Student Assessment

If your child has been exposed to a language other than English, a teacher will evaluate his/her level of English language proficiency. The students’ English language proficiency will be assessed in five areas: Social and Instructional Language, the Language of English Language Arts, the Language of Mathematics, the Language of Science, and the Language of Social Studies. Most students are administered tests in the following language domains: Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Reading. Students entering kindergarten during the first semester of the school year are only evaluated in the domains of Speaking and Listening.

There is no failing or passing score for these assessments; their purpose is to help determine whether or not the student is an English Learner (EL). If the test results indicate that the student is eligible for English language support services, a level of English proficiency is also determined. In Arlington Public Schools, the English language support services are known as English for Speakers of Other Languages/High Intensity Language Training (ESOL/HILT).

To answer questions parents may have and enhance communication with families at the LSRC and schools, parents may want to visit the “K-12 Family Webinar Series for WIDA Consortium Member States” at https://wida.wisc.edu/teach/learners/engagement . Some examples of Webinars are:

• What does it mean to be an English Language Learner?
• How was my child identified as an English Language Learner?
• How is my child supposed to use language at school?
• What can I do to support my child?

The main purpose of ESOL/HILT is to enable English Learners to attain both English proficiency and successful participation in the school district’s educational programs and services. ESOL/HILT follows the WIDA Can Do Philosophy, which asserts that “linguistically and culturally diverse learners. . . bring a unique set of assets that have the potential to enrich the experiences of all learners and educators.” (Read more about the WIDA Can Do Philosophy at: https://wida.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/resource/WIDA-CanDo-Philosophy.pdf).

To learn more ELL (English Language Learner) and ESOL/HILT services, please visit ESOL/HILT Department, Arlington Public Schools.