English Language Learners
EL (English Learner) services in the intermediate school are provided through a pullout and/or push-in program. EL schedules are coordinated with the classroom teacher so that children do not miss important classroom instructional time or specialists (i.e., gym, music, art). The EL teacher and classroom teacher work closely together to plan an instructional program that is most beneficial for the language and academic needs of each student.
Parent/teacher conferences are held twice a year – in the fall and in the late winter – in order to communicate student progress. New students are tested for English proficiency when entering Intermediate School with the W-APT screener and are tested again in the month of February or March to determine eligibility for continued ESL instruction. All ESL students are given the Access Test which measures their listening, speaking, reading, and writing proficiency, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test; the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) in the spring for grades 3 and 4.