Tennessee revises ESL rule to require ELPA21 screener, co-teaching standards, ILP oversight

The Tennessee Department of Education revised its statewide ESL rule in May 2024 to reflect the state's shift from the WIDA Access assessment to the ELPA21 assessment and to clarify identification, service models, ILP requirements, staffing ratios and exit criteria for English learners (ELs).

The changes, presented in a departmental webinar, update definitions and procedures and impose clearer monitoring and documentation obligations on local education agencies (LEAs). The department said the rule is monitored annually through its results-based monitoring process and that LEAs found noncompliant will receive findings that must be corrected.

Key provisions

The rule explicitly defines co-teaching and pullout instruction. Co-teaching is described as collaborative planning, organization, delivery and assessment by a general education teacher and an ESL-endorsed teacher who jointly plan and teach all students in the classroom. The presenter distinguished co-teaching from "push in," saying "Push in is not an approved model, but co teaching is." Pullout instruction is defined as intensive language support delivered by an ESL-endorsed teacher to EL students in small groups or one-on-one settings outside the general education classroom using an approved direct ESL service model.

Identification and screening

Identification is a two-step process. First, every LEA and public charter school must administer a Home Language Survey (HLS) that asks the first language learned, the language most often spoken at home or outside school, and the language most often spoken to the student. If any HLS response lists a language other than English, the student is classified as a non-English-language-background (NELB) student. LEAs must have a set of follow-up questions and may interview parents to resolve discrepancies. The presenter noted that an HLS should be completed only…