ESOL Program

The ESOL Program provides English language acquisition instruction to qualifying non-English speaking students enrolled in the county’s schools. Fifteen languages are represented in the ESOL Program: Spanish, Urdu, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Tagalog, Swedish, Japanese, Indonesian, Arabic, French, German, Hindi, and Korean. 88% of the county’s English Learners speak Spanish. There are 19 different countries, including the United States, represented in the program.

ESOL Program Objectives

• Focus on consistent quality, evidenced-based English language instruction for English Learners
• Work cooperatively with content area teachers in order to effectively convey academic material through proficiency level-based instruction
• Ensure that students receive appropriate accommodations during classroom instruction and county and state assessments through semi-annual, school-based English Learner Committee meetings
• Deliver native language parental notification of services available to English Learners and ways in which non-English speaking parents can support the academic success and English language proficiency of their children
• Provide information about school conferences and events as well as translated documents and interpretive services
• Bridge cultural differences and smooth the transition into American schools and culture for both immigrant families and QACPS staff
• Share materials and methods of English Learner pedagogy

In order for a student to qualify for the ESOL program, they must meet the following criteria:

• English is not the primary language of the student, the parents, or the caregiver; English is not the language spoken at home.
• The student has a foreign birth certificate, passport or letter of birth from a foreign embassy; a student can be born in the United States and still receive ESOL services
• The student scores within a P-1 to a P-5 (proficiency level) on the KW-APT or W-APT Proficiency Test administered by an EL staff member.
• The student has a report card in a language other than English.
• The student has an English Learner report card from another school system.

Registration

Contact Ms. Michelle McNeil, EL Program Director, at (410) 758-2403, x197 or michelle.mcneil@qacps.org. She will assist with registration or obtaining interpretive services.

• Parents or guardians must show a birth certificate, record of birth, or baptismal certificate for their child, proof of residency, and a vaccination record. A social security number is not required for registration.
• The child is registered in the school using the name exactly as it appears on the birth certificate. Hispanic 2-name last names must be copied exactly as they appear on the birth certificate.
• Parents/legal guardians must complete a Home Language Survey available in English and 12 other languages. Please contact the ESOL Office if you need a copy.
• If the family does not speak English, obtain the name of a contact person for interpreting, or contact the EL Office for interpretive needs.

A Guide to School for Families of English Learners

GUÍA ESCOLAR PARA FAMILIAS DE ESTUDIANTES DE INGLÉS

Michelle McNeil, EL Program Director
Queen Anne’s County Board of Education
202 Chesterfield Avenue
Centreville, MD 21617
(410) 758-2403, Ext. 197
michelle.mcneil@qacps.org