Guidelines for Serving Students with Limited English Proficiency. Administrative Manual.

A revision of a manual first produced in 1980, this guide is designed to help local school districts in Minnesota meet the educational needs of their limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in academically and administratively expedient ways. The chapters in the manual, which correspond to topics pertinent to designing and maintaining an LEP program, may also serve as resources when informing other district personnel and the community about the purposes and goals of the program. Each chapter begins with common questions and answers. Chapters are as follows: (1) legal rights and responsibilities (federal legislation and guidelines, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Minnesota law); (2) funding sources (local, state, federal); (3) program staff (licensure/hiring, training, pre-professional skills test requirements, use of paraprofessionals, role of LEP teachers in mainstream instruction); (4) entrance/exit procedures (Minnesota's definition of LEP students, identification, student placement, LEP service for foreign students, exit procedures and transition to the mainstream); (5) instructional program (models, materials, additional program services, support staff); (6) assessment and evaluation of LEP students (home language/first language skills, English language tests, standardized tests, assessment for LEP program exit, mainstream classroom tests, competency/benchmark testing, special education assessment/evaluation); (7) factors that affect school success (native language use, mainstream teacher, cultural differences, school orientation, transition stress); and (8) parents and community (home-school communication, conferences/visits, resources, interpreters). Several appendices provide copies of actual state documents, a list of approved licensure programs, a home language questionnaire, parent notification forms, and a list of resources. (LB)