Given to every enrolled student ages 3-21, regardless of birthplace or how the student presents in English.
- Completed by a parent/guardian or trained intake staff, verbally or in writing, in a language the family understands.
- Questions are read verbatim when given orally - clarify, never lead.
- Kept in the permanent record whether or not the student is identified.
- New teacher tip: request the HLS in the family's home language before intake day - translated forms exist in 20+ languages.
Step 2 - Records Review
Conducted by a staff member holding a valid NJ instructional certificate.
- Review all records, including out-of-district and out-of-state; note the language of prior assessments and scores.
- Add classroom observations using WIDA rubrics; interview student and family in the primary language when possible.
- Two documented indicators: (1) Never identified as ML and enrolled 3+ consecutive years in an English-medium U.S. school - Yes ends the process. (2) Previously identified and exited via an approved WIDA ELP assessment within the past school year - Yes ends the process. Both "No" - proceed to Step 3.
Administered by a bilingual/ESL-certified teacher using the NJDOE-approved WIDA Screener (Kindergarten or Grades 1-12 form).
- As of June 30, 2025 the WIDA Screener is the only approved identification tool - the MODEL Screener was discontinued.
- Kindergarten before Jan 1: Listening and Speaking only, 4.5 cut on Oral Proficiency. After Jan 1: all four domains.
- Keep a roster of everyone screened - test name, date, composite - regardless of outcome.
- Below 4.5: Identified as ML. 4.5 or above: Not an ML.
When to Start the Process - any one of these triggers the three-step process:
A new student enrolls and any language other than English is spoken at home - regardless of birthplace.
- The student was born outside the U.S. or in Puerto Rico.
- A parent, guardian, or the student mentions a home language - or you overhear one.
- A transfer student arrives with unclear, incomplete, or out-of-state records.
- A returning student's file has no HLS on record.
At intake: Home Language Survey, every student ages 3-21.
- 30/14 days: Parent notification of ML identification - 30 calendar days if enrolled at the start of the year, 14 if enrolled after.
- Annually: ACCESS or Alternate ACCESS during the state window, every year a student remains an ML.
- 2 and 4 years: Former-ML monitoring for 2 years; NJSLEDS reporting for 4 years post-exit (F1-F4).
- 10 days: Records transfer to a new district.
Preschool (PreK-3 to PreK-5): Steps 1 and 2 apply as written; there is no ELP test at the preschool level. If review indicates the student may be an ML, identify as a preschool ML (Step 2a) and administer the screener before the Kindergarten year begins.
- Students with IEP/504: Convene the child study team plus staff with language-acquisition expertise. There is no exemption from ELP screening based on disability - assess with the accommodations in the IEP/504. ML and special education services run simultaneously; neither status delays the other.
- Transfer Students: HLS and Records Review always apply. A score under one school year old from another NJ district or WIDA-consortium state may be accepted; transfers from non-WIDA states must be screened. The 30/14-day notification clock still runs.
STEP 4- COMPLETE The Identification Record Doc