Bryker Woods Elementary Language Policy
“A language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in a language.”
-Noam Chomsky
Philosophy
At Bryker Woods Elementary, we recognize that language is more than just a means of communication; language is the foundation upon which we build our personal and collective histories. We believe in the power of language to foster understanding, inquiry, and open-mindedness among our students. Language naturally transcends every aspect of education, and we believe that every adult at Bryker Woods Elementary plays a vital role in helping our students develop their language skills.
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for teaching and learning in the classroom, inform curricular choices, and to engage families in our mission to educate children within a globally-minded environment. The document details Bryker Woods Elementary’s approach to language instruction, explaining how the school supports students in learning our primary language of instruction (English) and our chosen World Language (Spanish). It also highlights the school's commitment in preserving and promoting a student's native language.
Home Language Support
We recognize the importance of honoring, preserving, and cultivating students' home languages. Language learning encompasses the development of home and family languages, school languages, additional languages, and literacy. This process is essential for exploring and preserving cultural identity. We are committed to creating an environment where language and culture seamlessly intertwine, providing our students with a rich and meaningful educational experience.
While our primary language of instruction is English, we provide resources, support, and opportunities for students to use and develop their home languages within our inclusive school community.
Considerations
Following AISD Policy, all students identified as Emergent Bilingual by the the campus Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC), shall be provided the opportunity to enroll in the district required language instruction program. At Bryker Woods Elementary, students identified as Emergent Bilingual qualify for English as a Second Language (ESL) instructional support. An ESL program model provides content-based English acquisition services to students identified as Emergent Bilingual by a certified ESL instructor. The goal of content-based ESL is to help English learners achieve full English proficiency, enabling their equal participation in school. This model focuses on English language development within core academic subjects– English language arts, math, science, and social studies– that is linguistically and culturally responsive.
Language Assessment
The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) is a mandated assessment requirement by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). TELPAS is designed to evaluate English proficiency of Emergent Bilingual students across various language domains, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing.