Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
What Is OCR?
OCR stands for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR was developed in order to provide guidelines of materials and responsibilities that the schools must apply in assisting English Language Learners. In other words, the OCR document is a useful and necessary reference tool that helps assist school districts in developing "comprehensive English language proficiency or English language learners programs."
Materials discussed in OCR are helpful steps for the school district to follow in designing or revising ELL programs. These materials are intended as resources for district used but are not a statement of a specific new legal requirements. Included are a glossary, resources, and a list of possible ELL programs that can be incorporated within a school district depending on their own particular needs.
OCR stands for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR was developed in order to provide guidelines of materials and responsibilities that the schools must apply in assisting English Language Learners. In other words, the OCR document is a useful and necessary reference tool that helps assist school districts in developing "comprehensive English language proficiency or English language learners programs."
Materials discussed in OCR are helpful steps for the school district to follow in designing or revising ELL programs. These materials are intended as resources for district used but are not a statement of a specific new legal requirements. Included are a glossary, resources, and a list of possible ELL programs that can be incorporated within a school district depending on their own particular needs.
Main Key-Points of OCR
Requires that districts must:
- Monitor and assess ELLs' performance/ placement
- Provide language assistance programs to ELLs (we will talk more
- Provide resources to staff and support programs for ELLs
- Provide access to curricular/ extra curricular programs*
- Prevent unnecessary segregation (can pull ELLs out but should be done in the least “segregative manner”)
- Evaluate ELLs for additional services fairly
- Provide support if families opt out
- Monitor and exit students when they are ready*
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the program
- Ensure meaningful communication with Ells' families
- Largely leaves HOW they do this up to districts and schools
Works Cited
- Developing Programs for English Language Learners: Overview, U.S. Department of Education. (2015). Retrieved from: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ell/overview.html
- Chambers Schuldt, L. (2017) Thursday Legal Cases OCR and Program Intro. [PowerPoint Slides]