English Learner Education

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Introduction

The purpose of this webpage is to provide important information and links to resources that support all educators in providing instruction and services to English Learners (ELs) across the content areas.

Across the Commonwealth of Virginia, school divisions serve over 145,000 English Learners who speak over 280 languages and reflect a wide range of heritages and educational backgrounds. These students bring a unique set of assets that have the potential to enrich the experiences of all learners and educators.

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) promotes an asset-based approach to educating English Learners- one that values their primary languages, knowledge, and experiences while supporting their development of the English language.

Policy and Guidance

For policy guidance from the US Department of Education and the VDOE please visit:

Dear Colleague Letter for ELs (PDF) – Joint guidance from the Office of Civil Right and the Department of Justice
Title III VDOE Web page: Language Instruction For English Learners & Immigrant Students – Information and links to important Virginia and Federal Guidance

English as the language of instruction § 22.1-212.1- Code of Virginia

NEW Virginia Standards Satchel!

The Satchel is a web application designed to streamline the alignment of the WIDA English Language Development Standards with the Virginia Standards of Learning for English, History and Social Science, Mathematics, and Science.

This format provides educators and leaders readily accessible and aligned competencies, skills, and standards that are needed to support the instruction of English Learners in the four core content areas. With this alignment, teachers can confidently design instruction that fosters both language development and academic success across the content areas.

This video provides directions on how to navigate the Virginia Standards Satchel.

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