ELL FAQs

English Language Learner (ELL) is a K-12 program that teaches the English language to students whose native language is not English. Students are taught by licensed ELL teachers using a methodology similar to that of teaching a foreign language to a native English speaker.

Any student qualifies for the ELL program if he/she meets any of the following requirements:

• The student's first language is not English.
• The student comes from a home where the language spoken is not English.

Students come from different levels of reading and writing development, as well as language absorption. Many students I have taught do not know how to read or write in their first language. That means that from the first day of school, I am teaching you to write for the best for the first time - and this happens in elementary school! Imagine the frustration one feels when trying to teach new knowledge in a new language. When students encounter these barriers, the immediate reaction is to block or misbehave; feel defeated before they reach the language teaching part. Having emotional and academic support at home can help teachers' efforts in the classroom. If students arrive home frustrated, parents can help by talking about the frustrations of the child and take several ideas on how these obstacles can be overcome in a productive way. In the academic part, when students can practice English with their parents, they progress more in the classroom. Obviously, having adequate support at home is a very complex issue for many immigrant families. Many of them work long hours and have many responsibilities that do not allow them enough time to learn another language. Sometimes parents do not see their children enough to join them after a long day of school and work, and this is the reality we live in.

Family members of English learners should have a basic understanding of language learning in order to keep in touch with teachers and administrators, and to learn about the district's rules about teaching English. Students are sometimes taught to abandon the teachings of their native language, which makes teaching in a second language much more difficult. At the state and local level, schools have the ability to design their ESL programs according to their ELL student audience. Some schools have a high population of ELL students, so they might offer protected instruction, while other schools may have a smaller population or do not have the resources to offer similar programs, placing ELL students in general education classes to learn in immersion classes with the help of ELL equipment (whatever is considered appropriate for that school).

Parents who read in Spanish can be very helpful in the development of their children's literacy skills. Their Spanish literacy becomes the foundation that will help your ELLs learn to read in English. Through Spanish reading, ELLs are developing their background knowledge and key vocabulary and literacy skills that will enable them to become excellent readers in English. There are even ways that parents who cannot read in any language can help their children learn to read.

School districts have a lot of flexibility when it comes to defining their ELL, ESL and ELD programs, and their educators and administrators decide what is the best way to serve the ELL group. On the other hand, the shortage of federal financial aid is an obstacle for schools when it comes to ESL students and low-income students. Much of the funding for these students is very low and is usually not enough to assist teachers with the training and resources necessary to become and continue as English language teachers. Legislation that No Child Left Behind has generally impacted the condition of education in the United States. With more focus on achieving measurable goals on standardized tests, ELL students went, and are still being left behind. Failure to succeed in these tests leads to an increase in school dropout by ELL students. Before NCLB (No Child Left Behind), there was a strong emphasis on bilingual education and the quality of English language programs. Under the NCLB, bilingual efforts yielded to a new ELL program more focused on English only in the United States. In addition, none of the problems that have caused a significant negative impact on ELL students, as well as segregation or inappropriate placement are discussed in these reviews.