This lesson will guide you through the process of creating a record of an EL Setting Waiver for a student within Illuminate Student Information. This section needs to be completed if and when an EL Setting Waiver has been submitted by a parent/guardian of a student that was recommended support and services, by applied for a waiver to choose an alternative program if the child meets the waiver requirements.
When a child is enrolled in a school and a language other than English was noted on the child's Home Language Survey, parents/guardians receive an Initial Parent Notification Letter of assessments results and program recommendations. The law requires schools to test a child’s English and primary language proficiency if and when a language other than English is selected.
The results of the test are used to decide the best program placement for the child. The district is required to inform parents/guardians of the test results, the recommended program, and all the placement options available. The notification may also include information on what the district uses to decide when a student is ready to exit the English learner program. (20 United States Code, Section 7012; California Education Code sections 52164.1[b]; and Title 5 of California Code of Regulation sections 11307[a] and 11511.)
For more information, visit this article from the California Department of Education about the Informal Primary Language Assessment and Parent Notification Letter, which describes the EL Setting Waiver process and communication to parents.
Parental Rights to Request a Waiver
Parents/Guardians have the right to request a “Parental Exception Waiver” for an alternative program, once they have received notification of results and recommended programs.
California law gives parents the right to request that their child be placed in an Alternative Program. To do so, parents/guardians need to apply for a Parental Exception Waiver each academic year. In order for a child to qualify, they must meet one of the following requirements:
- Knows English and performs academically at least at fifth grade level
- Is ten years of age or older; or
- Is a student under ten years of age who has been in an English language classroom for 30 calendar days, and has special needs
The information will display in the Language Details page under Most Recent Waiver Information as a view-only field. If this is the first time entering a waiver for a student, No waiver data found will display.
Once EL Waivers are added or modified, the most recent waiver status will display on the Language Details page.
Where to Start
Select Language, then EL Setting Waivers.
If this is the first time accessing a student's information since you have logged into Illuminate, you will be taken to the Advanced Search menu to search for a student. Learn how to use the Advanced Search tool.
If you have searched or viewed a student previously in your session, you will be taken to the previously viewed student's EL Setting Waiver page.
- To search for a new student select New Student Search (1)
- To view previous Student search results, select Back to Previous Search Results (2)
Select Add Waiver (3) to begin and add waiver information.
Add a Waiver
The following information will need to be recorded for the student if an EL Setting Waiver has been received:
- Confirm or select a Site (1) which is available based on visibility and will default to the site the user is logged in to
- Select the appropriate waiver Status (2) with either Granted, Denied or Withdrawn
- Not required but helpful in documentation is to record a Start Date (3) and End Date (4); Typically the start and end date of one year would be entered since waivers are to be submitted yearly
- Enter any Comments (5) about the waiver you would like to record
- Always select Save (6) when entries have been made
EL Setting Waiver Overview Screen
Any past waivers recorded for the student will be available for review in the EL Setting Waiver Overview screen. This is also where you are able to manage or delete previously entered waiver documentation.
Managing and Deleting an EL Setting Waiver
Once an EL Setting Waiver has been saved, you will be taken the EL Setting Waiver Overview screen. This is where you can manage or edit, delete and review waiver information for the student:
- The system will show a confirmation (1) highlighted in green if the added waiver saved
- To edit or revise a waiver, select the paper/pencil icon (2) to return to the details screen
- To remove or delete a waiver, select the X or delete icon (3) which will permanently remove the waiver and all recorded information from the student's record
- Select a Print Option (4) to download or print a Microsoft Excel, Adobe PDF, or Other Formats of this data
EL Setting Waivers are to be submitted annually by parents/guardians. When a new waiver needs to be recorded, select Add Waiver (5) to repeat the documentation process.
Remember, the most recent waiver documentation will be displayed on the Language Details page under Most Recent Waiver Information.
Next Steps
Want to record additional language comments? Visit the Language Comments lesson for more details.