The Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI) is a mandated program to serve eligible students from low-incidence language backgrounds, as established by the Illinois Administrative Code Part 228. This program, which provides instruction in the English language using Sheltered English Instruction, offers support from kindergarten through eighth grade to help students succeed in academic subjects and learn English. 

Language development progress reports will be provided to parents/guardians of students enrolled in multilingual programs in the same manner and with the same frequency as our general report cards. These reports outline the student’s progress within the multilingual program, which includes information on their English language proficiency in the four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. 

The Home Language Survey is required as part of the school registration process. If a language other than English is spoken by a child or is spoken in the home and is indicated by parents/guardians on the Home Language Survey, District 68 is required to screen the child for English language proficiency. 

The Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE) prescribes the assessment instrument and the qualifying scores for eligibility for services. For students entering Grades K-8, the WIDA Screener is administered.

Currently, the District’s top languages are Spanish, Urdu, Arabic, Assyrian, and Tagalog. Per state regulations, if an attendance center has 20 or more students who qualify for ML services and speak the same language, a district is mandated to establish a Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) program for those students. Further assessment determines what those services may look like in a district. Currently, D68 offers bilingual programs in Spanish, Urdu, and Arabic. 

• WIDA-Screener - Used for initial assessment and placement of multilingual students. The WIDA Screener is an adaptive test that can gauge students' proficiency up to Level 6 of the WIDA ELP Standards.

• ACCES - All multilingual learners participate in the ACCESS test as required by the Illinois State Board of Education each year. The ACCESS assessment measures the English language proficiency levels of every student in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Language development progress reports will be provided to parents/guardians of students enrolled in multilingual programs in the same manner and with the same frequency as our general report cards. These reports outline the student’s progress within the multilingual program, which includes information on their English language proficiency in the four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.