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SD quickly takes
advantage of USDOE flexibility for assessing new LEP students
The South Dakota
Department of Education quickly put procedures in place that take advantage of
the newly-released flexibility offered to states by the US Department of
Education for assessing new Limited English Proficient students. The
following letter was sent to school officials on March 19, three days before
the Spring 2004 testing window opened on March 22:
TO:
South Dakota Public School Officials
South Dakota intends to take advantage of the flexibility offered to states in
assessing certain new Limited English Proficient students. Here is
information about assessment of LEP students who are in the first year of
enrollment in a U.S. school.
Source of the policy is Secretary Rod Paige's "Dear Colleague" letter dated
February 20, 2004; specifically, the paragraphs that outline the flexibility
are found under the heading "Flexibility in Assessing New Limited English
Proficient Students" on the second page. The letter is located on USDOE's
website at
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/secletter/040220.html .
For schools that have identified LEP students who are in their first year
of enrollment in a U.S. school,
the policies allow the following:
▪the student must be identified as an LEP student through
administration of the IPT or LAS (tests used to identify a student as LEP)
within 30 days after the start of the school year or within 20 days of a
mid-term enrollment;
▪the student must take the annual English
language proficiency assessment (SELP);
note: If a student enrolls
after the district has completed its administration of the annual English
language proficiency assessment (SELP), an IPT or LAS identifier test may
be substituted. For a first-year-in-school-in-U.S. student, this will
qualify for the 95% participation rule if the student does not take the
reading test per the flexibility provisions.
▪the student who is in the first year of
enrollment in a U.S. school is not required to take the state reading test,
but may participate in the reading test;
►States are not required to include the
reading assessment results, if given, in AYP determinations even if the
student meets the full academic year criteria.
►the student's participation, if the reading
test is taken, may be counted towards the school's 95 percent assessment
participation requirement for reading.
▪the student must take the State's
mathematics assessment with accommodations as necessary;
►States are not required to include these
assessment results in the AYP determinations.
►the student's participation will count
towards the school's 95 percent assessment participation requirement for
mathematics.
Your cooperation in ensuring that the above policies are followed during South
Dakota's annual state assessment administration March 22-April 16 will be
greatly appreciated.
In addition, the South Dakota Dept. of Education asks your cooperation in
assuring that the information on the LEP students who are in the first year of
enrollment in a school in the U.S. is accurate and up-to-date, including:
▪"in the first year of enrollment" refers to
the academic school year, NOT a calendar year. If a student was in school in
another state part or all of another school year, the current school year
2003-2004 cannot be considered "the first year of enrollment."
▪the school is solely responsible for
determining that the student is enrolled in school in the U.S. for the
first time and maintaining appropriate documentation locally.
▪he school should be very sure that it has
coded the student as "LEP" on the student data reported to the state and
maintained on-site (SIMSNet or other).
▪A student who enrolls at any time
during the 2003-2004 school year, through the final day of the testing
window--April 16--is subject to the assessment requirements outlined above,
same as any other student in grades 3-8 and grade 11 who enrolls in school and
has not participated in the state assessment program.
▪Finally, in order to implement the above
flexibility for students who are in the first year of enrollment in a
school in the U.S. at this late date, it will be necessary for school
officials to report, before the end of the current school year, the
student's name and unique 9-digit SIMS identification number to the Office of
Finance & Management, Dept. of Education, 700 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD
57501. This is in addition to reporting the student’s enrollment
through the student information system (SIMSNet or other). The lists provided
by school officials will be used to implement the AYP calculations as outlined
above on a case-by-case basis at the time AYP is calculated. Please keep a
copy of the list that is sent to DOE on file locally to document the student's
eligibility for non-participation in the reading assessment during his/her
first year of enrollment in a school in the
U.S.
The feasibility of re-programming the student record system to add data
elements that will allow schools to identify the sub-set of LEP students who
are in their first year of enrollment in a school in the U.S. will be
explored; however, it cannot be accomplished in time for this year's
calculations. Thus the need to request schools to provide the list of
students.
Best wishes for a successful administration of this year's Dakota-STEP
assessments. Thank you for your cooperation in implementing the
recently-announced flexibility provisions for this small, very special sub-set
of newly-arriving students. We are pleased to work with you in assuring that
the unique issues from their past educational experiences and circumstances
are addressed in a fair and equitable manner.
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