Section 4 AAC 34.055 - Plan of service(a) Each school district that enrolls English learners shall administer a state-approved assessment for identification of English language proficiency to all students who may be English learners but have not been identified as English learners, The district is responsible for taking appropriate steps to develop English learners' English-language skills and to provide them meaningful participation in the school district's academic program consistent with applicable state and federal standards. In addition, each school district with a school that is attended by at least eight students who are English learners shall (1) prepare a plan of service for English learners; the school district may designate the effective dates of the plan of service, which may be for up to five school years;(2) file a plan of service by June 30 of the fiscal year in which the district enrolls eight or more English learners in a school or the fiscal year in which the existing plan of service expires;(3) implement the plan of service in the school year following the year of submission; and(4) file changes to an existing plan of service with the department before implementation of the change.(b) The plan required under (a) of this section must provide for the following: (1) a statement of the district's educational goals and instructional methodology;(2) the district's plan of identification of all students who are or who may be English learners, according to the standardized statewide entrance procedures, must include the use of a state-approved assessment for identification of English language proficiency; an enrolling district must assess student who may be an English learner for such status not later than 30 days from the date student's enrollment in a school in the state;(3) the district's procedure for assessing the educational progress of English learners;(4) the district's program of services and instructional model for English learners:(5) an identification of instructional staff and educational resources;(6) the district's process for monitoring the academic progress of former English learners for four years after they are no longer identified as English learners;(7) the district's program evaluation that addresses the effectiveness of the program in meeting students' English-language development needs, in achieving student academic progress goals, and reflecting any identified need for program modification;(8) parent and community involvement.(c) The commissioner will approve an English language proficiency assessment that tests an English learner's proficiency under the English language proficiency standards adopted by reference in 4 AAC 04.155. A district shall annually administer, between February 1 and March 31 of each school year, the state-approved assessment of English language proficiency to all students who have been identified as English learners, (d) If, under (b) and (c) of this section, a district identifies a student as an English learner eligible for services under this chapter, the student remains identified as an English learner until the student obtains an overall composite score of 4.5 or higher on tier B or tier C of Accessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to -State for Englsih Language Lesauries (ACCESS for ELLs) if that is the approved assessment under (c) of this section. If an English learner has a disability that precludes assessment in one or more domains of ACCESS for ELLs, the English learner is eligible for alternate scoring under the department's Alternate Scorine Process Guide, 2021 edition, adopted by reference. (1) an overall composite score of 4.5 or higher; and(2) a score of 4.0 or higher in each of the tested domains of reading, speaking, and listening, and a score of 3.8 or higher in the tested domain of writing.(e) A district shall monitor the academic progress of each student who had been identified as an English learner for four years after the student is no longer identified as an English learner. A former English learner is not required to participate in the annual English language proficiency assessment unless the district determines that a student's failure to make academic progress may be a result of a lack of English language proficiency and the student may need to be re-identified as an English learner.Eff. 1/14/78, Register 65; am 8/15/78, Register 67; am 6/28/87, Register 102; am 5/4/2000, Register 154; am 11/23/2003, Register 168; am 8/29/2004, Register 171; am 12/7/2004, Register 172; am 2/18/2007, Register 181; am 7/13/2012, Register 203; am 10/16/2013, Register 208; am 10/20/2018,Register 228, January 2019; am 12/23/2021, Register 240, January 2022A copy of WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition: Kindergarten - Grade 12, adopted by reference in 4 AAC 04.155 and referred to in 4 AAC 34.055(c) may be obtained from the Department of Education and Early Development, 801 W. 10th Street, Suite 200, Juneau, Alaska 99811-0500, at https://education.alaska.gov/standards, or at https://wida.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/resource/WIDA-ELD-Standards-Framework-2020.pdf.
A copy of the Alernate Scoring Process Guide, 2021 edition, adopted for reference in 4 AAC 34.055(d), may be obtained from the Department of Education and Early Development, 801 w 10th Street, Saire 200, Jeaureu Alaska 9981-0500 at https://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp or at http://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp/Alertnate%20scoring%20Process%20Guide.pdf
Authority:AS 14.07.060
AS 14.17.420
AS 14.30.410