Bilingual Education

Students who indicate that their first language is not English when registering with Arlington Public Schools are given the WIDA Screener, a placement exam, to determine eligibility for the ELL (English Language Learner) program. This placement test must be given within 10 days of the student's entry into the school district. During 2021 due to COVID-19, we will screen students within thirty (30) days from the time the student is receiving instruction in-person instruction on campus.

Each spring, all students qualified as English Language Learners in the school district must take the WIDA ACCESS assessment to measure progress in English language proficiency and to determine further eligibility.

The district bilingual services include:

K-12 Supportive Mainstream - Students in this model access grade-level academic content and English language development through participation in their mainstream classrooms. Designated English language development: Explicit English language instruction is delivered either individually or in small groups by teachers and interpreter-tutors who have been specifically trained in the field of second language acquisition and instructional strategies for language learners. Meaningful access to rigorous, grade-level content: In this model, English language instruction is delivered throughout the day to ensure access to core content in English.

K-12 Sheltered Instruction - The Sheltered Instruction model integrates language and content instruction with the goal of providing access to grade-level content and English language proficiency.

K-12 Newcomer Program - The Newcomer Program addresses the needs of recent immigrant students with limited or interrupted schooling in their home countries. Major goals of newcomer programs are to acquire beginning English language skills along with core academic skills and to acculturate to the U.S. school system.

ELL Brochure (Updated September 2024)
ELL Brochure (Spanish) (Updated September 2024)
ELL Brochure (Russian)


Karl Olson
Director of Categorical Programs
[email protected]
360.618.6210

Heather Demers
Grants Coordinator
[email protected]
360.618.6291