English Learner Programs

During the online registration process, all families are required to fill out a home language survey. The Global Welcome Center conducts English proficiency assessments and registers students who speak and/or understand a language other than English.

Once placed in the English Language Development (ELD) program, the Language Allocation Service Plan is designed to support students who are learning English as a subsequent language by offering multiple levels of support.

PWCS provides a program of language instruction at each K-12 school in supportive settings so that English Learners attain proficiency in English, develop as critical thinkers and global collaborators, and meet the same challenging academic content and student achievement standards as their peers.

Components of instruction include:

• Academic language instruction to students at English Language Proficiency (ELP) levels 1-4 for success in language arts, math, social studies, and science
• Use of a standards-based English Language Development (ELD) curriculum
• Delivery styles to maximize service opportunities: Co-taught, push-in, pull-out, inclusion, and English learner-only class
• Instruction from ESL-certified teachers and content-area teachers knowledgeable in techniques that support English language development (ELD)

As a member-state of WIDA, PWCS uses the WIDA ACCESS test to annually assess the language proficiency levels of English learners and/or evaluate their status in the program. Results of this assessment are received by the PWCS at the end of the school year. Parents are notified of their child's score via ParentVUE. Score reports are also translated into the family's home language.

Per the Virginia Department of Education, an English learner is exited from the English learner services and reclassified as a former English learner with an overall proficiency score of 4.4 or greater on the ACCESS test. These former English learners are monitored academically for at least two years.