Multilingual Learner Handbook

The goal of Spartanburg County School District Three’s (SCSD Three) Multilingual Learner Program (MLP) is to provide equitable educational opportunities for Multilingual Learners (MLs). SCSD Three strives to create a learning environment that values diverse cultures and provides the cognitive and affective support that facilitates English language acquisition for social and academic purposes.

Our program, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through high school, will provide each ML with the support required for success in the content areas by facilitating the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing proficiency.

The program objectives are as follows:

1.      To identify and assess MLs  

2.      To provide MLP instruction to all MLs who do not speak, read, or write English proficiently as determined by their performance on the state-mandated English language proficiency assessment

3.      To assess and monitor the academic progress of MLs with an ongoing evaluation process

4.      To develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing through the MLP curriculum and instruction

5.      To provide the appropriate level of support for MLs to perform comparably with their peers

6.      To create a learning environment that will meet the cognitive and affective needs of MLs

7.      To support the curriculum and instruction in the content area classrooms as appropriate for the developmental stages of MLs

8.      To provide staff development concerning appropriate instructional and assessment strategies to meet the linguistic and cultural needs of MLs

9.      To communicate effectively with families and create strong, positive relationships between school and home