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Huron to rename ESL program to ‘English learners’; district reports more than 1,000 EL students and 68 exited via ACCESS testing
Summary
The board heard a report that Huron School District will transition from the ESL label to 'English learners' next fiscal year; the district has more than 1,000 EL students and 68 students exited the EL program after ACCESS/state testing this year.
Mrs. Konechnie, speaking to the Huron School District 02-2 Board of Education on May 12, said the district will begin transitioning from the term “ESL” to “English learners” next fiscal year to align with evolving terminology and the South Dakota Department of Education’s usage.
She provided enrollment details for English learners across district schools: as of April 30 the district had about 1,012 EL students, with counts by campus and grade that included 95 at Buchanan, 218 at Madison, 74 at Washington, 99 at the middle school and 93 at the high school; Huron Colony had 16 and Riverside Colony 8. She said the number of first‑year‑in‑the‑country students this year was 44, down from a notably higher count last year.
On testing, Mrs. Konechnie said ACCESS results arrived May 6. Under the ACCESS scoring rules she described, students who achieve at least a 5 on the six‑point scale are candidates to exit EL services; combinations of a score of 4 plus state ELA performance also permit exit in some cases. She said 68 students exited the EL program this year using ACCESS and state testing criteria, similar to prior years when 64 and 66 students exited respectively.
Konechnie said program renaming will require policy and document updates and that staff are beginning to identify required changes. She closed the report by thanking teachers and noting pride in the year’s results.
