Esperanza Academy Charter School provides multiple educational and functional supports and services for students identified with disabilities based on their individual needs. Services may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Learning Support
• Life Skills Support
• Emotional Support
• Hearing therapy
• Speech and Language Services
• Occupational Therapy
• School based therapy
• Licensed School Psychologist
• Licensed Behavioral Specialist
• Special Transportation
• Social Skills instruction

It is important for parents to understand the special education process. Parents play a vital role on the team that decides the appropriate services for their child.

Please download the Pennsylvania Parent Guide To Special Education booklet designed to help parents better understand the special education process so they can participate in the educational decision-making process for their child. The chapters in this booklet address frequently asked questions and concerns parents of a child with a disability may have regarding special education.

• Parent’s Guide
• Parent’s Guide (Spanish)

The special education policies detailed herein were designed and will be implemented in accordance with all relevant federal and state statutes and regulations including: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004 PL 108-446), No Child Left Behind, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (504), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and Pennsylvania Department of Education regulations on Charter School Services and Programs for Children with Disabilities (Chapter 711).

The following six concepts serve as the foundation for Esperanza Academy Charter School’s special education policy:

Zero Reject: As an LEA, Esperanza Academy Charter School will provide all students an equal education opportunity, and will not deny any students an education on the basis of a disability.

Individualized Education Program (IEP): In accordance with IDEA, all Esperanza Academy Charter School students identified as having a disability and in need of special education services will be provided a written IEP.  The IEP will include current educational level, annual goals, specific educational objectives, special education and related services to be provided, dates for initiation of service, anticipated duration of service, and evaluation criteria.

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): All eligible Esperanza Academy Charter School students will be provided appropriate special education (determined on a case-by-case basis) and related services at the expense of the charter school in conformity with each student’s IEP.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): Esperanza Academy Charter School will ensure that students with disabilities are educated to the maximum extent appropriate with their non-disabled peers.  The educational philosophy of Esperanza Academy Charter School is to bring all students into one community of learners, and our preference is to educate students, whenever appropriate, with the appropriate supplementary aids and services necessary for them to participate in the regular classroom experience with their peers.

Due Process and Parental Involvement: Esperanza Academy Charter School understands that parents must be notified of the intent to evaluate their child for services, and their consent to an initial evaluation before the process begins.  Parents will also be involved in the IEP process and will be required to provide consent to the initial placement and provision of services.

Non-Discriminatory Evaluation: Esperanza Academy Charter School will use a variety of assessment tools and strategies, including information provided by the parents, to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about each special education student.  These assessments will not be discriminatory on a racial or cultural basis, and all tests and evaluation materials will be:

• Provided and administered in the child’s native language or other mode of communication.
• Validated for the specific purpose for which they are used.
• Administered by trained personnel.
• Tailored to assess specific areas of educational need and not merely those designed to provide a single general intelligence quotient.
• Reflective of the child’s aptitude or achievement and not reflective of the child’s impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills.

Students who are not eligible to receive special education programs and services may qualify as handicapped students and therefore be protected under federal statutes and regulations intended to prevent discrimination.  Esperanza Academy Charter School will ensure that qualified handicapped students have equal opportunity to participate in the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate for each individual student.  In compliance with federal law, Esperanza Academy Charter School will provide to each protected handicapped student without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related aids, services or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student’s abilities.  In order to qualify as a protected handicapped student, the child must be of school age with a physical or mental disability that substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program.

These services and protections for “protected handicapped students” may be distinct from those applicable to eligible or thought-to-be eligible students.  Esperanza Academy Charter School or the parent may initiate an evaluation if they believe a student is a protected handicapped student.

The English Language Development program is designed to assist English Learners (ELs) with improving their proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing in social and academic English. The goal of the program is to provide ELs with the English language skills needed to promote academic literacy and successfully participate in all aspects of our academic program.  Our program is culturally relevant, research based and designed for college and career readiness.   The curriculum is aligned to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s English Language Development (ELD) Standards and Pennsylvania’s Core Standards (PACS).

What is an English Learner (EL)?

• An English learner is generally a student who speaks or hears another language in their home and/or whose dominant language is not English. Generally speaking if students have more than one language in their language repertoire, they may need additional support in attaining academic English language proficiency in a school setting.

How do you determine if a student would benefit from English Language instruction?

• When a student enters Esperanza Academy, parents or guardians complete a Home Language Survey which reveals if a language other than English is used in the home. If another language is specified, we perform a family interview and if necessary will administer a screener assessment to determine the best placement and programming for the student.  If a student is placed in the ELD program we inform the parents of the placement and of the suggested services for the student.  Participation in the ELD program is optional for students with parental consent.

How do you determine a student’s English proficiency?

• After we conduct the family interview, if necessary we assess the student to determine their English Language Proficiency level. This determines the level of the students academic English, meaning the language they would use in an academic or professional setting. The levels range from 1.0-6.0 and the descriptions of each level are below.
  • Level 1: Entering – Students may be non-verbal or speak very little English.
  • Level 2: Beginning – Students can use common phrases or short sentences and have some academic language.
  • Level 3: Developing – Students will use familiar oral and written language with some expanded sentence length and short paragraphs.
  • Level 4: Expanding – Students may use oral and written academic and technical language of different complexity.

—–Students can be recommended for reclassification after they achieve a proficiency level of 4.5. —-

• Level 5: Bridging – Students’ oral and written academic and technical language approach that of their non-EL peers.
• Level 6: Reaching – Students at this level are comparable to those of a native English speaker and have most likely already exited the program.

What programs does Esperanza offer for EL learners?

As language acquisition  is a complex process and differs based on the age level and grade level of a student, we offer several different types of Language Instruction Educational Programs for our English Learners depending on their individual needs.

Esperanza Academy Elementary School Grade 4 in 2020-2021

• English Language Development courses – Students are placed in these courses based on their EL level and are specifically designed to help a student increase their English proficiency in the four domains which are reading, writing, listening, speaking.
• Push in delivered by ESL teachers during the literacy block in the general education class
• Push in services by bilingual para educators during general education classes

Esperanza Academy Middle School Grades 6-8

• English Language Development courses – Students are placed in these courses based on their EL level and are specifically designed to help a student increase their English proficiency in the four domains which are reading, writing, listening, speaking.
• Sheltered Content Instruction-these courses are general education courses taught by dually certified ESL and content area teachers. These courses offer EL students a way to develop grade-level content-area knowledge, academic skills, and to increase their English language proficiency. Sheltered instruction offers ELs the grade-level content instruction of their English-speaking peers, while adapting lesson delivery to suit their English proficiency level.  In the middle grades we offer sheltered instruction in social studies and math in grades 6-8.
• Bilingual Para support is offered in a push in environment where students may need additional support in any course.

Where do I go if I want to know more?

• You can access the Basic Education Circular, or the BEC, which is a document provided by the state that provides the general parameters of English Language instruction through this link:
  • PDF Version
  • Website
• You can also access the ESLPortalPA, a website developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education that provides information, guidance, and tools for language instruction in PA. You can access it through the following link:
  • ESLPortalPA

Who can I contact regarding my EL student in Esperanza?

• You can reach the Elementary and Middle grades English Language Development Coordinator, Karen A Sergovic, through her email: ksergovic@neacademy.net

Child Find Policy

It is the policy of Esperanza Academy Charter School that all students with disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disability, who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and evaluated. This responsibility is required by a Federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. 1200 et. seq. (“IDEA 2004”). Chapter 711 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code requires the publication of a notice to parents sufficient to inform parents of children applying to or already enrolled in the charter school of (1) available special education services and programs, (2) how to request those services and programs, and of (3) systematic screening activities that lead to the identification, location and evaluation of children with disabilities enrolled in the charter school. The purpose of this Annual Notice is to comply with the school’s obligations under Chapter 711 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code. Complete policy is found here.