Where to place English learners
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 18, 2005
Arizona has roughly 175,000 students who are dubbed ELL children.
Many speak a language other than English and a large population attends Valley
urban schools where education programs are designed to help them learn.
ELL students are identified when parents register them at schools. The first
detection is usually derived from a question about the language the child speaks
If parents identify a language other than English, then educators know which
children should take a placement test.
Educators use the state-selected Harcourt's Stanford English Language
Proficiency to test students and decide if a student qualifies and is eligible
to be placed in a structured English-immersion program, mainstream classroom or
bilingual education program, which requires a signed waiver from a parent. The
SELP test measures writing, listening, speaking, writing convention and reading.
Parents also have a right to remove their children from ELL programs.