Mission

  • Suffolk Public Schools English Language Learners Handbook  

    Suffolk Public Schools serve students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.  We offer services in each of our schools to provide all English Language Learners (ELLs) with strategies and pathways for English language proficiency.

    ELL Mission

    The mission of the Suffolk Public Schools English Languages Learner (ELL) program is to equip ELL students with the language skills they need to be socially and academically prepared to be successful students in Suffolk Public Schools (SPS). Suffolk Public Schools is dedicated to honoring and building upon the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of English Language Learners (ELLs) and to ensure they achieve their fullest linguistic, academic, cognitive, and social potential.

     

    ELL Vision

    The vision of the Suffolk Public Schools ELL Department is to ensure student achievement among English Language Learners through the engagement of families, celebration of diverse cultures and linguistic backgrounds, and the delivery of high-quality, rigorous instruction with an emphasis on language acquisition.

     

    Program Policies

    The SPS ESL Program abides by the laws, policies, procedures, and guidance of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Virginia Department of Education. For more information you may call or visit the following sites:

English Language Learner (ELL) Eligibility

  • To comply with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Limited English Proficient (LEP) students must be identified during the enrollment process. As part of the enrollment process, all parents/guardians must fill out the home language survey for every child enrolling. Families registering children are assisted in completing the documents and registration materials on-site, as needed. Suffolk Public Schools (SPS) uses the Home Language Survey (HLS) results to determine the need for further English language proficiency screening and possible English Languages Learner (ELL) services. If the family indicates a language other than English on the HLS, the enrolling school registrar notifies the ELL building contact of the possible need for screening.