All students registering at the Stoughton Public Schools must register at their home district school (Grades K - 5: West Elementary, Dawe Elementary, Gibbons Elementary, Hansen Elementary, and South Elementary; the O'Donnell Middle School (Grades 6 - 8); or the Stoughton High School (Grades 9- 12).
All students whose first language is not English will be assessed by a member of the ELL Department Staff. According to the English Language Learner Assessment Policy adopted by the Stoughton Public Schools on May 8, 2007, "All families complete a home language survey when registering their child in the Stoughton Public Schools. If parents indicate that the home language is not English, or that a language other than English is spoken by the student/family, the district has the right to assess the student’s English language proficiency (reading, writing, speaking, listening). The results of this assessment will be used to make decisions about the child’s educational needs. Parents will receive the results of the assessment along with the educational recommendations for their
child."
This policy is in compliance with Federal and Massachusetts state laws regarding the identification and assessment of students whose first language is not English. (Please refer to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website: http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/sei/identify_lep.html).
Parents and Guardians will be contacted by one of the ELL Staff members to schedule an appointment for testing the ELL candidate. Testing for ELL candidates at the elementary level takes place at the West Elementary School. Testing at the middle and high school levels take place at the O'Donnell Middle School and the Stoughton High School, respectively.
Students who qualify for ELL service will be scheduled for small group instruction several times per week at the school to which they are assigned. Students from the South, Gibbons, Hansen, and Dawe Elementary schools that qualify for the ELL program can only receive ELL services by ELL staff at the West Elementary School. There are no ELL programs or ELL staff members at the South, Gibbons, Hansen, and Dawe schools. ELL students from these districts receive free bus transportation to and from the West Elementary School.The O'Donnell Middle School and Stoughton High School each house their own ELL programs. Parents/Guardians have a right to accept or refuse the recommended ELL service by signing the Parent/Guardian Notification Form which is sent home after
testing. At the elementary level, students whose parents refuse ELL service will attend their home district school.
All students who qualify for ELL direct service are considered LEP (Limited English Proficient) students. All LEP students must participate in annual Massachusetts state mandated tests (MEPA and MELA-O). This includes students whose parents/guardians have refused ELL direct service for their child in all district schools.
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