Federal & Special Programs
- English as a Second Language
- Dyslexia
- ESTEEM
- MCKINNEY-VENTO ACT- FAMILIES IN TRANSITION
- Federal Programs
- Pregnancy-Related Services
- Special Education
- ESSER III Plans
- Section 504
English as a Second Language
English as a Second Language
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Westwood ISD offers an English as a Second Language (ESL) program for Prekindergarten - 12th grade. Students who are identified as emergent bilingual (EB) through the assessment process are enrolled in our ESL program with parent permission. The goal of this program is to provide our students with an academic environment that is rich in second-language acquisition. The English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) are provided by the state of Texas to assist educators in advancing students through the stages of English language development. The ELPS are assessed on TELPAS (explained below). Our educators use the ELPS, bilingual resources, visual aids, graphic organizers, and many other tools and resources to help our students have access to the curriculum as their second language develops.
English Language Proficiency Standards
Parents, families, and educators:
Please visit https://www.txel.org/ to access additional information from TEA concerning the education of emergent bilingual students in Texas.
Parent Event - Enhancing Educational Supports for Emergent Bilingual Students
Family Event - Empowering Families through Helpful Resources
Community Event - Coming Soon!
May 19, 2023 - Registration Link
2022-2023 Parents and Families Newsletters:
Summer 2023
Westwood ISD campus ESL Coordinators are listed below. Please feel free to contact them with campus-specific questions.
Westwood Primary - Nola Beard, njbeard@westwoodisd.net
Westwood Elementary - Kayla Warren, kawarren@westwoodisd.net
Westwood Junior High - Debbie Coates, dkcoates@westwoodisd.net
Westwood High School - Angela Johnson, ajjohnson@westwoodisd.net
Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) Meetings
LPAC meetings take place as part of the identification process, when an emergent bilingual student enrolls in the district, before state testing, and at the end of every school year to review progress. If your child is part of our ESL program, please be sure to attend these meetings as your input is valuable. Notice of you child's meeting will be sent from the campus.
****LPAC Parent Representative****
An LPAC Parent Representative is required to be present at each LPAC meeting to assist with the decision-making process. A parent representative must be a parent of an emergent bilingual student but they cannot be a Westwood ISD employee.
If you are interested in serving as a parent representative please contact Tiffany Carwell at (903)723-9332 or the campus coordinators listed above. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS)
TELPAS is an assessment designed by the Texas Education Agency to measure the progress ELs make in their English acquisition. Students who are identified as EB take the TELPAS assessment every year in the spring. TELPAS assesses the English proficiency of K-12 ELs in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Grades K-1: TELPAS includes holistically rated listening, speaking, reading, and writing assessments based on ongoing classroom observations and student interactions.
Grades 2-12: TELPAS includes online reading and listening and speaking tests and holistically rated student writing collections.
The links below provide further information about TELPAS.
Upcoming Online TELPAS - (Reading, Listening and Speaking) Dates - Spring 2023
Supplemental Programs - The following programs are implemented to support students English proficiency development.
PK-4th grade students served through the district's ESL program have access to Imagine Language and Literacy. This program supplements core literacy instruction and provides instruction and practice in all four domains of literacy - reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
All students (PK-12th grade) served through the district's ESL program have access to BrainPop ELL. This program provides lively, engaging online content to teach English to speakers of other languages. BrainPop ELL provides a personalized learning journey using movies and activities that range from simple, everyday experiences to content-related stories.
Students are provided with interactive, engaging video lessons written to the Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs).
Dyslexia
Dyslexia means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity.
Related disorders include disorders similar to or related to dyslexia such as developmental auditory imperception, dysphagia, specific developmental dyslexia, developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability.
Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003
Characteristics of Dyslexia
The problems displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve difficulties in acquiring and using written language. It is a myth that dyslexic individuals “read backward,” although spelling can look quite jumbled at times because students have trouble remembering letter symbols for sounds and forming memories for words. Other problems experienced by dyslexics include the following:
The following are the primary reading/spelling characteristics of dyslexia:
• Difficulty reading words in isolation
• Difficulty accurately decoding unfamiliar words
• Difficulty with oral reading (slow, inaccurate, or labored without prosody)
• Difficulty spelling
*It is important to note that individuals demonstrate differences in degree of impairment and may not exhibit all the characteristics listed above.
Please see the brochure linked below for more information about the Westwood ISD Dyslexia Program:
Westwood ISD Dyslexia Program Brochure
If you have any concerns, please contact your child’s teacher for more information about the referral process and instructional support.
Westwood ISD Dyslexia Handbook
Westwood ISD Dyslexia Contact:
Tiffany Carwell tncarwell@westwoodisd.net (903)729-1776
Westwood ISD Dyslexia Teachers:
Lex Anne Royle lroyle@westwoodsd.net
Erin Barron enbarron@westwoodisd.net
Megan Bedre mlbedre@westwoodisd.net
Region 7 Education Service Center Dyslexia Contact:
Angela Venters aventers@esc7.net (903)988-6798
ESTEEM
ESTEEM
ESTEEM is an acronym for Encouraging Students To Embrace Excellent Marriage. Westwood ISD began implementing the ESTEEM curriculum several years ago. ESTEEM helps to improve student awareness of, and tendency toward, making healthy decisions. The more teens are aware of the dangers and consequences of risky behaviors, the more prepared they will be to avoid such situations.
All of our campus counselors have been trained in this program as well as the staff who will directly teach the subject matter.
For the 2022-2023 school year, the ESTEEM curriculum will be taught in grades 5-9. The curriculum has 10 lessons. Click the following link for more information about the program. http://www.esteemjourney.com/
Please contact your child's campus counselor or Tiffany Carwell at (903)729-1776 for further information.
PARENT RESOURCES
ESTEEM Program Parent Take Home Questions:
MCKINNEY-VENTO ACT- FAMILIES IN TRANSITION
Federal Programs
Westwood ISD Parent and Family Engagement Policy
Política de participación de padres y familias de WISD
Westwood Primary Parent and Family Engagement Policy - English
Westwood Primary Parent and Family Engagement Policy - Spanish
Westwood Elementary Parent and Family Engagement Policy - English
Westwood Elementary Parent and Family Engagement Policy - Spanish
ESSER III - Westwood ISD Use of Funds Summary
The Parent and Family Engagement Newsletter
1st Quarter 2022
Texas Education Agency - Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Texas Education Agency
Federally-funded programs
What is Title I?
Title I is the name of a government program that gives additional money to qualifying schools based on the number of low-income families.
Both Title I schools (Westwood Primary and Elementary) in Westwood ISD are schoolwide programs. This means that funds may be combined with other funds to upgrade the entire education program of the school as well as to provide additional help for all students on the campus.
How does our school receive Title I money?
First, the federal government provides funding to each state. Then, the Texas Education Agency sends money to Texas school districts. The amount each school receives is determined by the number of students attending the school who are in low-socioeconomic households.
What do Title I programs offer?
Title I programs may offer:
- Additional teachers and aides
- Opportunities for professional development for school staff
- Extra time for teaching students the skills they need
- A variety of supplementary teaching resources methods
- An individualized program for students
- Additional teaching materials which supplement a student's regular instruction
- Parent engagement opportunities
Pregnancy-Related Services
Pregnancy-Related Services (PRS) are support services, including Compensatory Education Home Instruction (CEHI), that a student receives during the pregnancy prenatal and postpartum periods to help her adjust academically, mentally, and physically and stay in school. These services are delivered to a student when-
- the student is pregnant and attending classes on a district campus,
- a valid medical necessity for confinement during the pregnancy prenatal period prevents the student from attending classes on a district campus, or
- a valid medical necessity for confinement during the pregnancy postpartum period prevents the student from attending classes on a district campus.
Please contact your child's campus counselor or Tiffany Carwell at (903)729-1776 for further information.
Special Education
Child Find
Special Education Services are available to eligible children within the Westwood Independent School District. The student must be between the ages of 3 and 21 with a documented handicap and an educational need that requires special education. Children with visual and/or auditory impairments may be eligible at birth. A variety of placement options are available if found eligible after a full and individual evaluation. If you suspect a school-aged child attending a WISD school may be in need of special services, please contact the campus counselor.
Special Education Services
The Anderson County Special Education Co-Op provides services to any eligible child attending Westwood ISD who has a developmental delay or disability and to children with vision and/or hearing disabilities from 3 to age 21.
Anderson County Special Education Co-Op
P.O. Box 1270 (401 West Main)
Frankston, TX 75763
903-876-3685
NOTICE TO FAMILIES
ESSER III Plans
Section 504
Tiffany Carwell
Director of
Special Programs
District Testing Coordinator
(903)729-1776