LAU Plan

POSTED: July 23, 2024

Eastern Allamakee Community School District

K-12 Lau (EL) Plan for Serving English Learners (ELs)

2024-25

Nick Trenkamp, Superintendent ~ Donna Thomas PK-12 Principal

Lau Plan

The district plan designed to meet the instructional needs of English Learners (ELs) is referred to as the Lau Plan (Lau v. Nichols, 1974). The Lau Plan must be collaboratively written by the K-12 team identified above and must include the following required critical elements: 

  1. Lau Plan Goals (See Appendix A)
    1. English language development
  • To help students to become English proficient in the language skills of speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
  1. Academic achievement
  • To help students to successfully participate in classroom learning situations and other school activities.
  • Educating ELs to meet the same challenging academic content and student academic achievement that all children are expected to meet.
  1. Cross-cultural goals
  • To help students to develop and/or reinforce positive attitudes toward self, school, and community.
  • English learners who attend Eastern Allamakee Community Schools and participate in the ELL program will smoothly navigate American culture and follow American norms while continuing to appreciate and embrace their native culture and language.

  • Identification and Placement of ELs in a Language Instruction Education Program (LIEP)
  1.  Home Language Survey version IA

All families are asked to complete a Home Language Survey (281—60.3(1)a) during registration. 

The district is prepared to conduct oral or native language interviews in the student’s home language with those adults who may not have sufficient English or literacy skills to complete a survey written in English (281—60.3(1)). Home language surveys in a variety of languages are available. 

Families registering children will be assisted in completing documents and registration materials on-site as needed.  If home language assistance is necessary in order to secure accurate data, every reasonable attempt will be made to provide this support.  The Eastern Allamakee Community School District creates a welcoming environment by having multicultural posters to make all families feel welcome and included.

Home language surveys will be screened by the office secretary to see if there are languages other than English represented in the home. Home language surveys will be kept on file in cumulative folders. If another language is represented in the home, then those students will be referred to the ELL teacher by the secretary via email or voicemail. When students are referred to the ELL teacher, the teacher will then give the student the TELPA language assessment.

  1. State-approved English language proficiency placement assessment

Assessment of English Language Proficiency will occur within the first thirty days of the student’s arrival (NCLB, Sec. 3302[a]) or, if the child enters after the beginning of the school year, within two weeks (NCLB, Sec. 3302.[d]). The ELL Coordinator of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District will administer the English language proficiency assessment –TELPA (ordered from Iowa Testing Programs through the technology coordinator_)

 

  1. Process to place student in appropriate LIEPs

 

Step #1:  Assessment of English Language Proficiency within the first thirty days of the student’s arrival (NCLB, Sec. 3302[a]) or, if the child enters after the beginning of the school year, within two weeks (NCLB, Sec. 3302.[d]). The district uses the TELPA assessment from Iowa Testing Programs to assess new students’ English proficiency. The test is administered by the ELL teacher. Once completed, the ELL teacher files the assessments in a green file folder marked ELL inside the student’s cumulative folder in the office. Administration at each building will check the folders to ensure the assessment is given in a timely manner. 

Step #2:  Assessment of academic skills, in relation to the student’s grade or age level (281-60.3(1) b). See “Educating Iowa’s English Language Learners,” available at: http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=683&Itemid=1391

The classroom teacher and the ELL teacher will meet to decide who will assess the academic needs of each EL student. Assessments are available through Keystone AEA. The district uses TADELL Math Assessments, Los Pasos, or Snapshot depending on the student’s situation. Tests are given in the home language when possible. 

Step #3:  Data will be collected and reviewed for new ELs, including the results from the English language proficiency assessment, assessment of academic skills and other pertinent data.

The ELL teacher will lead the review of the data for all new students and will coordinate this with building principals, counselors, and classroom teachers.  The team of educators will meet and review testing data, prior student records, parent information and informal assessments to determine LIEP services. If the student is non-English proficient or limited English proficient in any of the English language development subtests (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) or there is evidence that he/she will not be successful in the regular classroom because of language background, the student is identified for the LIEP. (See Flow Chart in Appendix F)

Step #4: Preliminary LIEP Placement

Based on assessment results, the EL should be assigned to mainstream classrooms with students the same chronological age, with no more than two years differential (60.3(3)a). LIEP services begin upon identification.

  1. Parental forms distributed in a language most easily understood (found on TransAct)

(NCLB, Sec. 3302) (see Appendix B)  

When a student is identified for the LIEP:

Parents must be notified every year initially and annually

Parents are notified no later than 30 calendar days after the beginning of the school year.

 

Within two weeks of a child being placed in a language instruction program (if a student enrolls after the beginning of the year)

      Parental Notification must include:

  1. Reasons for identification

 

  1. Child’s level of English language development
  2. Method of instruction
  3. How the program will meet the educational needs of the student 
  4. How the program will help the student learn English
  5. The program’s specific exit requirements

 

  1. How the program meets the objective of the IEP of a student with a disability

 

Parental information must be provided in “an understandable and uniform format, to the extent practicable,” in a language that the parents can understand.

 

Once EL students are tested and entered into the LIEP program parents are notified by the ELL instructor.  The ELL instructor then sends Notification of Placement and Description of District English Language Development Program forms home. The district uses the forms from Transact.com so forms can be sent home in the family’s home language.  Copies of these forms are also kept in the green LIEP folder in the student’s cumulative file in the office to ensure that notification takes place.

  1. Process for waiving students from LIEP

Parents do have the right to waive LIEP services. If this should happen a meeting would be held with the parents to discuss their concerns.  If they should still decide to waive services then the parents would sign the Waiver of Services form, found at transact.com, which also serves as documentation of the meeting kept in the student’s permanent file. If a student’s parents waive LIEP services, then the ELL teacher will meet with the classroom teacher to discuss strategies that are useful for EL students and accommodations will be put into place within the classroom setting. In addition, extra services can be provided by the Reading Interventionist teachers. 

  • Description of the LIEP
  1. LIEP goals
  • To help students to become English proficient per the ELPA 21 proficiency score in the language skills of speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
  • Educating ELs to meet the same challenging academic content and student academic achievement that all children are expected to meet as measured by Iowa Assessment or FAST data.

 

  1. Description of specific state-approved LIEP model(s) used in district and the process to place students (See Appendix B)

 

Eastern Allamakee Schools offers English as a Second Language guided study for their LIEP program. At the beginning of each school year, the ELL teacher shares with mainstream classroom teachers each EL students’ Individual Learner Plan. The plan contains each student’s IELDA scores and the accommodations that should be given to each student. At this time the LIEP teacher also shares the Language Acquisition chart that tells teachers what strategies to use with each student. To ensure collaboration throughout the school year, the mainstream teachers and ELL teacher communicate through email and informal meetings during prep times or after school.

 

  1. Annual parent notification and procedure for waiving services  

Parents must be notified every year.  Parents are notified no later than 30 calendar days after the beginning of the school year. Within two weeks of a child being placed in a language instruction program (if a student enrolls after the beginning of the year)

       Parental Notification must include:

  1. Reasons for identification
  2. Child’s level of English language development
  3. Method of instruction
  4. How the program will meet the educational strength and needs of the student 
  5. How the program will help the student learn English
  6. The program’s specific exit requirements
  7. How the program meets the objective of the IEP of a student with a disability

Parental information must be provided in “an understandable and uniform format, to the extent practicable,” in a language that the parents can understand.

 

Once EL students are tested and entered into the LIEP program parents are notified by the ELL instructor.  The ELL instructor then sends Notification of Placement and Description of District English Language Development Program forms home. The district uses the forms from Transact.com so forms can be sent home in the family’s home language.  Copies of these forms are also kept in the green LIEP folder in the student’s cumulative file in the office to ensure that notification takes place. Parents do have the right to waive LIEP services. If this should happen a meeting would be held with the parents to discuss their concerns.  If they should still decide to waive services then the parents would sign the Waiver of Services form, found at transact.com, which also serves as documentation of the meeting kept in the student’s permanent file. If a student’s parents waive LIEP services, then the ELL teacher will meet with the classroom teacher to discuss strategies that are useful for EL students and accommodations will be put into place within the classroom setting. In addition, extra services can be provided by At Risk teachers. 

 

  1. Highly qualified staff (ESL endorsement)

The ELL teacher of the district is required to have an ESL endorsement (281-60.3(2)). The administrator responsible for LIEP services is the high school principal. Scores for TELPA and IELDA are shared with all building principals, so that services can be monitored in each building.  

 

  1. Designated administrator oversight for LIEPs

To ensure adequate and appropriate language instruction the ELL teacher turns in schedules to the high school principal, Donna Thomas.

 

  1. Access to both Iowa Core Standards and English Language Proficiency (ELP)  Standards

 

All teachers in the district will be trained on the new ELP standards through modules on the AEA PD Online website. These new trainings and previous trainings on Iowa Core Standards will help drive instruction to support LIEP students in the classroom. ELL must be tested on the district-wide assessments (MAPS, FAST, etc.) with or without accommodations for reading and math and science.  Please refer to “Guidelines for the Inclusion of English Language Learners in K-12 Assessments” for further clarification, including suggestions for accommodations. (http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/is/ell/doc/guidelines04.pdf) To ensure collaboration throughout the school year, the mainstream teachers and ELL teacher communicate through email and informal meetings during prep times or after school to discuss accommodations.

  1. Curriculum and Supplemental Resources

Instructional Resources:  Districts will purchase and modify instructional materials that are appropriate to the needs of the learner and goals of instructional programs (280—180.4). State funding is provided for the “excess costs of instruction of ELL students.”(281—60.4 and 60.6 (280)). This weighted funding (.22) is currently available for four years. For assistance with reviewing and selecting supplemental instructional resources designed to engage ELs in the Common Core while simultaneously promoting language development, contact our local Title III Consultant.

Currently the district uses curriculum materials checked out from Keystone AEA, specific to student needs. Our reading series is updated every six years. If the district chose to purchase more resources, a committee would be formed to look through materials and select the best for our needs.

  • Process to Provide Meaningful Access to all Co-curricular and Extracurricular Programs
  1.         Process in place for identifying and serving gifted/talented (GT) ELs

All students go through a screening process for the Talented and Gifted program during second grade. They are given the Cognitive Abilities Test. Then the ELP instructor looks at the scores for the Cognitive Abilities test, MAP, Iowa Assessments and teacher recommendation to decide who qualifies for ELP services. If students come after the second grade then they would be referred to the ELP teacher if a classroom teacher feels they would qualify. Kindergarten through second grade students are served in this program through lessons taught to the whole class by the TAG instructor.

 

  1.     Process in place for identifying and serving ELs in special education

Students who are being considered for Special Education services go through the Child Find process to see if they qualify for services. Child Find is a series of interventions done by the classroom teacher or reading interventionists to improve student achievement. If students then do qualify, EL students would also have to do probes in English and their home language to be sure that they truly have a learning disability and it is not just their language barrier causing them to struggle learning.

  1. Process in place for identifying and serving ELs in any other district programs (i.e., Title I, Reading Recovery, performing and visual arts, athletics, clubs, honor societies, etc.)

 

Students in the Title I program are identified for screening based on scores from the FAST Bridge to Learning Universal screening as well as teacher recommendations. Student placement into the Title I program are based on scores on the Qualitative Reading Inventory for accuracy, fluency, self-correction rate, and comprehension for the two levels, as well as Basic Reading Inventory reading passage. (At present grade level and previous grade level).

 

This program does not replace LIEP services; it is provided in addition to LIEP services.

All extra-curricular programs and clubs are advertised in the school’s bulletin and shared with students each day to encourage participation in a variety of events. All students have access to all extra-curricular activities.

 

  • Ongoing, Embedded EL Professional Development for Staff who Support ELs
  1. District and building administrators

Administrators of the district have been given training on LIEP information through AEA meetings. They are also invited to attend LIEP in-services at Keystone, Iowa Culture and Language Conference and Our Kids Conference. Administrators will attend trainings to learn about the new English Language Proficiency standards.

  1. LIEP staff (certified & support)

In-service training is provided for all staff involved in the educational process of ELL (281—12.5(8), 12.8(1), and 60.3(3)b5). All educational and appropriate school personnel receive in-service training regarding instructional techniques and modifications for ELL students, with continuing training provided according to district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan.LIEP staff will access training modules through AEA PD Online. LIEP staff also attend trainings at Keystone AEA as they are offered along with Iowa Culture and Language Conference.

  1. Content and classroom teachers

Content and classroom teachers are offered professional development during in-services at school or through Keystone AEA. They are invited to attend Iowa Culture and Language Conference and Our Kids Conference through the state. Teachers will access training modules through AEA PD Online to learn about the new English Language Proficiency standards and how to implement them.

  1. Paraprofessionals

Paraprofessionals are invited to attend district professional development trainings to learn more about how to better serve the district’s EL population.

  1. Building/district support staff (e.g., instructional coaches, curriculum coordinators, counselors, etc.)

Building/district support staff is offered professional development during in-services at school or through Keystone AEA. They are invited to attend Iowa Culture and Language Conference and Our Kids Conference through the state. Support staff will access training modules through AEA PD Online to learn about the new English Language Proficiency standards and how to implement them.


  • Annual English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA21) Administration 
  1. Annual training to appropriate staff

The LIEP teacher will do the annual training for ELPA 21 and TELPA through AEA PD Online. The certificate of completion will be printed and stored in the LIEP teacher’s portfolio.

  1. Dissemination of scores to stakeholders

Assessment scores will be shared with parents when notification of placement is sent home with students in the fall. A copy of the ELPA21 scores are sent home to each student’s parents.  Assessment scores will also be shared with the mainstream teacher, as well as other support staff involved with meeting the student’s needs, parents and administration. All results from LIEP program, classroom, and district assessments will be used in guiding programming and instruction.

  1. Appropriate training to interpret results for staff

At the beginning of the school year the LIEP teacher shares the Language Acquisition chart and student scores with classroom teachers. They discuss what score each student received on ELPA21 and what kind of language they can expect from the student and what strategies they can use to support each student.

  1. Utilization of assessment results to guide instruction and programming

The results of the annual spring assessment, ELPA21, will be distributed to the students’ teachers. The ELL teacher will use the results to help guide instruction and programming through understanding the frequency and intensity needed for each of the students.

  •  LIEP Exit Criteria and Procedures

  • Criteria for 2024-25 Academic Year and Future Academic Years

The student:

  1.   Achieves the required score for proficiency on ELPA21
  2. Scores proficient on district-wide and state-wide assessments in Reading and Math
  3.   Meets both of the above criteria in the same school year

 

  1. Procedures
  1. Notify parents with state-approved TransAct exiting form in language most understandable to parents/families
  2. Change student coding to “exited” so the student does not continue to generate unwarranted funding. District data personnel responsible for entering data should refer to the Iowa Department of Education’s Data Dictionary. 
  3. Begin required two-year monitoring process

 

VIII.  Monitoring Procedures after Students Exit the LIEP Program

  1. Describe two-year monitoring procedures in place after students exit the    program. 

 

Students who have been exited from the LIEP program will be monitored for two years. The ELL teacher, Eliza Philpott, will monitor grades and the failing list for students who have been exited from services. She will meet each month with exited students to monitor progress throughout the year. The ELL teacher will also monitor state assessment scores to ensure exited students are still thriving in the classroom.

  1. Describe re-entry to LIEP process, including parental notification, when appropriate

 

If a student shows signs of needing to be re-entered into the LIEP program, then the team of teachers who work with the student and the principal would meet as a team to discuss services. If it is agreed by the team to re-enter the student into services then a meeting would be set up with the parents to discuss re-entry. The LIEP teacher will then do Notification of Placement and a new Individual Learner Plan for the student.

 

  1. LIEP Evaluation 
  2. The LIEP program will be evaluated annually by Sarah Updegraff, high school principal. The program will be evaluated on the following:
  3. Increasing the percentage of ELs making growth in language acquisition as measured by the ELPA21 (Annual Measurable Achievement Objective) [AMAO-1]
  4. Increasing the percentage of ELs attaining or reaching full proficiency as measured by ELPA21 (AMAO-2)
  5. Making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading and math as measured by the state-required content assessments according to targets established by Title I (AMAO-3)
  6. Increased performance on district data scores. Evaluation scores will be used to determine changes in services. We will use this data to decide the frequency and intensity of services offered to students. 

 

  1. Appendices
  2. Letter to Districts from the U.S. Department of Justice: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-el-201501.pdf
  3. Description of LIEP Models

 

Appendix A

 

Please download the full Department of Justice and Office of Civil Rights Joint Guidance document from:

 

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-el-201501.pdf

 

Appendix B

 

Description of LIEP Models

www.2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/EL/glossary.html

 

Newcomer Program: Newcomer programs are separate, relatively self-contained educational interventions designed to meet the academic and transitional needs of newly arrived immigrants; typically, students attend these programs before they enter more traditional programs (e.g., English Language Development programs or mainstream classrooms with supplemental ESL instruction).

 

Sheltered Instruction:  An instructional approach used to make academic instruction in English understandable to ELs. In the sheltered classroom, teachers use physical activities, visual aids, and the environment to teach vocabulary for concept development in mathematics, science, social studies, and other subjects.

 

English as a Second Language (ESL): A program of techniques, methodology, and special curriculum designed to teach ELs English language skills, which may include listening, speaking, reading, writing, study skills, content vocabulary, and cultural orientation. Further, ESL instruction is usually in English with little use of native language.

 

Dual Program: Also known as two-way, or developmental, the goal of these bilingual programs is for students to develop language proficiency in two languages by receiving instruction in English and another language in a classroom that is usually composed of half native English speakers and half native speakers of the other language.

 

Other Bilingual Program: Bilingual education…refers to approaches in the classroom that use the native language of English language learners (ELs) for instruction.  www.nabe.org/BilingualEducation

 

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