COMMON ABBREVIATIONS:

ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages

ESL: English as a Second Language (no longer used in our district)

ELL: English Language Learner (most often referred to as Multilingual Learner)

ML: Multilingual Learner

KELPA: Kansas English Language Proficiency Assessment

KELPA Screener: Kansas English Language Proficiency Assessment Screener (given to all students with a language other than English new to the district)

ILP: Individualized Language Plan

LANGUAGES:

112 languages spoken in the Blue Valley School District

57 languages spoken by students receiving ESOL services

Top 10 Languages in the District:

1. Spanish

2. Chinese

3. Telugu

4. Arabic

5. Hindi

6. Urdu

7. Tamil

8. Korean

9. Portuguese

10. Vietnamese

Top 10 Languages in the ESOL Program:

1. Spanish

2. Chinese

3. Telugu

4. Portuguese

5. Arabic

6. Urdu

7. Hindi

8. Vietnamese

9. Tamil

10. Korean

STUDENTS

Blue Valley Schools currently has almost 4,000 students with a language other than English in the home. We currently have over 1,000 students in the ESOL program. Our students speak, read, and write at a variety of proficiency levels. The level terminology that the state of Kansas has adopted, followed by commonly used terms are:

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT PROCESS

Please click here to view registration information from the Blue Valley website.

Please click here to view registration information in your preferred language.

Step 1: Create an account in ParentVue and register online through the Blue Valley website. If you need assistance from an interpreter, please contact Jackie Dearth at jmdearth@bluevalleyk12.org.

Step 2: Bring the following documents to your neighborhood school:

• Proof of Residency (electric bill, lease)

• Birth Certificate

• Immunization Records

• Previous school records 

Step 3: If a language other than English is marked on the home language survey filled out in this process, you will need to follow the steps below for ESOL testing.

ESOL ENROLLMENT PROCESS/SCREENING

If a language other than English is marked on any of the questions on our Home Language Survey, we will test your child to see if he/she qualifies for English language services. If your child attends an ESOL Center Elementary School, we may test your child at the school.

Step 1: Complete online registration as listed above. Middle and High school students will NOT be able to enroll for classes until they have completed the KELPA Screener through ESOL.

Step 2: Email jmdearth@bluevalleyk12.org to set up an appointment time for the KELPA Screener.

Step 3: After completing the KELPA Screener and meet with the ESOL Coordinator, you will be able to return to your home / neighborhood school to complete the enrollment process and sign up for classes.

*If your child qualifies for ESOL services and your home / neighborhood school DOES NOT have an ESOL program, the ESOL department will provide free transportation by bus to the ESOL school.

CENTER BASED PROGRAM

Our district is a center-based program ESOL program. That means that students requiring English language services may need to attend a neighboring school to receive those services.  Any student that this applies to will receive free daily transportation via bus.

We currently have 12 elementary, 5 middle, and 3 high school centers. All ESOL teachers in Blue Valley are highly qualified and ESOL licensed.

View the Center/Feeder schools.

BENEFITS OF ESOL PROGRAM

Blue Valley Schools’ ESOL program provides instruction for English language acquisition, so students can succeed in academic content, and adapt socially and culturally.

Through direct ESOL instruction, students are able to gain English proficiency necessary to be successful in the general education classroom. Through listening, speaking, reading, and writing (the four domains of English Language Arts), students are supported in mastering academic and social language. The instruction is scaffolded so that English language learners are working at their own proficiency level in small group instruction in the ESOL classroom. Our highly qualified ESOL endorsed teachers strive to create a nurturing and academically rigorous environment. 

Multilingual Learners (MLs) are enrolled in ESOL center schools all day and attend a regular classroom with a general education teacher. Students are taught in the ESOL classroom for approximately 30–60 minutes each day. If a student is at a beginning proficiency level, he or she will receive additional support.

Middle and High School ELLs are enrolled in one or more ESOL class periods each day, based upon proficiency level.

Other areas in the ESOL curriculum for students new to the country include familiarizing the student with the American school environment and culture.

ILP: INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN

All students who qualify for English language services have an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). ESOL teachers create the plan to monitor progress, set student goals, and determine any necessary modifications or accommodations. These supports make instruction and assessments understandable to students.

WAIVING SERVICES

Guardians have the right to refuse daily ESOL services for the current school year, or to cancel a waiver at any time. If a guardian waives services, the child is still mandated to take our state proficiency assessment each year until proficient. If the waiver is cancelled, the ML will be placed in ESOL classes.

KELPA

The state of Kansas requires that all students who qualify for English language services take a state proficiency assessment: Kansas English Language Proficiency Assessment (KELPA). This assessment measures students speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills. KELPA is administered in the second semester.

Who takes the KELPA?

• Students who are eligible for ESOL services (but denied or refused them)

• Students who receive ESOL services

Once a student has scored “Proficient” on the KELPA, students either move to a transitional year for one year to continue ESOL services, or move straight to monitored status for the next two years. Students who are transitional or monitored will no longer take the KELPA. Once a transition year is complete, students will then move to monitored status.

If a student does not score “Proficient” on the KELPA, he or she will continue to receive ESOL services the following year.  They will be reevaluated on the KELPA until proficient.

MONITORED/TRANSITION STUDENTS

Transition Students

If a student scores “Proficient” on the KELPA, the school and/or family may feel that the child still needs additional English language support. In this instance, the student can receive ESOL services for one year. Once a transition year is complete, the student will either move to monitored status or, in rare instances, may be tested to re-enter the ESOL program. 

Monitored Students

If a student does not need a Transition year, he or she will move directly to monitored status for two years. They are exited from ESOL services. However, progress is still monitored to determine if the student is succeeding in the general education classroom without English language support.  

KELP STANDARDS

The state of Kansas adopted new standards on September 11, 2018. These standards are closely linked to the ELA standards for K-12. The standards are designed for use by all educators of MLs. The goal of the standards is for all students to gain English language proficiency in speaking, reading, listening, and writing. View the state KELP (Kansas English Language Proficiency) standards.

RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES

US Department of Education: “Helping Your Child Series” from the US Department of Education,

Johnson County Library: Getting Kids Ready to Read

NCELA: Family Toolkit

English Learner Families: Colorin Colorado

LIBRARY SERVICES

Many of the library services in the links include other information listed below, such as ESL and citizenship classes. However, they have many more resources and bilingual services. 

Olathe Public Library

Johnson County Library

ADULT ESL, LITERACY, GED, CITIZENSHIP CLASSES

Johnson County Community College

Johnson County Library Espanol and ELL

Redemption ESL Classes

GED and ESL classes at the library

Step Up Adult Diploma Program

Citizenship Preparation Program

State Library Citizenship resources

HEALTHCARE ASSISTANCE

Olathe Health Partnership Clinic

407 S. Clairborne Road, Olathe

913-648-2266

Johnson County Health Department

11875 S. Sunset, Olathe

913-826-1200

Center of Grace Community Health Screenings

(This one is a sliding scale fee based on income)

520 S. Harrison, Olathe

913-764-1353

STUDENT SUPPORT

Schools may offer free tutoring services. Please ask your child’s school about these services, as each location varies.

Interpreters are available to assist with communication between school personnel and families, if necessary. Even if your child is proficient in English, parents still have the right to language assistance. We provide effective language assistance to parents with limited English proficiency through translated materials and/or language interpreters.

During enrollment, parents should mark their preferred language of communication.