- Plymouth Public Schools
- English Learner Education (ELE) Program
English Learner Education (ELE) Program
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The Plymouth Public School District is fortunate to have English Learners (ELs) from many different countries, speaking multiple languages. ELs are provided instruction by licensed ESL teachers. They are also provided with Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) in their general education classes by licensed content teachers who are SEI endorsed. The Plymouth Public Schools English Language Education (ELE) program provides support services to students whose primary language is not English and who are not yet proficient in English. The program is focused on students’ English language acquisition, literacy development, and academic achievement. In addition to academic language, students are constantly exposed to social language in all school contexts.
Our district offers a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) model for English language learners (ELLs). This means that ELLs participate in general education classrooms with modified instructional strategies, assessment, and materials to help them access the curriculum. In addition, ELLs attend English as a Second Language (ESL) classes where they receive direct English language instruction tailored to their specific proficiency level. Using research-based practices, experienced ESL teachers work with these students to develop the four skill areas of language learning: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students participate in ESL classes to strengthen academic vocabulary across the content areas, access or build background knowledge, read for comprehension, and write for different purposes. This "language-in-content" approach is essential to the academic program of each student, regardless of his/her English proficiency level or amount of time in the U.S., since ELLs are required to take part in state content tests along with their native English peers.
In Plymouth, the English Language Education (ELE) Program includes five ESL elementary schools (Cold Spring, Federal Furnace, Hedge, Nathaniel Morton and West), one ESL middle school (PCIS) and one ESL high school (PNHS).
GRADES ESL SCHOOL ESL TEACHER(S)
K-5 Cold Spring Elementary School Michelle Lombard and Lauren Comfort
K-5 Federal Furnace Elementary School Meghan McCarthy
K-5 Hedge Elementary School Nicole Gagne and Olga Myslivcova Abboud
K-5 Nathaniel Morton Elementary School Lynn Walker and Lauren Comfort
K-5 West Elementary School Meghan McCarthy
6-8 Plymouth Community Intermediate School Elisa Burek and Meghan McCarty
9-12 Plymouth North High School Matthew Carpenito and Linda Goggin
New Plymouth Public School students districted for non-ESL schools who are identified as ELs should be referred to Matthew Carpenito, ELE Department Head (508-224-5075 or mcarpenito@plymouth.k12.ma.us). Plymouth Public Schools will determine the ESL school placement option (based on the proximity of ESL school to home and EL enrollment numbers). Transportation will be provided. The family will also be given the option for the student to enroll in their home-district school without ESL services.
Resources for ELs
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Translation and Interpretation
School documents will be provided to limited English proficient students and/or parents in their primary language. Families who would like assistance with translation or interpreter services should contact their child's school principal or the Student Support Services Department.
The Plymouth Public Schools, hoping to improve communication between parents and teachers, now offers assistance in Portuguese.
If you have a question, need to talk to your child's teacher, receive something at home, but do not know what it is about or need any other assistance please call Mari Costa at 508-224-5076 or send her an email to mcosta@plymouth.k12.ma.us.
“A relação de parceria entre a família (pais) e a escola (professores) do aluno, é essencial para a sua formação educacional plena.”
As Escolas Públicas de Plymouth, na esperança de melhorar a comunicação entre pais e professores, agora oferece assistência em português.
Se você tiver uma pergunta, precisa conversar com o professor(a) do seu filho(a), recebeu algo em casa, mas não sabe do que se trata, ou necessita de qualquer outra assistência na escola, por favor ligue para:
Mari Costa no telefone 508-224-5076 ou envie um e-mail para mcosta@plymouth.k12.ma.us
Obrigada
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RETELL/SEI Endorsement
The RETELL (Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners) initiative is an educator requirement for the Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement, which core academic teachers of ELLs and principals/assistant principals and supervisors/directors who supervise or evaluate such teachers must obtain. More information can be found at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education website.
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WIDA
The WIDA (Worldclass Instructional Design and Assessment) Consortium has been built by educators who work with English Language Learners (ELLs) in their classrooms, schools, districts, and states. WIDA advances academic language development and academic achievement for linguistically diverse students through high-quality standards, assessments, research, and professional development for educators.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has been a WIDA consortium member state since 2012. DESE has adopted WIDA’s English language development standards and assessments for English Language Learners. The annual assessment for English Language Learners is ACCESS 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State). This assessment replaces the previous Massachusetts English Proficiency and Assessment (MEPA/MELAO).- These standards incorporate a set of model performance indicators (PIs) that describe the expectations educators have of ELL students at four different grade level clusters and in five different content areas.
- The grade level clusters include PreK to K, 1 to 2, 3 to 5, 6 to 8, and 9 to 12. There are five content areas of the standards. The first is called social and instructional language (SI), which incorporates proficiencies needed to deal with the general language of the classroom and the school.
- The others are English language arts (LA), math (MA), science (SC), and social studies (SS).
- For each grade level, then, the standards specify one or more performance indicators for each content area within each of the four language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
- The WIDA framework recognizes the continuum of language development within the four domains with six English language proficiency levels.
Please visit the WIDA Home Page for more information. -
Additional ELL Information and Resources
Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
English Learners (ELs) Link including:
- Technical assistance and support for the English language development (ELD) curriculum.
- Several guidance documents to assist school districts in implementing Sheltered English Immersion (SEI).
- Resources consisting of Web sites, articles available online, journals and books.
- Documents intended to assist educators in the instruction of ELs.
