"You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to ever be great!!"
-Ricardo Munoz, ESOL student Graduate
Welcome!!
Hello! My name is Emily Ross, and I am the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) District Coordinator and teacher for Thomas County School System. I built this site to help inform teachers and students about available resources for my English Language Learners. I currently serve all 6 schools in my district with ESOL services. My office is located at the Thomas County Board of Education; however, I visit schools daily.
I have a Education Specialist Degree in Instructional Technology from Kennesaw State University. I graduated from Valdosta State University, Summa cum Laude, in 2005 with a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. Immediately after graduation, I began teaching elementary school in Thomas County. Soon after, I received my Master's Degree from Thomas University in Early Childhood specializing in Reading Development. I also hold a ESOL endorsement.
My ultimate goal is to help teachers and students realize how much fun technology makes education and to incorporate technology and learning into the daily lives of all my students.
I have a Education Specialist Degree in Instructional Technology from Kennesaw State University. I graduated from Valdosta State University, Summa cum Laude, in 2005 with a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. Immediately after graduation, I began teaching elementary school in Thomas County. Soon after, I received my Master's Degree from Thomas University in Early Childhood specializing in Reading Development. I also hold a ESOL endorsement.
My ultimate goal is to help teachers and students realize how much fun technology makes education and to incorporate technology and learning into the daily lives of all my students.
ESOL Program Guidelines
The ESOL Curriculum is standards-based and emphasizes academic and social language development while simultaneously assisting students to meet Georgia Performance Standards. In Georgia, ESOL placement and language development progress is determined by W-APT and ACCESS tests, respectively, developed by WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment). Classroom teachers integrate WIDA English language development standards with Georgia Performance Standards to impact development of English and demonstrate student academic, social, and cultural proficiency.
Referral for ESOL Services
Every student in the Thomas County School System is required to have a Home Language Survey on file. When a student registers for school, a Home Language Survey should be completed and kept on file.
According to the State Board of Education Rule 160-4-5.02, if a K-12 student has a language other than English on the Home Language Survey, then he/she is required to be tested for the ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) program. Once identified, the student must be tested on the W-APT (WIDA ACCESS Placement Test) within 10 days. If a student needs to be tested, contact Emily Ross, the Thomas County District ESOL Coordinator at 229-225-4380 ext 142.
According to the State Board of Education Rule 160-4-5.02, if a K-12 student has a language other than English on the Home Language Survey, then he/she is required to be tested for the ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) program. Once identified, the student must be tested on the W-APT (WIDA ACCESS Placement Test) within 10 days. If a student needs to be tested, contact Emily Ross, the Thomas County District ESOL Coordinator at 229-225-4380 ext 142.
ESOL Eligibility Criteria
All K-12 students whom are identified will be administered the W-APT placement test. Once a child has been identified as eligible for ESOL services, the parent must be notified annually using the Parent Notification Form in a language they understand (if possible). On the Parent Notification Form, the parent is given the opportunity to waive ESOL services. To waive the services, the parent must contact the ESOL teacher/contact. Once the ESOL teacher/contact is notified, the parent must annually sign the waiver form until their child is able to exit based on the ACCESS. The district must maintain evidence of the written documentation.
If a parent signs a waiver, the district is still required to give language support under the Office for Civil Rights law. Although the parents may have chosen to waive a formal language assistance program, the student has been identified and coded as an EL and will continue to be coded as such until the student reaches English language proficiency.
ELs whose parents have waived services are still eligible for accommodations on standardized tests, and their English language proficiency skills must be assessed on an annual basis until they are able to exit.
If a parent signs a waiver, the district is still required to give language support under the Office for Civil Rights law. Although the parents may have chosen to waive a formal language assistance program, the student has been identified and coded as an EL and will continue to be coded as such until the student reaches English language proficiency.
ELs whose parents have waived services are still eligible for accommodations on standardized tests, and their English language proficiency skills must be assessed on an annual basis until they are able to exit.
Testing Accommodations
All served, waived, and monitored ESOL students must have a TPC (Testing Participation Committee) documentation filled out annually. If the CRCT, CRCT-M, GAA, GHSGT, GKIDS, GHSWT, 3rd/5th/8th Grade Writing Assessment, local assessments are given within the first 12 months of the student’s initial entry into the United States and the student will participate in taking the ACCESS for ELLs or Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, the student may be deferred in the areas of Reading/ELA and Social Studies. Students must participate in mathematics and science assessments and all EOCTs. A deferment is not permitted on the mathematics and science portions of the CRCT, CRCT-M, GAA, GHSGT, GKIDS, and Local Assessments.
When determining testing accommodations, it is necessary to determine the accommodations the student needs in order to meaningfully participate in each
assessment this school year and document them using the TPC form. All accommodations must be consistent with classroom instruction and assessment.
The TPC (Test participation committee) is comprised of a minimum of three
members, one of whom is a teacher certified by the Professional Standards
Commission, and must include the EL/ESOL teacher/aide currently serving the
student.
When determining testing accommodations, it is necessary to determine the accommodations the student needs in order to meaningfully participate in each
assessment this school year and document them using the TPC form. All accommodations must be consistent with classroom instruction and assessment.
The TPC (Test participation committee) is comprised of a minimum of three
members, one of whom is a teacher certified by the Professional Standards
Commission, and must include the EL/ESOL teacher/aide currently serving the
student.
Continuing Eligibility and Exiting
As ESOL students reach English language proficiency, they are able to exit the ESOL program. Our State works in conjunction with the WIDA Consortium as it pertains to serving and testing our ESOL students.
For a kindergarten student to exit language assistance services, they must score an Accountability CPL (Composite Proficiency Level) of "5.0 or higher with no individual domain score less than 5.0. Kindergarten students who do not score an Accountability CPL of 5.0 or higher and who have any individual domain scores less than 5.0 are not eligible to exit language assistance services. Using the Language Assessment Conference (LAC) process to exit Kindergarten students who do not meet the specified exit criteria is not an option” (GaDOE ESOL/Title III Resource Guide 2013-2014). Students who were
administered the Tier B or C version of the ACCESS will need to score a CPL (Composite Proficiency Level) of 5.0 or higher AND a literacy sub-score of 4.8 or higher to exit.
If the student scores a CPL (Composite Proficiency Level) of 5.0 with a literacy sub-score of less than 4.8 OR an overall CPL of 4.0-4.9 with a literacy sub-score of 4.8 or higher, the student can be referred for a LAC (Language Assessment Conference) to determine whether the student can be mainstreamed.
When determining whether a student should exit ESOL services, the committee should review language proficiency, classroom performance, recommendations of the teachers, criterion-referenced test scores, and writing samples. If the committee feels that the student should be exited, the student will be exited and coded as year one monitoring, and he/she will be monitored for two years. If the committee feels that the student still
struggles primarily due to lack of English language skills, the student will not be exited and will be monitored as EL-Y.
Once the student exits ESOL by virtue of English language proficiency measured by the ACCESS (Tier B and C CPL 5.0/literacy 4.8+) or LAC (Tier B and C CPL 5/literacy <4.8 Or CPL 4-4.9/literacy 5), he/she enters two years of monitoring. The student is consistently monitored to ensure language proficiency. The monitoring form is completed every 4 ½ weeks by the ESOL teacher/contact along with the regular education teacher. During
the two years of monitoring, the student is eligible for accommodations. After the two year monitoring period is over, the student is no longer eligible for any testing accommodations.
If a student struggles during the monitoring period, they may still receive instructional accommodations. For a student to re-enter the ESOL program, he/she must go through the RTI process. If the final analysis of those involved in the RTI process shows that the student’s problem is definitely a lack in language proficiency and not “lack of content knowledge, cognitive issues, or a disability, then the LAC (language assessment
committee) should meet and determine whether the student should re-enter the
ESOL program.
For a kindergarten student to exit language assistance services, they must score an Accountability CPL (Composite Proficiency Level) of "5.0 or higher with no individual domain score less than 5.0. Kindergarten students who do not score an Accountability CPL of 5.0 or higher and who have any individual domain scores less than 5.0 are not eligible to exit language assistance services. Using the Language Assessment Conference (LAC) process to exit Kindergarten students who do not meet the specified exit criteria is not an option” (GaDOE ESOL/Title III Resource Guide 2013-2014). Students who were
administered the Tier B or C version of the ACCESS will need to score a CPL (Composite Proficiency Level) of 5.0 or higher AND a literacy sub-score of 4.8 or higher to exit.
If the student scores a CPL (Composite Proficiency Level) of 5.0 with a literacy sub-score of less than 4.8 OR an overall CPL of 4.0-4.9 with a literacy sub-score of 4.8 or higher, the student can be referred for a LAC (Language Assessment Conference) to determine whether the student can be mainstreamed.
When determining whether a student should exit ESOL services, the committee should review language proficiency, classroom performance, recommendations of the teachers, criterion-referenced test scores, and writing samples. If the committee feels that the student should be exited, the student will be exited and coded as year one monitoring, and he/she will be monitored for two years. If the committee feels that the student still
struggles primarily due to lack of English language skills, the student will not be exited and will be monitored as EL-Y.
Once the student exits ESOL by virtue of English language proficiency measured by the ACCESS (Tier B and C CPL 5.0/literacy 4.8+) or LAC (Tier B and C CPL 5/literacy <4.8 Or CPL 4-4.9/literacy 5), he/she enters two years of monitoring. The student is consistently monitored to ensure language proficiency. The monitoring form is completed every 4 ½ weeks by the ESOL teacher/contact along with the regular education teacher. During
the two years of monitoring, the student is eligible for accommodations. After the two year monitoring period is over, the student is no longer eligible for any testing accommodations.
If a student struggles during the monitoring period, they may still receive instructional accommodations. For a student to re-enter the ESOL program, he/she must go through the RTI process. If the final analysis of those involved in the RTI process shows that the student’s problem is definitely a lack in language proficiency and not “lack of content knowledge, cognitive issues, or a disability, then the LAC (language assessment
committee) should meet and determine whether the student should re-enter the
ESOL program.