POLICIES AND REGULATIONS OF

TECHNOLOGY IN ESL
INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAMS
By Alison Becerra, Lisa Marie Daugherty, and Nancy Tran

"All children everywhere deserve a quality education which is one of their

fundamental human rights. The ability to read and write; laying a foundation
for a future without poverty, hunger or disease. Our future and the success
of future generations depend on this (Desmond Tutu)

Policies and Regulations in

Instruction
Policies and regulations are the rules and actions of
society (or its surrogates) that affect the diffusion and
use of Instructional Technology (Seels & Richey,
1994, p. 47)
Policies and regulations are acting like a guiding set,
leading the technology application in a community or
society.

This case study focuses on a small rural school

in Texas ranging in grades K-11. Within this
school, they have a population of approximately
195 students, of which 25-30 percent are ESL.
The school area is categorized by the state as
Region 4.
The purpose of the case study is to apply
Policies and Regulations to an ESL Program
within a School, examine the obstacles, and
provide alternative solutions.

ESL Programs
English as a Second Language (ESL) is an
instructional program for students whose
dominant language is not English
ESL classes: Grammar, Writing, Speaking, and
Reading.
Students of ESL: Anyone whose native
language is a language other than English

Technologies the School Must

Regulate and Monitor Access & Privacy

Especially: Internet Email, Google Docs, and other Electronic Web based

Policies Impacting ESL Programs

Policies enacted by Congress, the state
legislatures and the courts have the most
impact in this program such as Chapter 89
of the Texas Administrative Code (19 TAC),
Subchapter BB Commissioner's Rules and
Related Rules of the State Board of
Education (SBOE)
Those policies have influence on what is
taught, how it is taught, how personnel are
trained and licensed, how students are
tested, what classroom materials are
used, and how schools affect the
prosperity of the state and country

English Language Learners and Special

Education
Special Education programs are designed for those students who
are mentally, physically, socially and/or emotionally delayed or have
needs that can not be met in the regular classroom curriculum
There are different types of tests to determine if a child qualifies for special
education

ARD-

A meeting, called ARD (Admission, Review, and Dismissal) will be held if a

student qualifies for special education to talk about the modifications needed for
best interest of the students education .

IEP -

Individualization Education Program (IEP) are developed beforehand and

presented in ARD meeting

People needed in the ARD meeting:

parent(s) or legal guardian(s),

student when its appropriate, at least one general education teacher if the child is
in a regular classroom, at least one special education teacher, special education

Source: Houston Independent School District

Special Education in the Case Study

Teacher, who is certified special education,

develops the IEPs on a program called ESPED, an
online program discussed in the ARD

The special education teacher sends out teacher

input forms to bring to the ARD, so that the parent
and ARD committee is aware of how their child is
doing in the classroom

If a student fails, the teacher has to fill in the

failure analysis form, stating why student failed,
and state the proper use of accommodations and
modifications that were done to assist the
student.

The Problems Associated with ESL program Specific to Policies

and Regulations

ESL and ELL as an At Risk

Population
Limited-English proficient students (also sometimes
referred to as English-language learners) may suffer
repeated failure in the classroom, falling behind in grade,
and dropping out of school if they are not provided services
to overcome language barriers. Students who are not
proficient in English and sometimes inappropriately placed
in special education classes. Also, because of their lack of
English proficiency, qualified students often do not have
access to high track courses or Gifted and Talented
programs. (OCR, 2015)

Lau v. Nichols (1974)

Castaneda v. Pickard (1981)

SIGNIFICANT COURT CASES IN POLICIES AND REGULATIONS FOR ELL/ESL

The Problems Associated with ESL program Specific to Policies

and Regulations

Protection of Privacy is Critical in ESL

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal
law designed to protect the privacy of a students education records. The
law applies to all schools which receive funds under an applicable
program of the U.S. Department of Education. (FERPA, n.d.)

PROGRAMS FOR
ESL AND SPECIAL ED

The State of Bilingual Education 30 Years

Later
WATCH THIS VIDEO

Alternatives
and
Solutions
Monitor to
ensure
Privacy in all Email/ Electronic
communication regarding Educational and Family
Records
Train ALL staff on ESL Programs, Strategies &
Regulations
Ensure Policies and Regulations are in place for ESL
including:
EQUAL access to all the same instructional technologies as
Regular Ed
Target specific instructional strategies and technologies
proven to work with population
Identify students that are ESL and SPED and using enhanced
technology strategies

References
Translator Training PowerPoint (Mar. 2015). Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/cjohns51/translator-training-power-point-march-2015
Forbes, Every Child Deserves a Quality Education, (n.d.). Retrieved April, 2016, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2013/09/25/every-child-deserves-a-quality-education/#945dd5a6ef44
Association for Educational Communications and Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from
http://www.aect.org/standards/initstand.html
FAQS on Limited-English Proficient Students -- Office for Civil Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/qa-ell.html
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
IXL. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from https://www.ixl.com/company/ixl
Seels, B., & Richey, R. (1994). Instructional technology: The definition and domains of the field. Washington, D.C.: Association for
Educational Communications and Technology.
Understanding Individualized Education Programs. (2014). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/ieps/understanding- individualized-education-programs
Variables in the Setting and the Innovation Itself. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from
http://www.usouthal.edu/coe/bset/surry/papers/adoption/chap.htm
What is Special Education? (2016). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://teach.com/what-is- special-education