West Virginia: ELL Resources

Map of West Virginia

As of the 2016-2017 school year, West Virginia’s schools were home to a little over 2,500 English language learners. As of the 2014-2015 school year, the most common five languages spoken by ELLs in West Virginia were Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean. (U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics)

State ELL Resources

State Agency: West Virginia Department of Education

Title III Information: Title III Overview

ELL Guidelines: Guidance for ELL procedures and instruction can be found in the following documents:

Laws & Regulations

The following documents offer additional information about statewide ELL regulations:

West Virginia State Board Policies, Article II: Policy 2417, Programs of Study for Limited English Proficiency Students

ELL Identification

Guidelines: Identification, Support, and Reclassification of ELL Students.

Home Language Survey: West Virginia provides a sample Home Language Survey.

ELP Standards & Assessment

ELP Standards: ELPA21

ELP Assessment: ELPA21

Statewide Standards-Based Assessment

Assessment: Smarter Balanced

Additional Information

NCELA: Title III Information

Common Core State Standards: Yes

ESSA: West Virginia ESSA State Plan

Statewide Organizations

AFT West Virginia

AFT West Virginia is the West Virginia State affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.

West Virginia Education Association

West Virginia Education Association is a National Education Association State Affiliate that regularly lobbies legislators for the resources schools need, campaigns for higher professional standards for the teaching profession, and files legal actions to protect academic freedom and the rights of school employees.

West Virginia Parent Training and Information

The West Virginia Parent Training and Information, Inc. (WV PTI) is a non-profit organization that operates the statewide federally funded Parent Training Center for WV and is the Family Voices State Affiliate Organization for West Virginia. The programs and services of WVPTI are based on the concept of parents helping parents.

WVTESOL

WVTESOL is an official affiliate of TESOL and seeks to strengthen ESL teaching, promote research, and provide opportunities to share ideas with other ESL professionals in West Virginia.

Seal of Biliteracy Update: West Virginia

West Virginia does not yet have a Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, district, or state in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. If you are aware of schools or districts that have adopted the Seal of Biliteracy in the state, send an update to the official Seal of Biliteracy site!

Note: Regulations change with time. These guidelines were compiled in January of 2012 and updated in January 2020. If you see something that needs updating, please send an e-mail to Colorín Colorado. For more detailed information regarding ELL guidelines and policies at the state and federal levels, please see the following:

References

National Center for Education Statistics. (2018.) English language learner (ELL) students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools, by state: Selected years, fall 2000 through fall 2016. 

U.S. Department of Education. Our Nation’s English Learners. Most Common Non-English Languages Spoken by English Learners.