Multilingual Programs

District 15 enthusiastically educates more than 4,000 language learners in our classrooms. 

English Learner Programs

District 15 welcomes and supports families from 85+ diverse language backgrounds. As required by the State of Illinois, District 15 provides programs to meet the linguistic and academic needs of students who meet the State’s criteria for ESL and/or bilingual services. These services are designed to accelerate English language acquisition and to leverage each child’s native language skills and home culture to help access grade level content and ensure academic growth.

Qualifying for EL Services

The Home Language Survey is a required part of the school registration process and serves as the first step in determining eligibility for multilingual services. If parents/guardians indicate on the survey that a language other than English is spoken by the child or in the home, District 15 is required to screen the child for English language proficiency. 

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) designates the screening assessments and establishes the eligibility criteria for multilingual services. PreK students are administered the preIPT, while students entering Kindergarten through Grade 8 are administered the WIDA Screener.

Currently, the District's top languages are Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, Japanese, Polish, and Telugu. Per state regulations, if an attendance center has 20 or more students who qualify for EL services and speak the same language, a district is mandated to establish a Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) program for those students. At this time, District 15 offers TBE programs for Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, Japanese, Telugu, and Tamil.

District 15 services include:

• Spanish Dual Language (Two-Way)
• Spanish Transitional Bilingual Education
• Transitional Bilingual Education for Languages other than Spanish
• Transitional Program of Instruction

Parent & Student Resources