Multilingual Learner Program

The West Valley School District Multilingual Learner Program is designed to provide academic services to Multilingual language learners (MLLs) while they learn English.  MLLs are students whose language backgrounds are other than English and whose proficiency is not yet developed to the point where they can profit fully from English-only instruction. Our goal is that students will meet challenging learning standards and develop English language proficiency in an environment where language and cultural assets are recognized as valuable resources to learning. 

The most common languages in WVSD are Spanish, Russian, Marshallese, Vietnamese, and Arabic. Currently, there are over 160 active students, K-12, enrolled in the MLL program. 

When a student enrolls in one of our schools...

Parents are provided a “Home Language Survey” and asked “What language did your child first learn to speak?” and “What language does your child use the most at home?” If the answer to either question is a language other than English, one of the MLL Specialists administers the WIDA Screener. Students who score at Levels 1 (Beginning/Advanced Beginning), 2 (Intermediate), or 3 (Advanced) on the placement test qualify for additional support to acquire and or improve their English language.

Students continue in the program as long as they need help developing needed skills in order to access core curriculum. Continuing within the MLL program is based on the results of the state and WIDA assessments. 

Students successfully transition from the MLL program when they meet the exit criteria of Proficient (L4 and L5) on WIDA. The school district continues to monitor L4 and L5 progress after exiting the program. Families, teachers or school staff are encouraged to contact one of the ELL specialists to review the student’s academic progress and needs for additional services. 

Our certified ML support staff have successful classroom experience and are endorsed in MLL content and evidence based pedagogy. Our classified MLL specialists are all highly trained with many years of teaching/support experience.  They are able to support students and family members with Russian and Spanish. We are committed to providing translation and interpretation for all of our multilingual students and families.