Ministry Policy Site

Policy Document: K-12 Funding - English as a Second Language (ESL)

This page sets forth the Ministry policy entitled "K-12 Funding - English as a Second Language (ESL)". Scroll down for details, or click any of the anchors below to move directly to a specific part of the policy document.

Title Dates Status Policy Statement
Rationale Legislation/Regulations
Additional Definitions Policy Detail
Procedures References/Resources Contact

TITLE	K-12 Funding - English as a Second Language (ESL)
DATES	Issued September 1, 2002 In effect March 1, 2002
STATUS	Current policy
POLICY STATEMENT	School-age students requiring and receiving ESL services in a public school in B.C. are eligible for ESL funding for a maximum of five years.
RATIONALE	Students whose primary language is other than English may require specialized services to develop intellectually, to develop as citizens and to achieve the expected learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum.
LEGISLATION/ REGULATIONS	Sections 106.3 (5) and (6) of the School Act provide the legal framework for funding ESL students.
ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS	Definition - "ESL students:" Those students whose primary language(s) or the language spoken at home is other than English and who may therefore require additional services in order to develop their individual potential within the B.C. school system. For additional information, see ESL Policy, Guidelines and Resources.
POLICY	Students reported as ESL on the Form 1701 and who meet all of the requirements as specified on the Form 1701 Instructions may qualify for ESL funding. Students are eligible for ESL funding for up to five years, provided they continue to meet funding criteria. An ESL student enrolled full time in an eligible full-day Kindergarten program (see 1701 Instructions for more information) will be funded as one full-time equivalent (FTE). School boards will be funded for $1,174 for each eligible FTE ESL student. An ESL student may also be eligible to receive funding for Aboriginal Education or Special Needs funding, if the requirements of these programs are also met. Adults are not eligible for ESL program funding.
PROCEDURES	Students requiring and receiving ESL services should be reported on the Form 1701. An echo report will be provided to school districts identifying those students who have already received five years of ESL and therefore would not qualify for the additional funding.
REFERENCES/ RESOURCES	Funding Allocation System ESL Policy, Guidelines and Resources K-12 Form Instructions
CONTACT	If you have any questions relationg to the K-12 Funding - ESL Policy, contact Education.FundingAllocationUnit@gov.bc.ca

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