English as a Second Language Program

All students whose first language is not English and have Limited English Proficiency entering the Quincy Public Schools should call for an appointment to register. The Central Registration Office is located at Quincy High School/Administration Annex and the registration hours are every Monday and Thursday afternoon between 1:00 and 2:30 p.m.

Registration

A parent or guardian must accompany the student. The family must bring report cards/transcripts, school transfer slip, health and immunization records, proof of residency, proof of birth date, name, address and telephone number of two emergency contacts, and for middle and high school students, a United States School Disciplinary Record. At that time, the Central Registration staff will complete the following forms:

Student Registration Form Contact Card
QPS Health Form
Central Registration/Assessment Form
Home Language Survey Form
Verification of Residency Form 1
Verification of Residency Form 2
Record Release Form
QPS Interview Form (for high school students)

After the parent/guardian has signed the required forms, the Central Registration staff will place the student in the appropriate school with the recommended grade level and arrange transportation, if necessary. The principal of the assigned school will be consulted if there is a question about the recommended grade placement. If a verification of residency is needed, the Central Registration staff will verify the residency before registering the student and sending the parent/student to school. For all schools except Quincy High School, all completed forms are brought to the student's assigned school by parents/guardian after registration. At Quincy High School, the Bilingual Counselor brings the forms to the principal's designee to enroll the student. For all students, a copy of the Assessment Form, the Student Registration Form, the LAS test, and the Home Language Survey are sent to the ESL/EI Director, Principal (sent to school), ESL/EI Department Head (if it is a Quincy High School student) and the ESL/EI Teachers.

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Assessment

Each limited English proficient student new to the Quincy Public Schools is given the LAS-O at Central Registration. If a fluency level of 5 is attained, the LAS-R/W is also administered. This assists the Central Registration staff in selecting the appropriate program for the entering student. Please note that students are not tested if they are unable to demonstrate some speaking knowledge (LAS-O) in an oral interview or reading and writing knowledge (LAS R/W) of English.

Students in the program are assessed each fall and spring with the MELA-O (Massachusetts English Language Assessment – Oral) and each spring with the LAS-R/W. This assists the ESL/EI teacher and the classroom teacher in the placement for the student for the following school year or for exiting the program. (See: VI. Placement Review.)

In-Building Referrals

A teacher or principal may fill out a referral form to have a student evaluated for ESL support. This form should be given to the ESL teacher who will administer appropriate tests and forward the results to the ESL/EI Director. The ESL Teacher should call the office of the ESL/EI Director who will check the Central Registration records for previous test results and other information about the student.

Teachers are reminded that students promoted out of the program or tested out of the program may not test on grade level by standardized tests. Learning cognitive, academic English is a process that may take many years to accomplish. It usually takes two to three years to acquire conversational English.

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Instructional Program, Placement Review

Elementary

English Immersion Education (EI) classes for Cantonese speaking children who score at level 1 or below on the assessment tests and some who score at level 2, are available at the Squantum and Montclair Schools. EI classes for Vietnamese speaking children are available at the Parker School. Out of district students are transported by school bus. Staffing includes a bilingual and or ESL teacher, a bilingual teacher aide and a citywide bilingual counselor. ESL instruction is available in each school.

Middle School

The English Immersion Programs for Cantonese and Vietnamese speaking children, who score at level 2 or below on the assessment tests are located at the Atlantic Middle School. Middle school students requiring ESL instruction attend their neighborhood school and receive services from an ESL teacher. The middle school English Immersion Program staffing includes an English Immersion bilingual counselor, an ESL teacher, English Immersion bilingual teachers and a bilingual teacher aide. Out of district students are transported by school bus.

High School

Quincy High School is the site of the high school ESL/EI program. Staff includes an ESL/EI Department Head, ESL/EI teachers, a teacher’s aide and citywide bilingual counselor. There are four levels of ESL instruction and ESL content area courses are offered in social studies, math, science, business and career connections. Transitional English courses are also offered as a bridge from ESL to the English Department Program of Studies. They are taught by a mainstream English teacher.

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Placement Review

Fall and Spring:

Grade K-2 students will be administered the MELA-O in the Fall and Spring.
Grade 3 - 12 students will be assessed in the Fall by administering the MELA-O and Spring by administering the MELA-O and LAS-R/W.
All grade 3 and any new students not tested the previous Spring are given the LAS R/W in addition to the MELA-O in the Fall.

Based upon these assessments, the ESL instructor discusses the options with the classroom teacher and Principal. Options include exiting the student from the program, increasing or decreasing the ESL sessions, monitoring the student, or promotion to the next level/course. Students are assessed according to the mandate of the Massachusetts Department of Education.

Monitoring

Criteria for considering that a student be monitored would be the recommendations of the classroom and ESL teacher, a fluency level 5 and/or appropriate success in meeting ESL benchmarks. If an ESL student is determined not to require direct services they should be monitored for two years. Monitoring is especially important at all levels, elementary, middle and high school for all former limited English proficient (FLEP) students.

Graduation Requirements

All students entering at the high school level from grade 8 in the Quincy Public Schools’ ESL/EI program will receive a program of studies which includes ESL/EI courses, ESL content area courses and other courses. They will receive a diploma after completion of the local graduation requirements and successfully passing the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.) Local graduation requirements are found in the Program of Studies. The Program of Studies is available in the guidance offices at Quincy High School and North Quincy High School. The booklet outlines which courses must be successfully completed to qualify for a diploma. All records and transcripts from previous schools will be reviewed as part of the graduation and placement process. Age is a factor in determining admission and placement. Promotion Procedures, Graduation Requirements

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Additional Services, Resources, Links

Counseling

Counseling services are available to all students and their families to assist with school related problems. English Immersion Bilingual Counselors are on staff and consultant bilingual psychologists are available on a contractual basis when native language testing is required.

Summer School

A summer school instructional program is available for ESL/EI students. The program provides instruction in English as well as Chinese and Vietnamese language and culture. Additional cultural enrichment through activities and field trips completes the program. Social interaction is encouraged in a comfortable environment that a summer program can offer.

Translators

The ESL/EI Department employs bilingual instructors and staff. Currently, we have staff members who are bilingual in the following languages/dialects: Arabic, Cantonese, French, Fujianese, Hakka, Mandarin, Spanish, Toishanese and Vietnamese.

To request a translator for school meetings or documents, contact the office of the ESL Director, Dr. Sylvia Pattavina at 617-984-8737 or spattavina@quincy.k12.ma.us.