Limited Formal Schooling (LFS) and Students with Interrupted Education (SIFE) are terms used to describe recently arrived students to the U.S. who have little or no formal education and are at least 3 grade levels behind their grade-aged peers. These students may exhibit pre-literacy or semi-literacy skills in their native language, will preform significantly below grade-level and often lack the awareness or understanding of the culture or organization of the school environment.
Click here to access an article from the National Clearinghouse on English Language Acquisition (NCELA) that provides a more in-depth examination of the characteristices of LFS/SIFE students:
http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/symposia/reading/literacy9.html
Suggestions and practices for elementary and secondary teachers working with these students:
http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/practice/itc/ifsinfo.html
2004 article titled, “Immigrant Students and Secondary School Reform: A Compendium of Best Practices” which includes a chapter on Immigrant Students with Limited Formal Schooling:
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1b/a4/84.pdf
