Federal Programs
Title III/ESOL
Title III
Title III, Part A: Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as Amended under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) P.L. 115-141, enacted March 23, 2018, awards subgrants to eligible Local Education Agencies (LEA) “to help ensure that English learners (ELs), including immigrant children and youth, attain English proficiency and develop high levels of academic achievement in English." [Sec. 3102 (1)]
Title III, Part A EL Language Programs are a variety of supplemental services and activities provided to EL students, their teachers, and their families beyond the schools' legal obligations to English learners and their limited English proficient parents. All Federal Program services are provided within the Systems of Continuous Improvement framework.
ESOL
English to Speakers of Other Languages – Georgia’s ESOL Language Program
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA), public schools and State educational agencies (SEAs) have a legal obligation to remove barriers and ensure that students who are not fully proficient in English can meaningfully participate in their educational programs and services. (See OCR Dear Colleague Letter of January 7, 2015). These federal expectations require schools to develop and implement an evidence-based language instruction educational program (LIEP) that has a reasonable chance of success and which allows English Learners (ELs) to access grade-level core curriculum to succeed in the general education classroom.
Therefore, the core ESOL language program is a civil right offered by all schools in Georgia to K-12 students with a home language other than English who qualify based on a state-approved language screener. (See Georgia School Law Code 1981, §20-2-156, enacted In 1985) Various researched-based program models are used across the state to provide scheduled English Language Development (ELD) courses, collaborative in-class ELD services with language-differentiated supports, instructional software programs, sheltered content courses, and dual language instruction to the 100,000+ EL students in Georgia. The goal of the ESOL language program for ELs is to increase both English language proficiency (ELP) and academic language proficiency in content-area classrooms. Successful ESOL programs should focus on collaboration and shared accountability for the success of all EL students.
ESOL language programs are an integral part of the Coherent Instruction system within Georgia’s System of Continuous Improvement. The process of continuous improvement includes identifying the needs of EL students, selecting appropriate language-focused interventions, planning to implement and then implementing such interventions, either within the core classroom instruction or as a supplemental language program; and, finally, examining EL students’ progress on a continuous basis. In participating Districts, Georgia’s Title III, Part A language programs provide supplemental language instruction to select EL students who need additional language instruction and support beyond ESOL.
For more information regarding Title III or ESOL, please contact the ESOL Coordinator/Title III Coach at 706-236-5050.