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  English Language Acquisition

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As of October 1, 2011, there are 27,781 English Language Learners (ELLs) in grades Early Childhood through 12 in Denver Public Schools.  These students enrich the linguistic palette of our city with the sounds of over 135 languages spoken across our district.  Among them, 19,568 ELLs receive English Language Acquisition (ELA) services in one of our ELA program schools.  Spanish is the primary language for 16,852 of these students.  Other prevalent languages include Vietnamese, Arabic, Karen, Burmese, Somali, Amharic, Russian, and Nepali.

The English Language Acquisition (ELA) Department is responsible for providing English language acquisition services within Denver Public Schools

The goal of the ELA program is to use efficient and effective educational methods to provide students with the English language skills they need to meaningfully participate in the district's mainstream English language instructional program. Parents of students who speak a language other than English choose whether or not they want their child to participate in the ELA program. For those children who do participate in the ELA program, it is expected that they will have sufficient proficiency in English to meaningfully participate in supported English language classrooms after three years in the program.

This website is designed to provide you with valuable information about the Department of English Language Acquisition and the services it provides in the Denver Public Schools. If you have additional questions please contact HR Connect at 720.423.3900.

ELA Qualification Training Channels

Effective August 2011, all newly hired Denver Public School teachers, including current DPS employees who have changed assignments and are now classroom teachers, are automatically designated ELA-T and are required to successfully complete ELA basic training within one year of hire date. ELA basic training includes the successful completion of ELA Summer Academy or Summer Academy Alternative), ELA New Educator Institute: Language Objectives, and ELA 101. Please note that ELA 101 must be taken within 60 days of hire.

ELA-E and ELA-S designated teachers are also required to successfully ELA advanced training in addition to ELA basic training requirements. This applies to all teachers (including SPED & Resource teachers) designated by their principals through the existing annual ELA teacher designation process. The advanced ELA Content Training options, required for teachers who are designated ELA-E or ELA-S, have been expanded to provide teachers with more choice and support – allowing teachers the flexibility to select the training channel that best suits their individual needs. Advanced ELA content training will also be open to non-designated teachers, who want to build the skills to enhance their effectiveness in the classroom.

Please utilize the ELA Interactive Qualification Planning Guide to determine your ELA training requirements.

Click here to download the Summer 2012 Course Catalog

Click here to dowload the ELA Qualification Training Channels

Interested in earning your Linguistically Diverse Endorsement?

DPS has pre-paid 100 testing spots for the Linguistically Diverse Endorsement (LDE) test on June 23, 2012. If you are interested in earning your LDE, please log in to Schoolnet, search “LDE Pre Test“ and reserve your place in the mandatory pre-test preparation session on Saturday, June 16 from 8am-noon. Spots will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Visit http://www.place.nesinc.com/CO18_testdates.asp for more information on the LDE test.