• Boyertown Area School District
    English Language Development (ELD) Program


    Boyertown Area School District Contacts

    Patti Baumgard, ELD Teacher/Coordinator 
    Marybeth Torchia, Superintendent
    Phone: 610-369-7548
     
    Sandra Kramer, Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Superintendent
    Phone: 610-369-7548
    skramer@boyertownasd.org
     

    Qualifying for ESL services:
    The English Language Development (ELD) program at Boyertown Area School District services grades K-12 for students who are identified as English Learners. Proficiency placement procedures and assessments are followed for each student whose parent/guardian indicates another language other than English is spoken in the home. This information is provided on the Home Language Survey which is completed upon registration for every student.  Based on Home Language Survey results, an ESL screening and/or evaluation is conducted to determine English Language Development services.

    A PA ELD certified program specialist reviews all new registrations indicating another language other than English.  Screening and assessment based on PA ELD guidelines is conducted by the program specialist to determine ELD placement.

    Assessments for enrollment into the ESL program:
    WIDA online screener.  WIDA model for Kindergarten, WIDA model paper
    W-APT Pennsylvania‘s English Proficiency assessment

    ELD Open House and Orientation:
    A 2½ hour orientation session is offered to newly identified ELL students and current ELL students to familiarize both the parents and students with the ELD staff, classroom procedures, assessments, and instruction.

    Instruction:
    ELL students in grades K-5 who qualify for ELD services are enrolled at Boyertown Elementary School. Students receive language arts instruction, in a self-contained classroom by a PA ELD certified program specialist.  Instructional time is determined by Pennsylvania state regulations according to a student’s English proficiency level. Curriculum is aligned with the PA standards for English Language Development, PA state standards, along with the ELL overlay for Listening and Reading, Speaking and Writing through the PA SAS framework in congruence with the Boyertown Area School District RELA curriculum.   Students receive all other instruction in their established homeroom while instructional support for English is given on an as-needed basis within the classroom by ELD staff depending upon the level of instruction needed.

    An ELD plan is developed for all ELLs according to individual student needs.  These needs are determined by an educational team including, but not limited to, parents of ELLs, the ELD teacher, regular classroom teacher, principals, director of student learning, and assistant superintendent

    ELL students in grades 6-12 are instructed in English Language Development for one full class period each day or two days a week congruent with the ELD student plan by the certified ELD program specialist. Students are also given ELD support for academic English in content areas.

    Collaboration:
    ELD state-approved adaptations and accommodations are provided and communicated by ELD teacher to all teachers who instruct ELL students in other content areas.  This is done by providing individual training or training through team meetings coordinated by ELD teacher.

    The ELD teacher collaborates with principals and guidance counselors to arrange schedules, test dates, assessments, and any other information concerning school policies.

    State Assessment:
    The ELD certified teacher administers the state assessment, ACCESS for ELLs, and reports data to superintendent, principals, and parents. This assessment is also used in conjunction with the English Language Proficiency placement assessments, formative ELD classroom assessments, and classroom performance in determining ESL levels and English Proficiency progress.

    State Data:
    All state data for ELL students is provided by ELD certified teacher and reported to the Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS) in accordance with PDE ELD regulations.

    Reclassification/Re-designation and monitoring - Exit Criteria PDE

    Reclassification is determined based on PDE guidelines using the Reclassification Tool.  The reclassified or exited ELL students are actively monitored for two years by the ELD teacher. If the student demonstrates difficulty in achieving academic success following reclassification, a team plan to re-enroll or re-designate the student back into the ELD program is addressed.