By DR. GEORGE MEGENNEY

Principal, Farmington and Collegeville

A long-standing purpose of our public schools is the teaching of the English language to all of our students. English Language instruction is a core component of our TK - 12 school system and has been since its inception. As students complete their journey across the grade spans, the intention is a practical one: we want our young adults to be able to read, write, listen to and speak English fluently so that they can function in life regardless of whether they move into the workforce or continue on to a trade school or a college. While all of our students are, in the strictest sense, ‘English learners,’ that term is used in public education to refer to a subset of students whose primary language in the home is something other than English.

Upon enrollment in a public school, parents or guardians fill out a form that includes a question about what language is spoken at home. Any response other than English will automatically trigger a process that is intended to identify students who may need additional help learning English. As a whole, EL students are a very diverse group, and while in Escalon, they are overwhelmingly Spanish speaking, that may not necessarily be the case in different areas. However, regardless of the primary home language, once identified, the school must assess the student’s overall English abilities with a test called the ‘ELPAC,’ or English Language Proficiency Assessment for California. EL students come from a mixture of backgrounds that include immigrants and children who were born in the United States but whose parents’ primary language is not English.

This test is designed to measure a student’s basic English fluency through four separate components that include assessment of a student’s listening, speaking, reading, and writing ability. The test is leveled to align with a student’s age and grade in school. If a student passes the ELPAC on the first attempt, then the student is considered to be fluent and will not require any additional action. If, on the other hand, the student does not pass the initial test, then they are designated ‘EL’ or English Learner. The purpose of this label is to inform school administration and teachers that the student will need appropriate supports in the classroom to help them achieve the desired level of fluency. Such supports include daily English instruction that is differentiated and specifically intended to help EL students progress with their basic fluency skills.

While the manner in which Escalon schools work to help EL students varies by school site, the end goal is the same: pushing students to improve their English abilities so that they can pass the ELPAC and be recategorized as a “Redesignated’ student whose English fluency is sufficient to learn in a general education setting without any additional support. EL students typically take the summative ELPAC exam sometime during the spring. Ideally, schools want to see students pass and be redesignated before they continue on to middle school where, in Escalon, they will be required to take an additional English class specifically designed to address their English language needs. The upshot of this from the student’s perspective is that they will not be able to take an elective course in middle school until they have met ELPAC requirements.

So long as a core function of our public school system is to teach the next generation the English language, and so long as there are students entering our schools whose family roots hail from non-English speaking backgrounds, it will be necessary to create systems that address these needs. Parents seeking information about the ELPAC can visit https://elpac.startingsmarter.org/ for more information and test examples.

Principally Speaking is a monthly article, contributed by principals from Escalon Unified School District sites, throughout the school year. It is designed to update the community on school events and activities.