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Watertown district outlines ESL screening, instruction and migrant program; about 140 students now enrolled in ESL
Summary
Director Becca Briggs described the district's English‑learner screening process, instructional approaches (sheltered instruction/SIOP), testing and exit criteria, and the migrant student identification process; the district reported about 140 English learners and 15 current migrant students.
Becca Briggs, principal at Lincoln Elementary and director of English as a Second Language (ESL) for Watertown School District 14‑4, presented an overview of the district’s ESL and migrant programs, including identification, instruction, staffing and exit criteria.
Briggs explained the district’s screening process: every student who registers completes a home‑language survey and those who indicate another primary language are screened in listening, reading, writing and speaking. "We provide a home language survey," Briggs said, noting kindergarteners are screened only for listening and speaking in their first semester. If a student does not score a 5 or above on the screener they are placed in the ESL program.
She said the district currently has about 140 students qualified as English learners spread across grades and sites (Lincoln Elementary, intermediate, middle and high school, plus Sunrise Colony). The district has three full‑time ESL‑endorsed teachers and paraprofessionals who support classroom instruction. Briggs described "sheltered" classes at the high school (sheltered English and sheltered Algebra 1 this year, with sheltered geometry to be added), where content teachers tailor instruction and scaffolds for lower‑proficiency students.
On assessment and exit criteria, Briggs said the district administers the statewide ACCESS English proficiency test each February (listening, reading, writing, speaking). Students must score a 5 or above to exit; recently an alternate pathway was added that allows a combined exit with an ACCESS score of 4 plus a qualifying Smarter Balanced ELA score. Briggs said some newcomers or students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) can take five to seven years to reach exit criteria.
Briggs also described the migrant program, which is administratively separate from ESL. Migrant status applies to students (ages 3–21) who move within a three‑year window for agricultural work; the district currently has about 15 migrant students. She outlined the Department of Education eligibility interview (Certificate of Eligibility) used to confirm migrant status, and noted many locally identified migrant students eventually disqualify after three years because the regional agricultural work patterns differ from those in states with seasonal harvest migrations.
Briggs said ACCESS results will be available May 6 and the district will review which students exited the ESL program. Board members asked clarifying questions; Briggs answered and the board received the report.
