Multilingual Learners

Moses Lake School District is a diverse and growing school district serving more than 8,000 students. Students and families in our district speak 10 primary languages at home, reflecting the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of our community. 1,359 students (15.0%) qualify for Multilingual Learner (ML) services, while many additional students speak a language other than English at home. Spanish is the primary language spoken by our multilingual learners. We value each student's home language and culture and recognize the strengths, perspectives, and experiences our multilingual students and families bring to our schools and community.

Program Description

The Moses Lake School District offers a Multilingual Learner (ML) program for students who are identified as English learners. The primary purpose of the ML program is to provide students with an educational environment that gives them the greatest opportunity for academic success. Our K–12 program is designed to develop English language proficiency as rapidly as possible while ensuring students have meaningful access to grade-level content and instruction. The program emphasizes the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills as students progress through the stages of English language acquisition.

Eligibility for the ML program is determined by a student's score on the English Language Proficiency Assessment, the WIDA Screener, upon entry into school. In accordance with state law, students exit from the ML program when they score as Proficient on the state's annual English language proficiency test, the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs.

Moses Lake School District serves elementary multilingual learners through a collaborative model, which may include services within the regular classroom and/or small group instruction.

Moses Lake School District serves secondary multilingual learners in ML classrooms and/or through support in the content classroom.