English Learners

In Ohio, over 60,000  English language learners students were enrolled in the state’s elementary and secondary public schools during the 2023-2024 school year. The term “limited” English proficient” refers to those students whose native or home language is other than English, and whose current limitations in the ability to understand, speak, read or write in English inhibit their effective participation in a school’s educational program. The number of ELL students reported in Ohio for school year 2023-2024 represents an increase of 50% over the number reported twenty years ago.  

Like their native-English-speaking peers, ELL students in Ohio are expected to achieve high educational standards. Ohio’s high expectations for academic achievement are designed to help ensure that all students are prepared to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Enrollment & Identification of English Language Learners

Enrollment
English Language Learners should be placed in a grade level appropriate to their age unless other factors preclude such a placement. Other factors to consider include: educational background, length of time in the country, English language proficiency, first language proficiency and parental requests. Entering students should not be placed more than one grade level below their age appropriate grade.
Initial placement decisions will be made by a building level team consisting of, but is not limited to, the building principal, ELL specialist, age-appropriate classroom teacher, guidance counselor, and parent.

Identification
Each student in kindergarten through grade twelve, who has a primary or home language other than English (PHLOTE), will be identified upon enrollment by using the identifying information which appears in the Granville Schools Enrollment EMIS Information Form (Attachment 3) in each building’s registration packet. If, on the EMIS Information Form, the language questions are checked as “other than English”, each building’s secretary will forward a copy of the EMIS Information Form to the District Student Services office. The District Student Services Secretaries will notify the ELL Specialist of the student for assessment.