English Learners

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states must identify English learners, annually assess their English language proficiency, and provide reasonable accommodations for them on state assessments.

Ohio's public school districts are required to identify and serve students who are English learners following the state’s Guidelines for identifying English Learners using the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS). The Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS) is aligned to the K-12 English Language Proficiency Standards and is designed to identify Ohio students in grades K-12 as English learners.

The OELPS is administered to students upon enrollment in grades kindergarten through high school if the student’s language usage survey and student records indicate the student is a potential English learner. The OELPS assesses a student’s skill in four domains: reading, writing, listening and speaking. A student will receive one of three overall performance levels: 1 - Emerging, 2 - Progressing and 3 - Proficient. A student’s overall performance level is determined from the scores earned on each of the domain tests that comprise the test (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Each domain test is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Scores of 4 and 5 correlate with proficiency in that domain. Students with an overall performance level of Proficient will not be identified as English learners. 

For newly registered Kindergarten students ONLY schools administer the OELPS-BK through Dec. 31st of the student’s kindergarten year. Students screened with the OELPS-BK will be determined proficient if they score 3s or higher in all non-exempted domains. 

BCS employs staff who are specially trained in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). These TESOL-trained teachers, or English learner (EL) teacher, collaborate with classroom/content teachers to provide an excellent educational experience for our students who are learning the English as a Second (ESL) language. 

A variety of instructional techniques and strategies are used to develop proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.  Services vary for individual students.  We provide small group instruction and inclusion support for students who have very limited English skills as well as more advanced lessons and inclusion support for students who are progressing toward proficiency with English.

Beavercreek City Schools provides English-only Supplemental Instruction in the forms of:

• ESL Pull-out small groups (elementary)
• ESL Class (middle school)
• Intervention English Class (High School)

In limited circumstances, consultation services are provided to support some English learners.

Students who meet the state’s criteria to be identified as English Learners are required by law to take the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA). OELPA is the state’s annual summative assessment of English language proficiency, which provides documentation of English learners’ progress toward English proficiency. A student’s OELPA results determine whether the student is eligible to continue as an English learner or is proficient and ready to exit the language instructional education program. 

Eligibility for exiting the English Learner designation

Only students who achieve an overall performance level of Proficient on the OELPA exit from English learner status. The overall performance level of Proficient is defined as domain scores of 4s and 5s in any combination across all nonexempt domain tests (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

Students who exit the EL Program will be monitored for two years to ensure their success.