Who needs to be served by the ESOL program?
All students whose first language is other than English should be identified and, if appropriate, screened for language assistance using the Short LAB (until March 2007) or the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT) (after March 2007). According to the state guidelines, a student who scores below a cut-score qualifies for ESOL instruction. If the scores are marginal, other reading comprehension assessments may be administered and considered in placement. ACCESS for ELLs is the primary assessment tool used to determine continued eligibility for the program.
