Instructional Models

Support for English Learners (ELs)

Students in the Albemarle County Public Schools EL Program receive appropriate instruction so that they can become fully proficient in academic English and meet the same challenging content standards that all students are expected to meet. In addition to the core programs below, the EL Program offers supplementary support in the form of the Summer Immersion Excursion program and before- and after-school tutoring.

Elementary School Programs

Most students receive a combination of the following services during their time in the program:

EL Collaboration:
EL teachers collaborate with classroom teachers to support students' academic language development. EL teachers may supplement by modifying lessons, providing effective strategies, writing language objectives, teaching language lessons, and providing modified instruction during a rotation when students work in small groups. Additionally, the classroom teacher differentiates instruction throughout the day in order to develop both language and content simultaneously among his or her ELs.​
Direct Instruction:
Students may be pulled from the content area classroom to spend dedicated time with an EL teacher in a small group. This instruction is typically reserved for newly arrived ELs at Levels 1 and 2 in order to focus on specific social and academic language development.
Dual-Language Immersion:
Students at Mountain View Elementary School spend half of their day learning in English and the other half learning in Spanish. Classes are comprised of both native-English and native-Spanish speakers.​ This program is supplemental to the EL Collaboration or Direct Instruction models listed above.
Monitoring:
EL teachers monitor Former ELs' academic progress for two years exiting the EL program to ensure the student has adequate support in his or her content area classroom.

Secondary School Programs

Most students receive a combination of the following services during their time in the program:

Newcomer Program:
Albemarle and Monticello High Schools offer a newcomer program for Recently Arrived ELs who are emerging bilingual students. The program provides targeted instruction in socio-cultural adaptation and academic language development for half of the instructional day; students spend the other half of their day with their peers in graduation-required courses with lower linguistic loads (e.g. PE, Art, Math).
Direct/Sheltered Instruction:
Students at Levels 1 and 2 take a sheltered EL course in lieu of language arts while also focusing on specific social and academic language development. 
EL Collaboration:
EL teachers collaborate with content area teachers to support students' academic language development. EL teachers may help by modifying lessons, providing effective strategies, writing language objectives, teaching language lessons, and providing modified instruction during a rotation when students work in small groups. Additionally, the content area teacher differentiates instruction throughout the day in order to develop both language and content simultaneously among his or her ELs.​ Content area teachers may also deliver instruction through Sheltered Instructional Observational Protocol (SIOP) or Comprehensible Input (CI) methodologies in order to develop both language and content simultaneously among their ELs.​​
Mentorship​:
The student does not receive direct instruction from an EL teacher. However, an EL teacher monitors academic progress to ensure adequate support in the content area classes. The teacher meets with all mentees at least once each quarter to plan for graduation, secure tutoring, arrange meetings with classroom teachers, and modify instruction as needed.

​​​International & EL Welcome Center / Department of Student Learning​
434-296-6517​​