English Language Learner Adequate Yearly Progress Report

April 29, 2009

Dear Parents/Guardian:

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal law requires states to set specific student achievement goals for children learning to speak English.  The Language Assessment Scales (LAS Links) are used in Connecticut to measure the development of their skills.

NCLB also requires the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) to annually review the performance of each school district that receives funds under Title III for language instruction.  The English language learners must meet the following three targets:

2007-2008

• 80 percent of English language learners must make progress in acquiring English language proficiency;
• 20 percent of English language learners must attain English language proficiency; and
• English language learner subgroup must achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Our district belongs to a consortium (LEARN).  This is the third year that the consortium did not meet the targets, and we are obliged to report the following results:

• 98.6 percent of English language learners made progress in acquiring English language proficiency;
• 46.1 percent of English language learners attained English language proficiency; and
• the English language learner subgroup as a whole for the consortium did not make AYP.

Ledyard did meet the targets and has been commended by the Connecticut State Department of Education for the progress of our English Language learners.  The results are as follows:

• 89.7 percent of English language learners made progress in acquiring English language proficiency;
• 37.8 percent of English language learners attained English language proficiency; and
• AYP data was not calculated for the subgroup in your district because there were less than 40 identified English language learners.

While LEARN, Ledyard’s consortium, DID NOT make AYP, the Ledyard School District DID make AYP and met all three benchmarks for three years in a row.  Ledyard was commended by the Connecticut State Department of Education.

If you have any questions about the performance of your child, please contact your school principal.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Cathy Laro Patterson
                                                                        Assistant Superintendent
CLP:bl