Cobb County ESOL

Teacher Proficiency

Under Title III of NCLB, local school districts must ensure that all ESOL teachers are not only highly-qualified with regard to their teaching credentials, but also are proficient in English. In order to meet this requirement, Cobb's ESOL Program has developed a Teacher Proficiency Form that must be completed by each ESOL teacher in the District and kept on file in the District ESOL Office.

To access a copy of this form, click the link: Download Teacher Language-Proficiency 2013

 

Cobb Articulation of State Approved Delivery Models

The Georgia Department of Education determines the state-approved delivery models for ESOL instruction. These are outlined in State Board of Education Rule IDDG 160-4-60.02 Language Assistance: Program for English Learners. The information below outlines the Cobb articulation of the delivery models of ESOL instruction. The choice of ESOL delivery model is under the discretion of the local school principal and often is determined by local school needs. Whether or not the delivery model will generate ESOL FTE segments is dependent upon State guidelines and the manner in which the delivery model is carried out by the local school. (See the ESOL Blog category "FTE" for more details.)

Pull-Out: (elementary only) ELs are taken out of a general education class for the purpose of receving small group language instruction from the ESOL teacher. If the EL is being removed from a content area period such as math, ELA, social studies or science, then the ESOL teacher must focus on that content. For this model the ESOL teacher must be highly qualified in Early Childhood Education as well as ESOL.

Push-In: ELs remain in their core academic class where they receive content instruction from the content area teacher and targeted language instruction from the ESOL teacher.

Cluster Center: (middle and high school only) ELs who qualify for Intensive English Language Newcomer Program services and who are not districted for a school that provides the newcomer program, are bussed to an IEL Center school location. See the IEL category for more information and school locations.

Scheduled: ELs at the middle and high school level are provided ESOL instruction in a class comprised solely of active ELs. This class may be an ESOL support course (55. courses) or sheltered content courses. The teacher in the content course must be highly-qualified in the content area and in ESOL. Cobb has created specific course numbers for all sheltered content ESOL courses for the middle school and high school levels.

Innovative: The innovative model is one which has been approved in advance by the GaDOE through a process described in the GaDOE ESOL/Title III Resource Guide. Currently, several schools in Cobb employ innovative models, including Belmont Hills Elementary School, Lindley 6th Grade Academy, Davis Elementary, Due West Elementary, Ford Elementary, Kemp Elementary, Timber Ridge Elementary, Tritt Elementary, Shallowford Falls Elementary, Vaughn Elementary.

Consultative:  (Note: This model is NOT a state-approved delivery model and does NOT generate ESOL FTE funding.)
A Language Assistance Committee at the local school has determined that the student does not require daily, direct ESOL support services. The student's progress is still monitored every grading period and a Monitoring Form completed by all of the student's teachers. If an IEP Committee has made this determination, it must be noted in the EL's IEP and the ESOL teacher must have been a member of the committee making this determination. While this model does not generate ESOL FTE funding, it does ensure ESOL support services in keeping with federal law.

Local School ESOL Contacts 2012 - 2013

To obtain information regarding a local school's ESOL Program, contact the local school Lead ESOL Teacher or local school ESOL Administrator listed on the documents below:

Elementary Schools: Download ES ESOL Contacts 12_20_12

Middle Schools: Download MS_Contacts_ESOL_9.2012

High Schools:   Download HS ESOL Contacts

For information regarding former Cobb ESOL students, contact Carol Fussell at carol.fussell@cobbk12.org.

 

ESOL/FL Organizational Chart 2012-13

Click here to download a pdf of this chart:  Download FY2013 ESOL FL Org Chart Dec 4

Cobb County ESOL Program

The Cobb County ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) Program is a state-funded instructional program for eligible English Learners (ELs) in grades K-12 (Georgia School Law Section 20-2-156 Code 1981, Sec. 20-2-156, enacted in 1985) and State Board Rule 160-4-5-.02, revised in July 2011). Title III is a federally funded program which provides the Cobb County School District with subgrants to provide supplemental services for ELs. Both ESOL and Title III hold students accountable for progress in English language proficiency and evidence of attainment of English language proficiency sufficient to exit ESOL services. The Cobb County School District utilizes The Georgia-adopted WIDA (World Class Instructional Design and Assessment) English Language Proficiency Standards and the English language proficiency test, known as ACCESS for ELs (Accessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Learners).

In accordance with federal law, eligibility for initial screening is solely determined by the responses on the Home Language Survey section of the Student Enrollment form.  Any response that indicates a language other than English requires that the student be screened using the state-adopted English proficiency screener. Students who have an English proficiency score below proficient are determined to be English Learners (ELs) and eligible for English assistance services. Students continue to receive ESOL services until they meet the state criteria for exiting the program. All ESOL students must participate in the annual ACCESS® for ELLs assessment. The scores from this assessment determine exit from the ESOL program or continued eligibility for program services. Per federal law, parents may choose to waive ESOL program services on an annual basis by completing an ESOL Waiver form; however, the student must still participate in the annual assessment of English and will be considered eligible for ESOL services until the state criteria for program exit are met. 

Cobb County’s ESOL Program is a standards-based curriculum that emphasizes social and academic language proficiency. The program’s overarching goal is for students to use English to communicate and demonstrate academic, social, and cultural understanding. To reach this goal, it is critical that instructional approaches, both in ESOL and general education classes, accommodate the needs of Cobb’s linguistically and culturally diverse student and parent populations. To the extent practicable, CCSD utilizes the home language as a means of facilitating communication with students and their parents. To assist the district and the local schools with meeting the needs of the international community, the Cobb ESOL Program maintains the International Welcome Center. The primary focus of the Cobb County International Welcome Center (IWC) is to facilitate communication between the school and home. The IWC staff of trained language facilitators manages a network of support services specific to the needs of the refugee/immigrant/migrant families and schools.

Georgia Department of Education Title III Program

Click here for more information regarding the Georgia Department of Education's ESOL/Title III Program.

CCSD Primary Languages

CCSD is a very linguistically diverse community. Click here to download a copy of the Primary Language Report that lists the languages of the students in Cobb:  Download Language report 6 2012

Why Culture?

Developing an awareness of the cultural backgrounds of English learners and how cultural differences can support and affect learning is a key facet of effective instruction. Many classroom teachers have not been prepared to tap into the different kinds of prior knowledge that culturally diverse learners bring to the classroom. Additionally, most teachers do not know how to scaffold the transition of EL's from their previous educational experiences to schooling in U.S. schools.

The ESOL Endorsement Course in Cultural Issues expands teacher knowledge of how to deliver equitable and culturally responsive instruction to ELs. The course focuses specifically on the unique cultural backgrounds and needs of ELs to support effective instruction and academic achievement for ALL students.

The Cobb County ESOL Department provides several opportunities throughout the year for Cobb teachers to expand their knowledge and improve their practice through completion of the ESOL Endorsement Course in Cultural Issues. Visit the Cobb Professional Learning page under "Quick Links" for information on course offerings and registration.

ESOL Contact List by Topic

Do you have an ESOL question and not sure whom to ask?

Check out the Topic Guide below:

 

Topic	Contact
ACCESS Testing	Margaret McKenzie
Adult Education	Maketo Moore
Blog	Margaret McKenzie
Compliance	Margaret McKenzie
Course Numbers	Margaret McKenzie
Curriculum-ES	Damaris Cortes Catherine Porch
Curriculum-HS	Sean Bagley
Curriculum-MS	Greg Clark
ESOL Data and Records	Carol Fussell
ESOL Endorsement Program	Vicki Campos
ESOL FTE	Margaret McKenzie
IEL (Intensive English Language)	Greg Clark
IEL Bus Routes	Greg Clark
International Transcripts	Larry Hoover Vicki Campos
IWC-Student Intake	Larry Hoover Vicki Campos
Middle School	Greg Clark
Middlebury Program	Lucia Ribeiro
Migrant Services	Anna Maribona
Parent Involvement	Filomena Hernandez
Scheduling	Margaret McKenzie
Title III Grant	LaShaun Odom
Translation Services Information	IWC@cobbk12.org
W-APT Materials	Catherine Porch

Title I/Title III Overview Presentation

Click here to download the powerpoint that was presented at the Instructional Leaders' Meeting on Monday, May 2, 2011:  Download IL-meeting--May-2011

 

What is "limited English proficient?"

The U.S. Department of Education has defined the term Limited English Proficient in Title IX of the No Child Left Behind Act under the General Provisions Part A, Section 9101.Definition.

TITLE IX—GENERAL PROVISIONS PART A—DEFINITIONS

SEC. 9101. DEFINITIONS.

 
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT —The term 'limited English proficient', when used with respect to an individual, means an individual—

(A) who is aged 3 through 21;

(B) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school;

(C)(i) who was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English;

(ii)(I) who is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas; and

(II) who comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual's level of English language proficiency; or

(iii) who is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; and

(D) whose difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual—

(i) the ability to meet the State's proficient level of achievement on State assessments described in section 1111(b)(3);

(ii) the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English; or

(iii) the opportunity to participate fully in society.TITLE III—LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION FOR LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT AND IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

CCSD Board Administrative Rule

Programs for Students with Limited English Proficiency

RULE:

The Cobb County School District acknowledges the unique needs of students who have a native language other than English. The progress of these students who have limited English proficiency can be enhanced by programs designed for their language needs. These programs shall be developed and implemented for students with limited English proficiency within the guidelines and funding established by the Georgia Board of Education and Department of Education.

Legal Reference: OCGA 20-2-156

Adopted: 7/9/87
Reclassified an Administrative Rule: 9/1/04
Revised: 7/28/94