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Multilingual Learners (MLs) [Formerly known as ELLs]

Barnegat Township School District is committed to offer all of our Multilingual Learners the opportunity to acquire English language success as well as academic success that will lead to obtaining a High School diploma. In doing so, Barnegat is dedicated to providing students with the English language skills and cultural understanding they need to succeed academically as prescribed by national and state standards for English language acquisition.

Barnegat Township’s ML program focuses on providing non-English speaking students with English language instruction in a small group setting with other students of similar backgrounds. In doing so, the expectation is that students develop their  oral language skills as well as writing competency and fluency. The courses provide assignments and tasks centered around the four major language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. We offer our ML students the opportunity to find success in the ML program, throughout their mainstream course work, and in our community.

Testing English Proficiency

Barnegat Township assesses our student’s English proficiency through the following modules:

  • The WIDA Screener is administered to newly registered students to assess oral, reading, and writing proficiency of each individual student.  These tests evaluate language ability in English for children from Kindergarten through 12th grade. 

  • The WIDA Model may be administered during the school year to students currently participating in our ML program. This test also measures English language proficiency and may serve as the benchmark for a student to test out of the program.

  • ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State), is a federally and state-required annual assessment and participation is a component of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) accountability. Even if a parent has refused ML services, and that student has been identified as an Multilingual Learner, then that student must be administered the ACCESS for ELLs annually until that student attains the State’s definition of English language proficient. This testing is administered to all English Learners in the spring of every year. This assessment score will determine a student's continued participation or exit from the program. A profile generated from this test provides teachers and parents with a view of their student's current ability in all four language skills-- listening, reading, speaking and writing.  ACCESS is a tool that measures progress for all identified MLs, regardless of their use of program services or not.