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English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Bilingual Education in Kansas
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Over the past few years, Kansas schools have experienced a dramatic increase in the number of non-native speakers of English. In the 2011-2012 school year, there were over 44,000 English Language Learners (ELLs) enrolled in Kansas public schools, grades K-12. This number has increased dramatically since the 1992-1993 school year, which was the first year that Kansas provided State ESOL/Bilingual funding to school districts that meet State ESOL/Bilingual Program Requirements  (Word Document) for programs that serve ELL students.
The ESOL/Bilingual state funding program is designed to help off-set the cost Kansas school districts incur in their efforts to educate limited English proficient students. The funding is based on a "contact hour" -FTE - equivalency. Local Educational Agencies develop their programs based on the needs of their student populations. The Kansas State Department of Education offers districts broad guidelines  *(PDF Document) that reflect "best practices" in second language acquisition and outline the requirements set forth by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and U.S. Department of Education, through federal court cases, i.e., Lau vs. Nichols. In broad terms, all English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services should provide students with the academic and social language they need to succeed in their educational pursuits. ESOL services are provided as long as a student is in need of them, usually between three & five years. At the beginning of each academic year, districts test students whose home language is other than English for their English language proficiency levels and based on the result of such assessments, establish learning outcomes for the year. All districts assess students at the end of the academic year in order to have data to determine whether the outcomes were met.
ESOL services, depending on the number of English language learners a district has, are delivered in conjunction with other programs, i.e. Title I, and social services such as the Migrant Health Program. In some districts, State funded ESOL services are coordinated with At-Risk funding, Migrant Title I funding, Federal Title III funding and community organizations, which provide such support services such as paraprofessionals or parental involvement.
There are over 200 public school districts throughout the state that are providing ESOL or Bilingual Education programs. These districts have faced a number of challenges in meeting the needs of their English Language Learners. In order to meet these challenges, most districts have encouraged their existing general education teachers to obtain an ESOL Endorsement. There are presently over 1200 teachers in Kansas who either hold or are pursuing an ESOL or Bilingual Education credential. Nine institutions of higher education (Word Document) in the State provide ESOL and/or Bilingual endorsement courses.
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ESOL Information Documents
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Related Programs and Services
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