Within four weeks of initial enrollment in a Texas public school, a student with a language other than English indicated on the home language survey will be administered the required oral language proficiency test in Prekindergarten through Grade 12 and norm-referenced standardized achievement instrument in Grades 2-12 as described and shall be identified as an English learner and placed in the required bilingual education or English as a second language (ESL) program.
Northwest ISD will administer an oral language proficiency test in the primary language of the student who is eligible to be served in the bilingual education program. If the primary language of the student is Spanish, Northwest ISD will administer a Spanish TEA-approved oral language proficiency test. If a TEA-approved language proficiency test is not available in the primary language of the student, Northwest ISD will determine the student's level of proficiency using informal oral language assessment measures.
All of the language proficiency testing will be administered by professionals or paraprofessionals who are proficient in the language of the test and trained in the language proficiency testing requirements of the test publisher.
For entry into a bilingual education or ESL program, a student shall be identified as an English learner using the following criteria:
- In Prekindergarten through Grade 1: the student's score on the English oral language proficiency test is below the level designated for indicating English proficiency.
- In Grades 2-12: (A) the student's score on the English oral language proficiency test is below the level designated for indicating English proficiency; and (B) the student's score on the English reading and/or English language arts sections of the TEA-approved norm-referenced standardized achievement instrument at his or her grade level is below the 40th percentile. A student shall be identified as an English learner if the student's ability in English is so limited that the English oral language proficiency or norm-referenced assessments described in subsection (c) of this section cannot be administered. (Source)