from diverse countries and American citizens raised in homes where English isn’t spoken. Educating ELLs can be challenging because they must master language and content simultaneously. Consequently, academic achievement among ELLs lags greatly, as evidenced, for example, by the 35-point gap between ELLs and their English-speaking peers in fourth-grade reading on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To assist teachers, administrators, and policymakers with understanding how to effectively educate and serve ELLs, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and REL Northeast and Islands provide these evidence-based resources to inform decision-making.”

In 2001-2002, in the state of Maine there are 33, 413 is the number of students with IEPs and there are 15.9 percent of students with IEPs. 2,388 is the number of students receiving ELL services with 1.1 being the percentage of students receiving ELL services. There are no records of students (or a percentage) receiving migrant services during the school year or summer. There are 60, 813 number of students eligible for free or reduced price meals with 29.6 being the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced priced meals.

= The following information is from: []  = This website: [] gives us the Language Minority Student Demographics in Maine Schools- percentages in Maine on our schools and students

 - One of the most talked about laws put in place in Maine is No Child Left Behind. This law includes the following: ** Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act of 2001 - ** ** No Child Left Behind ** **Public Law 107-110** This federal mandate holds state educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools accountable for increases in English language proficiency and core academic content knowledge of limited English proficient students. It requires states to implement yearly student academic assessments that include, at a minimum, academic assessments in mathematics and reading or language arts. These assessments must be aligned with sate academic content and achievement standards. Each state, school district, and school is expected to make adequate yearly progress toward meeting the state standards. This progress is measured by disaggregating data for specified subgroups of the population. NCLB also requires that states provide for an annual assessment of English language proficiency (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension in English) of all students identified as limited English proficient in schools served by the state [ref. Title I, SEC. 1111 (a) (7)]. Due to this federal legislation, North Carolina State Board policy mandates that all students who are language minority students must be assessed using the state-identified language proficiency test (IPT) at initial enrollment. In addition, students identified as limited English proficient must be assessed annually thereafter during the window of February 1-April 30 until they reach superior in all subtests of the language proficiency test during the same administration. [] (full text) [] (U.S. Department of Education's official NCLB Web site) []- this is a pdf file that details the parts of No Child Left Behind

=- Funding for Instruction that Supports English Language Learners = [|No Child Left Behind-Title III - Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students]

FY 2010
[|Maine Title III Grantees Under] [|//Elementary and Secondary Education Act: 2010-11//] [|State Statute for Funding ESL/Bilingual Education Instruction in Maine 1999-2000]

- Another program that Maine takes advantage of is WIDA- World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment. This website: [] is a “ consortium of states dedicated to the design and implementation of high standards and equitable educational opportunities for English language learners.” ** The WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards ** are recognized worldwide for their innovative approach to measuring academic language development in English. From those standards, various WIDA assessments have been developed to evaluate student progress according to the WIDA proficiency scale, including **ACCESS for ELLs** ** ® ** which is administered annually in consortium member states to comply with federal accountability requirements in the United States. In the 2009-10 school year, WIDA expects to assess about 840,000 English language learners (ELLs) in kindergarten through grade 12 using ACCESS for ELLs. ** The WIDA MODEL™ series of assessments ** is being developed for schools or systems who are looking for additional measures of language growth. The WIDA MODEL for Kindergarten, Grades 1-2, and Grades 3-5 are currently available to consortium members and non-members (including international schools). WIDA MODEL for Grades 6-8 and 9-12 will be available in 2011. ** WIDA's professional development offerings ** range from one-day workshops to semester-long graduate courses on topics pertinent to educators of English language learners (ELLs). Topics include curriculum and instruction strategies such as the use of standards and teacher collaboration models, language proficiency assessment, interpretation of score reports, data retreats geared toward developing school improvement plans, and a variety of other subjects that may be customized to meet the needs of local districts. ** WIDA's research agenda ** addresses many hot topics in the world of ELL education. These include: defining and exploring academic language acquisition, implementation of standards and washback effects of assessment, and policy guidance for decision makers. Finally, WIDA offers alignment studies aimed at understanding the relationship between standards and assessments as well as the relationship between English language proficiency standards and academic content standards. ** WIDA-related grants ** are currently exploring and developing new products and services related to formative assessment of English language learners, web-based Mathematics and Science content assessments of students with low English proficiency, an alternate assessment for English language learners with disabilities, and a data analysis/ program evaluation initiative targeting school improvement to better serve ELLs. Originally established through a federal grant, the WIDA Consortium consists of twenty-four partner states: Alabama, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Another important plan or program is the **Lau Plan-** named after the landmark Lau vs. Nichols U.S. Supreme Court Decision of 1974, is one equal access plan that protects ELLs. The plan describes what a school district will do:


 * to identify its ELLs,


 * to design an effective program reflective of their needs,


 * to employ appropriate English-as-a-second-language or bilingual personnel (or both),


 * to align the instruction of ELLs to state and local content standards, and

Because the plan requires school board or school committee approval, no administrator or other staff member of the school district may veto, alter, or affect implementation that is contrary to the Lau plan. They may, however, submit revisions and updates for subsequent board action as frequently as necessary. A Lau plan is a "working document" that should be revisited frequently. [|Essential components] of a Lau Plan include the legal foundation, student assessments, an instructional plan, parental involvement, qualified personnel, a coordination plan, a budget, adjunct services, and other possible considerations.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">to provide ongoing authentic assessments to ascertain their growth in English language proficiency and in the comprehension of academic content.

These are plans put forth by cities in Maine: []

<span style="margin-bottom: .15in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">- The Barbara Bush Foundation is one program that supports, funds, and encourages literacy in all families across the country. Through the Barbara Bush Foundation, The Maine Family Literary Initiative is “a program designed to support the development and/or improvement of family literacy throughout the state of Maine. “The Maine Family Literacy Initiative (MEFLI) has awarded a total of $380,000 to 22 communities in Maine. Please read the press release to learn more.For a complete listing of all of the programs that have been funded through The Maine Family Literacy Initiative please click HERE. For more information about the Maine Family Literacy Initiative, visit [|http://www.mainefamilyliteracy.com].