English Language Learners

There are more than 800 students in Proviso Township High School District #209 who are identified as English Learners (ELs) – that is 21% of our student body across the three high schools.

Through a student-centered approach, our collective work is driven by three visionary values: student achievement, linguistic diversity, and cultural relevance.

• Student Achievement: emergent bilinguals will be critically engaged thinkers and college and career-ready through curricular practices that will support EL students in meeting proficiency in English language domains - reading, writing, speaking, and listening - to meet/exceed achievement benchmarks in core content areas: English, math, science, and social science.
• Linguistic Diversity: instructional practices will meet the diverse linguistic needs of emergent bilingual students to promote bilingualism and biliteracy; emergent bilinguals will learn to appreciate how language constructs and connects us to a larger global society.
• Cultural Relevance: the Proviso Township ecosystem is dedicated to creating learning environments that value all students' unique backgrounds and cultural contributions; emergent bilinguals will be actively engaged in co-creating educational spaces that are physically and psychologically emotionally responsive for all learners.

We aim to achieve this through strategic planning, collaborative partnerships, professional development, and the production of tools and resources to improve instruction. We are responsible for: 

• Overseeing State and Federal mandates around bilingual education 
• Supporting school administrators and personnel in developing school improvement plans that are inclusive of EL priority groups   
• Promoting and developing teaching capacity to provide high-quality, research-based language instruction  
• Assist schools in identifying, vetting, and adopting tiered curricular and instructional support for English language development 

When your student is enrolled in a District #209 school for the first time, you are given a Home Language Survey to complete. The Home Language Survey, or HLS, asks two questions:

•  Is a language other than English spoken in your home?
• Does your student speak a language other than English?

The answers given on the HLS are used to decide whether or not the student is screened for admittance into a program for ELs. Students who must be screened are given a test of their English language proficiency level in some or all of the following categories: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The categories for which they are tested depend on the student’s age and grade level.

If, based on the test score, your student will then be placed into a Transitional Bilingual Education Program or a Transitional Program of Instruction (more information below). To learn more about the course offering for ELs, please see the course selection handbook.

It is important to note that all EL identified students will be required to participate in the annual English language proficiency exam, ACCESS, until they reach a composite score of 4.8 as established by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Proviso Township High School District #209 currently offers two types of programs for EL/Bilingual students: Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) and Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI), 

Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) - Schools with 20 or more ELs who speak the same home language are required to provide a Transitional Bilingual Education Program. ELs in TBE Programs must receive instruction in all of the following areas:

• Language Arts in the home language
• English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction to help develop students’ English language proficiency
• Core subjects (math, science, social science) are provided in both English and the native language.
• Instruction in U.S. history and culture
• Instruction in the history and culture of the native land of the ELs (or of their parents)
• All instruction provided in English must include support and modifications that are appropriate for the EL’s level of English language proficiency.

Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI) - Schools with 19 or fewer ELs who speak the same home language are required to provide a Transitional Program of Instruction. This includes schools in which there are more than 19 total ELs, but less than 19 who speak any one language. ELs in TPI Programs must receive instruction in all of the following areas:

• • English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction to help develop students’ English language proficiency
  • Core subjects (math, science, social science) are provided in English.
  • Instruction in U.S. history and culture
  • Instruction in the history and culture of the native land of the ELs (or of their parents)
  • All instruction provided in English must include support and modifications that are appropriate for the EL’s level of English Language Proficiency.
  • If a teacher, assistant, or tutor is available who speaks the EL’s home language, the school may provide support in the home language to the extent possible.

If your child is eligible for Special Education Services, our school teams will collaborate with you to ensure that your students receive both the language and disability-related services to which they are entitled under Federal law. To learn more about additional individualized support for eligible students, please visit the Special Education Services page.

The Illinois School Code establishes the Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) as a standing committee in schools that have bilingual educational programs. The BPAC is comprised of parents or legal guardians of students enrolled in these programs, teachers, administrators and other community members.  

The goal of the Bilingual Parent Advisory Council (BPAC) is to support programs that serve English Learners (ELs) and to advocate for the academic, social, and cultural development of all bilingual and bi-literate students. Inversely, Proviso BPAC is dedicated to collaborating with BPAC to provide family support, information, communication and learning activities that will assist in ensuring our students have equal access to education as they grow into global citizens.