The amount of time an ELL remains in the ESL program differs with each student. ELL’s develop language proficiency at varying rates. Research indicates it can take from 5 to 7 years to acquire academic language proficiency at the same level as a native speaker. Therefore, the amount of ESL support given will differ with each student. The typical path of an ELL is from full support, to minimal support, to monitoring by the ESL teacher before the student is exited from the program.

Exiting
The ELL must attain the required level of English proficiency on the Ohio Test of English Language Acquisition (OTELA), to be exited from the districts ESL program.
• Obtain a composite score of 5 on the OTELA; or
• Obtain a composite score of 4 on the OTELA and completes a trial mainstream period of instruction and scores 4 or higher on the OTELA during the mainstream year.
• Students cannot be exited prior to 3rd grade.

The ELL needs to demonstrate the ability to understand, speak, read and write the English language at a level in which they are able to:

1. Achieve academic success in classrooms where the language of instruction is in English;
2. Meaningfully, participate fully in society in the United States.
3. At the same time they must be passing all subjects in the regular classroom. Those students who are having difficulty in the classroom or difficulty passing state mandated tests will continue to receive ESL support as long as necessary.