English Language Development Program

ELD stands for the English Langauge Development Program.  The purpose of the ELD program in the Radnor Township School District is to give English language instruction to non-native English speaking children, enabling them to function successfully in the classroom.

Several criteria are used:

• A test of English language proficiency, WIDA ACCESS Placement Test or WIDA Screener, is given to all new students from homes in which a language other than English is spoken at the beginning of the school year, unless their records from a previous school indicate that they have English language proficiency.
• A student may exit out of the program if he or she obtains a score of five or above on the WIDA ACCESS 2.0.

ELD classes provide a language-rich, caring environment in which English is made understandable to the students through movement, music, pictures, stories, and games. Sometimes students work in small groups in the ELD classroom, and sometimes the ELD teacher works with the students in the regular classrooms.

The ELD teacher:

• Consults with the classroom teacher to assess the needs of the ELD students.
• Helps the classroom teacher find language buddies to interpret for beginners.
• Gives the classroom teacher supplemental language activities for ELD students to use in the regular classroom when they cannot do what the rest of the class is doing.  These materials include books, flashcards, tapes, CDs, and language activity books.
• Participates in parent/teacher conferences when appropriate and possible.

ELD students will receive a progress report from the ELD teacher each grading period.  Student progress will be tracked according to the Stages of Language Acquisition. Classroom teachers will assess student progress according to their success in the regular classroom, with regard to their limited English proficiency.

This is a group of specialist support teachers that meet regularly to monitor support services for classroom teachers. Team members include the Principal, School Counselor, Learning Support, Gifted Support, and Nurse.

This is the Parent-Teacher Organization. All Radnor parents are members. The PTO supports activities and programs at our school. Please consider getting involved in the PTO.

This program was designed to help ELD students and native English-speaking students to learn about each others culture.

• Twice a year, once in the fall and again in the spring, ELD students can partner with an English-speaking student from their classroom for home visits.
• Partners visit each others homes at least twice to participate to teach and learn from their partner about food, holidays, language, and play games.
• The classroom teacher helps to match the partners.
• This program is highly recommended, especially for new students, as a way to build friendships and increase language learning.