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Eligibility
Program Eligibility
When parents register their child, they complete a home language survey. The home language survey indicates whether a language other than English is spoken in the home or the child's native language is a language other than English.
Using this information, children are then screened and qualify for programming based on grade level criteria.
Per the Illinois State Board of Education,these are the requirements for qualifying for programming in grades K-12. :
SCREENER | WHEN ADMINISTERED | DOMAINS ASSESSED | MINIMUM SCORE FOR EL PROFICIENCY |
WIDA SCREENER FOR KINDERGARTEN | K (1st semester) | Listening and Speaking | 5.0 (oral composite of listening and speaking) |
WIDA SCREENER FOR KINDERGARTEN | K (2nd Semester) and 1st grade (1st semester) | Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing | 5.0 Composite 4.2 (literacy composite [reading and writing]) |
WIDA SCREENER | 2nd grade (1st semester – 12th grade) | Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing | 5.0 Composite |
Students will be screened no later than 30 days after the beginning of the school year or 14 days after enrollment. Parents will receive a Program Notification letter informing parents that their child has been enrolled in a TBE or TPI program, or did not qualify for services based on the screener.
Pre-Kindergarten students qualify for programming based on the language levels of the Pre-IPT oral assessment. This assessment tests speaking and listening only.