Identification and Placement
The Harrisburg School District English Language Development Department use the following process and resources to identify and place English Learners (ELs) in the Harrisburg School District’s LIEP. Upon registration, parents/guardians of students must complete the Home Language Survey (HLS) (Appendix A). This survey is included in the registration packet for all students.
Home Language Survey
If the parent/guardian responds YES to any question on the Home Lnaguage Survey and a language other than English is listed, the office staff conducts a family interview and reviews records to determine next steps. Based on the responses to the Home Language Survey, the office staff and ELD teacher follow the Pennsylvania Department of Education English Learner Indentification Procedure. This must be completed within 30 calendar days of the beginning of the school year or within 14 calendar days during the school year.
Evidence from previous schooling if available, that the student has a sufficient level of English language proficiency to benefit from instruction in English without specialized supports or accommodations might include scores from standardized summative tests in English, English proficiency exam scores (WIDA ACCESS 2.0 or other), passing grades for core content classes conducted in English, and/or work samples. If previous school academic records are not available, or they do not contain reasonable evidence of English proficiency, then the WIDA ACCESS Screener (1st - 12th grade) or W-APT (Kindergarten) should be administered.
EL Identification Procedure Grades K-12
Initial ELD Program Placement Procedures Flow Chart
ELD Level 2 Template
Screening Potential English Learners
A student identified as a PHLOTE (Primary Home Language other than English) will be evaluated by an ESL teacher using the WIDA ACCESS Screener (Grades 1-12) or the W-APT (Kindergarten) to determine ELD instructional level placement. If screeening has determined the student is to be identified as an English Learner, the ELD Department notifies the PIMS coordinator and completes necessary information into the district data system.
ELD Teacher is required to update district data system and student cumulative folder with the score information and accommodations.
ELA Screen on ESchoolPlus Cheat Sheet
Cumulative Folder Checklist
Grade Level Notification Form and CAN DO Descriptors
If a student is identified as an English Learner based on the Pennsylvania Department Education Guidelines, parent/guardians will be notifies of the results of the testing, recommended program placement along with detailed description of the Language Instruction Educational Plan (LIEP), its intended benefits for their children and an explanation of its effectiveness.
All ELD teachers must send parent notification of Program Placement for all their identified English Learners.
Program Placement Notification
EL program Placement ARABIC
EL Program Placement CAMBODIAN
EL Program Placement CHINESE
EL Program Placement FRENCH
EL Program PlacemenT HAITIAN CREOLE
EL Program Placement KAREN
EL Program Placement NEPALI
EL Program Placement SPANISH
EL Program Placement URDU
EL Program Placement VIETNAMESE
EL Program Placement KOREAN
EL Program Placement RUSSIAN
Parents/Guardians of English Learners have a right to refuse certain separate specialized programs and services that may be part of the LIEP for their children. Specialized services or instruction are those only provided for English Learners, for example, ELD pull out classes or content classes consisting of only ELs. Parents can opt-out of the specialized services, but they cannot opt out of the WIDA ACCESS State Testing for English learners as this test is required by the Department of Education of Pennsylvania.
ELD Parent Opt-out Form
ELD Program Opt Out Form Arabic
ELD Program Opt Out Form Cambodian-Khmer
ELD Program Opt Out Form Chinese
ELD Program Opt Out Form French
ELD Program Opt Out Form Nepali
ELD Program Opt Out Form Spanish
ELD Program Opt Out Form Vietnamese
ELD teacher completes an accommodation form for each EL student and adds it to the student's CUM folder. The accommodations listed must be followed by all teachers that provide instruction to English Learners.
Accommodation for English Language Learners
EL Accommodations that support remote learning: EL Accommodations for Remote Learning
Along with the general, school report card, English Learners also receive an ELD report card based on their English levels and Can-DO Descriptors.
ELD Report Card
ELD Report Card Arabic
ELD Report Card French
ELD Report Card Hausa
ELD Report Card Indonesian
ELD Report Card Nepali
ELD Report Card Pushto
ELD Report Card Somali
ELD Report Card Spanish
ELD Report Card Urdu
ELD Report Card Vietnamese
