ELL Information

English Language Learners (ELL)

The district plan designed to meet the instructional needs of English Language Learners is referred to as the Lau Plan (Lau v. Nichols, 1974).  The Lau Plan must be collaboratively written by the K-6 team.  The MSES team is:

Mike Peterson, District Administrator

Nathan Carlson, Building Administrator

Nancy Martin, ELL Coordinator

Annie Timmerman, Fourth Grade Teacher

Tracy Shriver, School Counselor

Michelle Dickey, GPAEA ELL Coordinator

The goal of our program is to develop English proficient students who are able to perform at an academic level comparable to their proficient native English peers, feel pride regarding their native language and culture, as well as pride in their new language and culture.

There are three areas in our Lau Plan’s Guiding Principles:

  1. Linguistically:  To teach English comprehension through skills within listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills to attain English proficiency and academic competence.
  2. Academically:  To educate ELLs to meet the same challenging academic content and student academic achievement that all children are expected to meet.
  3. Cross-culturally:  To assist students in understanding and functioning within American society while promoting pride in the students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Students entering Morning Sun Elementary School have a Home Language Survey completed to see if they qualify for our Language Instruction Education Program (LIEP).  If so, they will be given an English Language Placement Assessment and then be placed into the appropriate LIEP to meet their language development needs.  Direct services will be provided by the licensed ELL teacher with instruction matched to the ELLs development needs.

Annually, the district team will review the students’ ELPA21 results, state assessments, and district assessments to determine progress of the LIEP.  Once an ELL is exited from the LIEP they will be monitored for two years to ensure that the student is demonstrating proficiency in statewide and districtwide assessments.