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FICKETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME LANGUAGE POLICY
R.N. Fickett Elementary Mission Statement
In a safe and nurturing environment, with collaboration of all stakeholders, we will provide all
students with a quality, rigorous curriculum that develops curious, experienced, and
compassionate learners that think positively and globally.
R.N. Fickett Elementary VisionA school of excellence that empowers students to become curious, considerate, lifelong
learners who are internationally minded and college and career ready.LANGUAGE POLICY
Purpose of the Language Policy
The language policy is a working document developed by the administration and staff at
Fickett Elementary School. The policy is consistent with the principles and practices of the IB
Programme and Georgia Standards of Excellence. This document outlines the expectations of
Fickett Elementary as it relates to language learning and is a statement of agreement between
all stakeholders.
The language policy promotes life-long learning by developing language-learning skills that will
give students the capacity to solve problems, think critically, and act creatively.
Philosophy
At Fickett, we believe that students will become more knowledgeable and aware through the
transdisciplinary study of language and the study of an additional language. We believe that
language and communication create the cohesiveness and understanding across cultures
needed to exist successfully in a rapidly changing society. Therefore, we aim to continuously
improve the quality of language instruction using research-based strategies and best practices
to advance learners at every level.
Overview
Fickett Elementary School is a PreK-Fifth grade public school in the Atlanta Public School
District. The school accepts all students living within R. N. Fickett’s school zone. At our school,
we understand that language is vital to learning because it saturates the entire curriculum.
Therefore, we support the development of language of instruction, world languages, and the
home language. Through language, one is able to form his or her own identity, explore the
environment, solve problems, and influence the thinking of others.Written: March 11, 2020
Reviewed and Revised: October 20, 2023At Fickett, all students experience an enriched language program in which English is the
primary language of instruction, and French is taught as an additional language. Fickett
Elementary has a full-time French teacher. French is offered 5 days a week. Students in
grades Kindergarten through Five receive French instruction a minimum of 1 day a week for 45
minutes.
For English Language Learners, we offer a comprehensive program which allows students to
acquire the skills and knowledge needed to access the regular curriculum. Fickett provides
support to students and their families to enable them to adjust to a new language, learning
environment, and culture.
The school promotes usage and enrichment of the home language by encouraging families to
continue speaking, reading and writing in the language spoken at home. Fickett also
recommends that families take advantage of the home language instructional opportunities
available in neighboring communities.
All aspects of our language program require formal as well as ongoing informal assessments.
These assessments are used to plan appropriate instruction and to evaluate student progress.
At Fickett, we believe students learn best when teachers.....
● Present language through meaningful authentic context
● Integrate language into all subject areas
● Encourage students to reflect on language and develop awareness
● Recognize and respect the different ways in which students express themselves,
including mother tongue development
● Provide an environment that is conducive to learning and enriches their language
development
● Develop positive attitudes toward improving communication skills and provide a wide
range of opportunities to do so
● Teach language using a balanced approach that address all components (listening,
speaking, reading, and writing)
● Use a wide range of differentiated strategies for the purpose of (remediation, enrichment,
etc.)To facilitate language instruction teachers will....
● Implement lesson plans
● Implement the literacy block with fidelity
● Implement their transdisciplinary units of study
● Engage students in cooperative discussions
● Model effective reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills
● Provide students opportunities to research, publish, and share work
● Express feelings and opinions and encourage others to do the same
● Encourage potential involvementWritten: March 11, 2020
Reviewed and Revised: October 20, 2023Home Language Support/ESOL
At Fickett, 98% of the students speak English and the remaining 2% are Non-English speaking
students. The ESOL Program supports the home language of the students whose first
language is not English. The faculty and staff are also accountable for communicating support
of the mother tongue, and there are books in the Media Center to support Non-English
speaking families.
R.N. Fickett’s ESOL program is standards-based and emphasizes academic and social
language development. ESOL coursework is based upon WIDA Consortium English Language
Development Standards while simultaneously integrating grade appropriate content standards
to ensure that all ELs are successful. The ESOL Program also provides access to resources
and facilitates communication between the school district and home to allow parents and
families of English Learners to play an active role in their child’s education.
Fickett provides support for Non-English speaking students in the following ways:
● English Language Learners (ELL) Program: A part-time ELL teacher supports students
through pull-out small group instruction and in-class (mainstream) assistance 2.5 days a
week.
● Office of Bi-lingual Education (OBE): Fickett Elementary draws on resources from the
district office for students and parents whose mother tongue is other than English. They
provide print resources in a variety of languages for parents and teachers upon request.
Also they provide oral and written translation services when requested by a school or
parents.
● Library Resources: The school is limited in resources for languages. There are some
books in other languages, and additional resources will be purchased regularly.
English Language Learner Family Support
● New Parent Orientation with Parent Liaison and Administrative Team
● Community Outreach (connect with other members of the community of the same home
language)
● Inform families of community resources that support their language and culture
● Ongoing parent workshops
● Books purchased for parents in French and English
● Sharing of strategies to use at home
● Donating/loaning books in native language
● Connecting with local public library
LANGUAGE LEARNING AND THE MEDIA CENTER
Information Literacy forms a basis for lifelong learning and is common to all disciplines and
learning environments. At Fickett Elementary School, the media center supports, extends, andWritten: March 11, 2020
Reviewed and Revised: October 20, 2023individualizes the school’s curriculum. The media center offers equitable access to books and
reading, to information, and to information technology. In the media center, all stakeholders
have access to a database that contains professional material, scholarly articles, newspapers
and magazines in multiple languages. Services are also offered to assist parents with
information literacy, formatting for source citations, research skills as well as printing and
copying.
SUPPORT FOR ALL LEARNERS
If a student is identified with additional learning needs including language difficulties or gifted
and talented abilities, intervention and support are provided through the Multi-Tiered Student
Support Team in line with the referral process. The Student Support Specialist works with
teachers to help meet the needs of students identified with special language learning needs.
This support may be formalized through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and may
involve short and long term interventions. If students speak English as a second or additional
language, the ESOL Department works closely with the Student Support Specialist and other
teachers to provide the best service for the child.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Teachers and support staff are provided opportunities to review and revise the language
curriculum, including the ELA Scope and Sequence and the Programme of Inquiry. Staff will
visit other classrooms or IB schools to observe implementation of the language curriculum
firsthand. Teachers are also encouraged to seek out additional professional development
opportunities that will increase his or her personal knowledge as well as add to that of the
school community.
COMMUNICATION OF LANGUAGE POLICY
The language policy will be introduced to the Fickett community through staff meetings, PTA
meetings, grade level meetings, Curriculum Nights, Newsletters, RoboCalls, etc. The policy will
be displayed on the school’s Webpage. New staff will be introduced to the plan in Teacher
Mentor training.
REVIEW PROCESS
The language policy will be reviewed annually to ensure that it aligns to the district’s
curriculum, the school improvement plan, and IB requirements. The Leadership team will
continuously review the implementation of the policy in classrooms and throughout the school
as a part of the appraisal process.
References:
Beecher Hills Language Policy
West Manor Language PolicyWritten: March 11, 2020
Reviewed and Revised: October 20, 2023