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English Learners (ELs) are one of the fastest-growing populations in our schools. They comprise about six percent of the student population in Iowa schools and speak almost 140 languages. At Keystone AEA, we serve approximately 1,300 ELs who speak a variety of diverse home languages.
Areas of Support
Keystone AEA consultants assist and support schools in improving the English language acquisition of their ELs through the district’s Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs).
Consultants:
- Help districts meet state and federal guidelines
- Provide consultation for educators and administrators of ELs
- Provide professional development focusing on the learning needs of ELs
- Host EL networking zoom meetings
Lau Plan
From the Iowa Department of Education: “The Lau Plan is so named because of the seminal case of the 1974 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lau v. Nichols and is civil right requirement for all school districts regardless of English learner or Immigrant student enrollment.
A Lau Plan is required of both public and nonpublic accredited districts in accordance with Title III of the ESEA (PL 107-110) and federal civil rights law, as well as Iowa Code 280.4 and Iowa Code 216.9.
Regardless of whether a district has identified English Learners (referred to as LEP in state and federal code) or immigrant student enrollment, the law requires the development of a plan to address the specific language instruction education needs should it become necessary to provide such services. The district should review and revise the Lau Plan on an annual basis to ensure adequate preparation of all educational personnel to meet the unique needs of diverse language learners.
On an annual basis, districts and accredited nonpublic schools must involve representatives from all stakeholder groups to review and make any necessary revisions to the district’s Lau Plan. In all cases, the Lau Plan should be made publicly available and understood by all staff who work with English Learner students.”
For assistance with reviewing Lau Plans, please contact Kylie Butler, kbutler@aea1.k12.ia.us.
Identifying and Serving English Learners
Standardized Entrance and Exit Procedures for Iowa’s English Learners
The completion of the Home Language Survey (HLS) is the first step in identifying potential English learners. In accordance with federal law and required by Iowa code 281—60.3(1), LEAs are required to administer an HLS for all students at the time of enrollment. The HLS is designed to gather information about a student’s language background and identify students whose primary language or home language is other than English.
Effective August 1, 2022 (or enrollment for the 22-23 school year), Iowa will implement a new HLS which replaces the language use current questions with three required questions. The three questions have been approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The required questions are:
1. What is the primary language used in the regardless of the language spoken by the student?
2. What is the language most often spoken by the student?
3. What is the language that the student first acquired?
LEAs may access the new form through TransAct. The HLS must be appropriately filed with the other permanent student enrollment documentation.
ELPA21 Assessments
Testing Requirement
All students identified as English learners must take the ELPA21 or Alt ELPA summative assessments including those who have disabilities, significant cognitive disabilities, receive schooling in an off-site location, declined EL services, or attend an accredited nonpublic school. If a student is identified as an English learner in February 2025 or earlier in the year, they must take the ELPA21. Review Iowa’s EL Assessment Procedures for more information on this requirement.
Important Dates for ELPA21:
- February 3 – March 28, 2025 – ELPA21 and Alt ELPA Testing Window
- May 19, 2025 – ELPA21 and Alt ELPA Summative Reports available in the Reporting function on the ELPA21 Portal.
- June 2, 2025 – Updated Secure Browser goes live
- July 1 – September 30, 2025 – Exiting Proficient Students: Students scoring proficient on the ELPA21 or the Alt ELPA summative assessments must be exited from EL services using an EL exit date between 7/1 and 9/30. Do not exit students prior to July 1, 2025!
- July 11, 2025 – 2024-25 Screener window closes
- July 12 – July 31, 2025 – Screeners unavailable for testing
- July 24-31, 2025 – TIDE is Offline
- August 1, 2025 – The 2025-26 ELPA21 Dynamic Screener and Alt ELPA Screener opens
- Alt ELPA Screener Inclusion Criteria. If you have a newcomer who you suspect has significant cognitive disabilities but an IEP is not yet in place, contact E-MailTerri Schuster directly to see if the student is eligible for the Alt ELPA Screener. All Alt ELPA Screeners must be approved in advance.
Parent Resources
Share ELPA21 results with parents and guardians using a communication method in a language they understand. Use the translated Individual Score Reports (ISRs) or use an oral language interpreter in a phone call or meeting. Including this information in a parent teacher conference is another great way to keep parents informed about their children’s progress in learning the English language.
- Parent Guide to ELPA21 Student Reports
- Parent Guide to ELPA21 Student Reports (Spanish)
- ELPA21 Reporting Performance Level Descriptors (translations available)
- Alt ELPA Parent Guide to Student Reports (translations available)
- Alt ELPA Parent Guide to Student Reports (Spanish)
- Alt ELPA Performance Level Descriptors
- About the ELPA21 Assessment: Family Brochure (English and Spanish)
Training
To access the training modules through the ELPA21 Learning Management System (LMS) follow the directions in the ELPA21 Assessment Training Resource. Use this log in resource for Directions for First Time Users.
Please contact E-Mailelpa21training@aealearningonline.org if you need assistance.
Course Selections
- ELPA21 Summative Training for New TAs – this is required training for TAs giving the ELPA21 Summative to students for the first time and is covered through 5 modules.
- ELPA21 Summative Training for Experienced TAs – this required abbreviated training is for TAs who completed the initial summative training in past years.
- ELPA21 Test Coordinator Training – recommended for district test coordinators.
- Alt ELPA Summative training for Test Administrators/Scorers – This training is required for all new TAs and Scorers who will be administering the Alt ELPA21 for the first time and is covered through 5 modules.
- Alt ELPA Summative training for Experienced Test Administrators/Scorers – This abbreviated training is required for all TAs and Scorers who completed the initial Alt ELPA summative training last year.
- Alt ELPA Summative Test Coordinator Training – recommended for district test coordinators.
ELP Standards and Guidance
English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards
Professional Learning
Free EL Formative Assessment Workshops courtesy of ELPA21
Workshops are intended for both EL and classroom content teachers.
- June 11, 2025 – Formative Assessment (Level 1)
- June 17, 2025 – Formative Assessment (Level 2)
- June 19, 2025 – Formative Assessment (Level 2) Repeat of June 17th course
On-demand Professional Learning Webinars from NCELA
Topics Include:
- Teacher Collaboration: Aligning Content and Language Instruction
- English Learner and Newcomer Toolkits
- Culturally Responsive Practices
Mississippi Bend AEA – Preparing Our Multilingual Learners Conference
June 12-13, 2025
- Session Name: MB – Bettendorf AEA (June 12-13, 2025)
- Registration Fee: $150
Statewide AEA EL Network
Meeting Dates
- September 4, 2025
- November 6, 2025
- January 8, 2025
- March 5, 2026
- May 7, 2026
More information is available on the Statewide AEA EL Network Landing Page.
Resources and Links
Iowa Department of Education English Learners
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition
USDE Office of English Language Acquisition
Title III Funding
Keystone’s Title III consortium funds are available to meet the needs of English Learners.
To find out more about required and allowable activities, see the Iowa Department of Education’s Title III, Part A Guidance.
Please note the fiscal year closes June 30, 2025. Please have all receipts/POs, etc. submitted at least two weeks before that date.
Keystone currently offers the following supplemental tools for schools. If you are interested in any of the following, please contact Kylie Butler, kbutler@aea1.k12.ia.us
In Keystone’s media collection: I’m Your Neighbor Books Welcoming Library (2 available)
Three students are immigrants from Guatemala, Korea, and Somalia and have trouble speaking, writing, and sharing ideas in English in their new American elementary school. Through self-determination and with encouragement from their peers and teachers, the students learn to feel confident and comfortable in their new school without losing a sense of their home country, language, and identity.
Tesha Moser-Zimmerman
E-Mailtmoser@keystoneaea.orgemail
Mobile: 563-214-9949School phone number of Tesha Moser-Zimmerman
School: 800-632-5918