English as a Second Language (ESL) Services

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, Ohio must identify English learners, annually assess their English language proficiency, and provide reasonable accommodations for them on state assessments.

Ohio's public school districts are required to identify and serve students who are English learners following the state’s Guidelines for identifying English Learners using the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS). The Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS) is aligned to the K-12 English Language Proficiency Standards and is designed to identify Ohio students in grades K-12 as English learners. 

• English Language Performance levels 

There are three overall performance levels: 1 - Emerging, 2 - Progressing and 3 - Proficient. A student’s overall performance level is determined from the scores earned on each of the domain tests that comprise the test (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Each domain test is scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Scores of 4 and 5 correlate with proficiency in that domain. Students with an overall performance level of Proficient will not be identified as English learners. 

For newly registered Kindergarten students ONLY schools administer the OELPS-BK through Dec. 31st of the student’s kindergarten year. Students screened with the OELPS-BK will be determined proficient if they score 3s or higher in all non-exempted domains.

• Annual assessment eligibility for exiting the EL designation

Students who meet the state’s criteria to be identified as English Learners are required by law to take the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA). OELPA is the state’s annual summative assessment of English language proficiency, which provides documentation of English learners’ progress toward English proficiency. A student’s OELPA results determine whether the student is eligible to continue as an English learner or is proficient and ready to exit the language instructional education program. 

• Eligibility for exiting the EL designation

Only students who achieve an overall performance level of Proficient on the OELPA exit from English learner status. The overall performance level of Proficient is defined as domain scores of 4s and 5s in any combination across all nonexempt domain tests (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

Hamilton City Schools is committed to ensuring that families can understand written and verbal communications from the district and school staff. We have staff members who provide interpretation services in Spanish, and we contract with Affordable Languages to provide services for other languages.

Please call the Spanish-speaking Bilingual Specialists, Adriana Reyes at 513-887-5033 Ext. 2301 or Roxanna Esparza at 513-887-5000 Ext. 5010 to speak to someone in Spanish. Our Bilingual Specialists also can set up times to meet with an interpreter in your home language as needed.