HOW DO WE IDENTIFY AND SERVICE ELLs?
lASSESSMENT
lNew York State mandates that a student must be given a State assessment (LAB-R) for English language proficiency if any of the following appear on the student’s registration form or are determined through a Home Language Questionnaire:
lStudent’s home language is other than English
lStudent’s native language is other than English
lStudent was born outside of the United States
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lPLACEMENT AND SERVICE
lBased on the results of the assessment, a student is placed in an appropriate proficiency or grade level group for English language learning. The Carmel Central School District has a Sheltered English Instruction program which means that English is taught in English; it is not a bilingual program, as sometimes many different native language speakers are in the same ESL class, although we support communication in native languages whenever possible.  ELLs are assigned to pull-out groups or periods for two to six hours a week, depending on their proficiency levels, and for the remainder of the time are in mainstream classes with native English speaking children. 
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lACHIEVEMENT
lEvery year in May, all ELLs must take a State test (NYSESLAT) to determine their achievement levels in English.  Usually it takes 3-5 years for a beginner student to achieve proficiency.  We can continue to service ELLs up to six years.  We also provide academic support for 1-2 years after they have achieved proficiency and exit out of the ESL program.