Central Rivers AEA provides English Language (EL) Instructional Services

May 19, 2023

It is important to Central Rivers AEA that we align our services in a way that is responsive to the current needs of our districts. There are increasing instances of low-incidence districts needing access to an EL-certified teacher on an intermittent basis in a limited capacity. Many districts are encountering barriers with recruiting and retaining ESL-endorsed teachers, resulting in challenges with providing sufficient English language development instruction. CRAEA is expanding the virtual EL Instructional Services so that districts can access services on an as-needed basis during the 23-24 school year!

Knowing that the capacity of our CRAEA EL Instructional Services is limited, we will use the following priorities to guide our decision-making when onboarding new districts for the 23-24 school year. Priority will be given to districts that have one or more of the following circumstances:

  • No ESL-endorsed teacher on staff.
  • New student enrollments: the current ESL-endorsed teacher’s schedule does not allow adjustments to be made for the immediate need for increased service time due to new students.
  • A short-term gap in the ability to provide services (maternity leave, medical, etc…).
  • Underserved students due to the ESL-endorsed teacher being unable to provide appropriate service time (due to other roles, multiple buildings/towns, etc…).

Through this partnership, qualifying districts have the opportunity to contract services on a per-student/hourly basis, with direct instruction to be provided virtually. Districts will have access to a certified EL teacher as well as EL implementation support. If you are interested in learning more about our EL Instructional Services, please check out our program overview flyer and review our 23-24 service agreement.

Additional notes:

  • Our ability to provide EL Instructional Services is dependent upon our ability to hire virtual ESL-endorsed teacher(s) to meet the demands of districts.
  • If your district currently has no ELs and anticipates using this service if ELs enroll (due to no ESL-endorsed staff member in the district or scheduling limitations), we recommend you complete a service agreement to have on file with us. You will only be billed if/when EL Instructional Services are actually provided. 

For questions, please reach out to Sarah Nelson, Director of IT and Special Programs.