English Learners

North College Hill City School District is committed to providing the best second language acquisition support to all of our English learners so they can successfully access the curriculum in the classroom.

The links below are intended to provide guidance for parents and teachers of EL students. Further information can be obtained by communicating with the Director of Pupil Personnel, Building Principals, or the Designated EL Rep at each building:

• Ohio Department of Education: English Learners
• Ohio Department of Education: Language Usage Translations
• Ohio Department of Education: Instructional Resources for Teachers

In Ohio, each child is challenged to discover and learn, prepared to pursue a fulfilling post-high school path and empowered to become a resilient, lifelong learner who contributes to society. Ohio’s strategic plan for education, Each Child, Our Future highlights the importance of providing accessible, high-quality instruction and whole child supports to students who are English learners. English learners are students who are learning English as a second or additional language and require linguistic supports to access and engage with the general education curriculum. To that end, responsiveness and sensitivity are key to meeting the needs of the whole child when engaging Ohio’s English learners. 

The English learner point of contact should have knowledge of the responsibilities schools and districts have to identify, assess and provide English learners with access to the full school curriculum and programs. Supporting the whole child who is an English learner requires awareness of how language develops, the science of teaching students to read English as a new language, culturally appropriate pedagogy and knowledge of the obligations schools have to provide safe schools and academic access to English learners. Strong collaboration skills to work with colleagues and families with limited English proficiency are essential. 

Designating a point of contact for English learners can increase positive collaboration, facilitate supports for students and families and streamline communication between partners. The English learner contact may be the coordinator for English learner programs or another individual who is able to connect students to those who implement the school and district plans to address priorities that include: 

• District English learner identification process and instructional programs for English learners;
• School utilization of funding to provide supports (Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title III requirements); 
• Delivery of specialized supports for students with limited English language proficiency;
• Coordination with world languages programs and the Ohio Seal for Biliteracy;
• Provision of communications that are understandable to diverse families;
• Coordination of the school and district “Language Access Support Plan.”

English learners are part of a larger group of diverse learners that also includes student with disabilities and gifted students. Universal Design for Learning offers strategies and resources appropriate for those students identified as diverse learners.

ENGLISH LEARNERS IN OHIO

English learners are a growing part of the PreK–12 student population. Over the last ten years, Ohio’s percentage of EL students has doubled to approximately 60,000 students. Spanish is the home language of almost 40% of Ohio’s English learners along with 90 other home languages. These language skills include Somali, Arabic, Swahili, Chinese, Japanese, Nepalese, Pennsylvania Dutch (a dialect of German used by the Amish), French and Turkish.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, Ohio must identify English learners, annually assess their English language proficiency, provide reasonable accommodations for them on state assessments, and implement accountability systems that include long-term goals and measures of progress.