English Learners and Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities have the same access to the current English Language Development (ELD) instruction and infrastructure at school sites as their nondisabled peers. The District provides services to ELs that are mandated by federal and state laws. These include, when necessary, ELD instruction and any necessary supports to provide ELs with access to the core curriculum.

All schools inform parents during initial enrollment and annually of the instructional program options that are available to students, as well as of their right to apply for a Parental Exception Waiver from the EL Program. EL Program options information is provided orally and in writing, using language and materials designed to be readily understandable to the parent. To inform parents of the instructional program options, schools provide parents a copy of the Initial Notification of Enrollment in Instructional Programs for English Learners, Annual Assessment Results and Program Placement for English Learners Letter, Instructional Programs for English Learners parent brochure and video, and the Parent Notification of Reclassification Criteria.

All ELs, including those with disabilities, are assessed each year on their progress toward meeting the California English Language Development Standards. EL students are assessed annually either with the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) or the Ventura County Comprehensive Alternate Language Assessment (VCCALPS).  ELs with disabilities may be tested using the California Department of Education (CDE)-approved Testing Variations, Accommodations, and Modifications Matrix, which is updated annually. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team documents in the student’s IEP any accommodations or modifications used both for assessments and for classroom ELD instruction.

As with all English learners, ELs with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are expected to make progress in English language proficiency and academic content mastery. To attain this, the instructional programs for ELs with IEPs will include ELD as a component of their core instruction, as well as access to core content using Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) and other research-based instructional methodologies appropriate for ELs with disabilities.

Resources

• MMED Website for Instructional Resources - Multingual and Multicultural Education Department
• MMED Policies Website

• Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department