The goal of the Sycamore Community Schools ESOL Program is for all students to attain the necessary academic language proficiency in English to participate fully in all mainstream classes in which the target language is English.  Research indicates that in can take 7 - 10 years to acquire the academic language proficiency skills needed to fully participate in classes in English at the same level as native English speaking peers.

Instructional services for English Learners (EL’s) in Sycamore Community Schools are based on researched best practices that provide students with the greatest accessibility to the curriculum possible. The student attends regular classes in the content areas in addition to his/her English language development program.  The content area teacher will scaffold curriculum to meet the needs of individuals at varying levels of English proficiency in collaboration with the ESOL teacher.  

Students’ English development growth is measured annually through the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA). This testing is mandated by the state of Ohio and is required for all English Learners each year. Annual OELPA results are used in conjunction with other student growth data to determine the most appropriate English supports for the student and are adjusted throughout the year based on the ongoing data collection around speaking, listening, reading, and writing English proficiency levels. The time it takes a student to transition out of the ESOL program will differ with each individual.  The typical path of an ELL is from full support to minimal support to monitoring and consultation by the ESOL teacher before the student exits from the program.

Every student who qualifies for ESOL services in grades K-12 will have an English Language Plan. The purpose of this plan is to collaboratively determine and document individualized instructional supports/accommodations for English Learners (ELs) and to help ensure consistency in the application of those supports. This plan is to promote English for communication, academic purposes, and social/cultural support. Included in this plan is a place to accept or decline the services being recommended for your student. ESOL services can be amended, accepted, or declined at any time. Please contact your student’s ESOL teacher with questions.

Students in the ESOL program who receive standard letter grades (grades 3-12) may be eligible for pass/fail grades. This will be indicated and explained in each student’s English Language Plan and is typically available for the first two years a student is learning English in U.S. schools. This may be adjusted at any time via a team meeting or parent request. Once students meet the state of Ohio’s criteria to exit the ESOL program, or if the ESOL services are declined by a parent/guardian, the student will receive regular classroom grades.