Introduction

English learners in the West Chester Area School District represent over 40 different languages and countries. In the 2019-20 school year, the District had more than 500 EL students.

Program Goal

The goal of the West Chester Area School District’s ELD Program is to develop English language proficiency and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) in English language learners so that they can function independently in the mainstream classroom setting. To this end, program instruction is conducted in English. The foundation for the curriculum is a standards-based curriculum aligned to the English Language Development Standards and PDE’s Standards Aligned System (PDE SAS) ELL Overlay.

Student and Parent/Guardian Orientation Procedures

• At the time of registration, students and families are made aware of the programs, resources, and personnel who will support them in school.
• An ELD/Title III Open House is held in October to acquaint the families of ELs with the services available to them in the school district and in the community. Teachers, instructional assistants, caseworkers, and administrators are present to answer questions and to interpret as needed. The Title III Open House is conducted in English and Spanish for the families of the Spanish speakers.

LINKS AND RESOURCES FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Instruction for ELLs

• Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence - The CREDE Center in California supports both research and practice to support English language learners in the K-12 classroom.
• SIOP Institute - The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) is an instructional framework that allows teachers to develop students' English language proficiency while teaching academic content.
• Teaching Tolerance - The Teaching Tolerance website has a wealth of resources for culturally responsive teaching.
• PDE’s ELL Overlay on its Standards Aligned System helps teachers ensure that ELLs receive a standards-based curriculum.
• WIDA’s CAN DO Descriptors help teachers learn how to differentiate instruction for ELLs.
• WIDA’s English Language Development Standards help teachers plan for curriculum and instruction.

Literacy Resources for ELLs

• ¡Colorín Colorado! is a bilingual site for literacy resources for families and educators.
• Unite For Literacy- is an online library of books in English and Spanish.
• West Chester Borough Library has many resources in both English and in Spanish.

Resources for Families

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics - Visit this National Council of Teachers of Mathematics webpage for information about 'new math' expectations in both English
• ¡Colorin Colorado! for Families is a website created for families to provide information to help children become better readers.
• Hispanic Creo - Hispanic Creo’s mission is to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic children by empowering families.
• Motivos is a bilingual magazine designed to empower Latino youths to explore their full potential and make informed choices about college, careers, and life.
• GACLA - Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. Become involved at the state level with what is happening with the Latino population.
• Volunteer English Program - provides free one-to-one tutoring for adult immigrants and refugees.  To become a student, call 610-918-8222.
  Read more at http://www.volunteerenglish.org/students/how-to-become-a-student.html and http://www.volunteerenglish.org/

National Organizations

• TESOL - Learn about what is happening in the world of English Language Learners
• NABE  - National Organization for Bilingual Educators

Pennsylvania Resource

• PDE’s ELD Resource - Pennsylvania has a rich resource available for questions dealing with English Learners.