EL Reclassification
Poway Unified School District has a reclassification process that allows students in the EL program to exit once they meet the established criteria. Students who qualify are reclassified as Fluent English Proficient (RFEP). Reclassification occurs when a student demonstrates English language proficiency and academic progress comparable to their peers whose primary language is English.
Poway Unified School District follows the four state-mandated criteria to establish local reclassification policies and procedures:
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Assessment of English language proficiency using an objective assessment instrument (ELPAC). Students must score an overall 4 on the ELPAC in order to reclassify.
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Observation Protocol for Teachers of English Learners (OPTEL), including a review of the student’s curriculum mastery.
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Parent opinion or consultation, not consent.
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Comparison of student performance in basic skills against an empirically established range of performance for English-proficient students of the same age. Students must meet one of the “English Proficiency” criteria identified for their grade level.
Our reclassification criteria are reviewed annually by the District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC), which offers feedback on our program and reclassification criteria.
Special Education Reclassification
PUSD has designed a process by which students who access special education services and are also English learners (SPELL) may have the opportunity to be reclassified outside of the District’s established criteria. The process requires the IEP team (which would include the parent and the EL Coordinator) to review other sources of data to determine if the student is proficient in English if there is a concern that the student’s low performance in listening, speaking, reading, or writing are a reflection of the student’s disability versus a language difference.