Eligibility for Multilingual Services

Is the language your child first spoke or understood a language other than English?

Does your child mostly speak a language other than English?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, your child might be eligible for Multilingual Services. In Seattle Public Schools, it is called English Learner/Multilingual Learner (EL/ML) Services.

What is EL/ML services? When your child receives EL/ML Services, it means that during instruction, their teacher(s) provide(s) sensory, graphic, interactive, and emotional support within the classroom. This helps your child more effectively learn both the grade-level subject matter and the English language.

Family Guide: Eligibility for Multilingual Services in SPS

Step 1: Enroll at SPS and Submit a Home Language Survey

Becoming eligible for EL/ML Services begins at enrollment.

Families can enroll students online or in-person at John Stanford with Enrollment Services (2445 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134). Students are assigned to their neighborhood school based on their home address.

When a child enrolls in a Washington State school, the family fills out the Home Language Survey as part of the online enrollment process.

Step 2: WIDA Screener Assessment

If the family identifies a language other than English as the language the student first spoke or understood or uses most often at home, the student is given an English Language Proficiency Screener also known as the WIDA Screener within 10 days of attendance. The screener assesses listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The WIDA Screener will be administered by a staff member at the school where the child is attending.

Step 3: Determining Eligibility for EL/ML Services

WIDA Screener results will determine the student’s eligibility for EL/ML services.

The WIDA Screener Scores

To be eligible for EL/ML services, the students must score below the minimum scores for each domain (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and composite score.

Parents will be notified by email if their child qualifies for EL/ML services. Once eligible, the student will begin receiving EL/ML services at their neighborhood school.

Grade Level	Minimum Domain Score	Minimum Composite Score
Kindergarten (through Dec. 31)	5 (listening and speaking)	5 (oral language)
Kindergarten (beginning Jan. 1)	4 (all domains)	4.5 (overall)
1st Grade	4 (all domains)	4.5 (overall)
2nd-12th Grade	4 (all domains)	5 (overall)

For Kindergarten, only listening and speaking domains are assessed until the end of December. Beginning January, Kindergarten will be assessed in all four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Step 4: Family Notification (accept or waive services)

The Multilingual Department notifies families about their student’s eligibility to receive EL/ML services. Pictured below is an example of a family notification letter.

Parents/guardians who wish to accept EL/ML services for their student(s), do not need to do anything else at this point. The student will receive EL/ML services until they score proficient on their annual WIDA ACCESS Assessment.

Parents/guardians have the right to waive (reject) EL/ML services for their student(s). Waiving services means that the student will not receive EL/ML services. However, Washington State requires that the student continue to take the annual WIDA ACCESS Assessment until the student scores proficient.

How to Waive (Reject) EL/ML Services

If the parent/guardian wishes to waive or reject EL/ML services for their student(s), they can request a waiver form from their child’s school, complete the form, and return it to the school.

Parents Who Previously Waived (Rejected Services Can Request EL/ML Services

If you initially waived or rejected services for your student(s), then later decide to accept EL/ML services, you can email the ML Department at WIDASPS@bongobaystudios.com to request for your child to receive EL/ML services again.

Your student will start receiving EL/ML services once the request has been received.

Step 5: School Assignment

All Seattle Public Schools can provide EL/ML services, regardless of the English language proficiency levels of multilingual students.

Newcomers or New to English

A multilingual student is classified as a newcomer or new to English if the following are both true,

the multilingual student has been in U.S. schools for less than one year and
the multilingual student’s WIDA Screener score in each domain is 1.

If the WIDA Screener scores and the student’s attendance in U.S. schools identify the multilingual student as a newcomer or new to English, the Central Office ML Department offers the student/family three placement options.

Parents/guardians have the right to choose for their student(s) to attend their neighborhood school. All schools in Seattle Public Schools can provide EL/ML Services to all eligible multilingual students, regardless of the level of English language proficiency.

A multilingual student who is identified as a newcomer or new to English can be transferred from their neighborhood school to a Newcomer site for one semester, then transitioned back to their neighborhood school. There are currently only three elementary Newcomer sites in Seattle Public Schools: James Baldwin Elementary School (NW region), Hawthorne Elementary School (SE region), and Dunlap Elementary School (SE region). Seattle World School (Central region) is the only secondary Newcomer site. There is no Newcomer site in the NE or SW region.

Kindergarteners who qualify as newcomers or new to English are assigned to their neighborhood school and are not eligible to attend a Newcomer site if they enroll in Seattle Public Schools during the first semester.

Kindergartners who qualify as newcomers or new to English and are entering the school district in the second semester or during the months of December and January are eligible to attend a Newcomer site.

Seattle Public Schools has International Schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels offering Dual Language Education in Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin. If the student speaks one of these languages, the Central Office ML Department provides the family information/offers support on applying/appealing for their student(s) to attend one of the dual language immersion schools.

Frequently Asked Questions

My student exited EL/ML services but the teacher says they continue to struggle in school and wants to re-qualify them for EL/ML services. Can the teacher do that?

No. However, exited students must be monitored for two years after they exit the program and be provided appropriate supports necessary for academic growth and success.

Multilingual students, as general education students first, should have meaningful access to the core curriculum and with appropriate support be able to fully participate in the standard instructional program of the school.

I think my child may be eligible for EL/ML services but was never tested. Can I request that my child be evaluated to see if he/she is eligible for EL/ML services?

Yes. Please follow the following steps:

Complete a new Home Language Survey
- You can request a Home Language survey from your child’s school.
- Students cannot be tested for EL/ML services unless the Home Language Survey indicates that the language the student first spoke/understood or most often use is a language other than English.
Submit the completed new Home Language Survey to your child’s school.
The student will be added to the list of new students to be screened.
The school WIDA Screener test administrator can assess the student to determine their eligibility
- Remember: The WIDA Screener scores determine the student’s eligibility for EL/ML services. Parents have the right to choose the placement they determine is best for their student(s).

For students to exit from EL/ML services in Washington state, they must reach these levels on the WIDA ACCESS, annual assessment:

Kindergarten-1st grade students must score 4.0 overall
2nd-12th grade students must score 4.7 overall
- 3rd – 12th who score 4.3-4.6 on the WIDA ACCESS test may exit EL services if they also score a 3 or 4 on the state-required SBA ELA content assessment

Students who score proficient on the annual assessment will not continue to receive EL/ML services the following school year. Students will be monitored for two years to ensure they are meeting standards.

Each year, students receiving EL/ML services take the WIDA ACCESS to measure their English knowledge and skills. The test measures academic English language proficiency for students learning English in our district and throughout our state.

The test will not affect your child’s grades, but it can help determine whether your child will continue in the English language development program at school. Teachers in our school use this information to help them make decisions about instruction for your child. Teachers also use these test scores to monitor the progress your child makes toward English proficiency.

Your child does not need to study for this test. The test is an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they understand and can communicate in English.

Testing will take place during the school day between February and March each year. Please contact your child’s school for more information.