The mission of the Reading Public Schools’ program for Multilingual Learner Education is for our students to acquire sufficient social and academic skills in English to thrive in school and beyond.  We will accomplish this by actively engaging and inspiring our students in second language acquisition, understanding their home cultures, utilizing their skills in their home languages, supporting their families, and teaching the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary for social well-being and academic success. We will accomplish this by actively engaging and inspiring our students in second language acquisition by understanding their native cultures, utilizing their skills in their native languages, supporting their families and delivering curriculum that teaches the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary for social well-being and academic success.

The Multilingual Learner Department will work collaboratively as a team comprised of school administrators, teachers using SEI strategies, parents and students to ensure growth in English language proficiency; this team will create and administer a Student Success plan for MLLs who are not meeting benchmarks as measured by summative and formative assessments.

MLL Program Eligibility

Eligibility

A home language survey is included in the Reading Public Schools’ registration packet. When a language other than English is indicated the student is referred to the Multilingual Learner Department and the student’s proficiency is assessed using the WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) to determine if MLL support is needed. The amount of support students receive depends on their present level of English language proficiency and will continue until the student has achieved a level of English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing to be able to successfully comprehend and access grade level curriculum. English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and content area support is available to all MLL students in grades K-12 and at all of the eight schools within the Reading Public Schools.

Exiting

The decision to exited a student out of the MLL program will be made after a review of the following information: the Massachusetts DESE’s annual ACCESS for MLLs English proficiency assessment, ELA MCAS scores, and overall classroom performance.  Upon exiting the MLL program, all Former Multilingual Learners students will be monitored for four years to ensure continuing academic success.

Transitioning

The decision to transition a student out of the MLL program will be made after a review of the following information: the Massachusetts DESE’s annual ACCESS for MLLs English proficiency assessment, ELA MCAS scores, and overall classroom performance.  Upon exiting the EL program, all Former Multilingual Learners students (FMLLs) will be monitored for four years to ensure continuing academic success.