Carmela Elementary School held an EL reclassification ceremony for students on Thursday, April 14, at Carmela.
During the ceremony 15 students were reclassified from English Learners to Fluent English Proficient, or RFEP. Friends and family were able to attend the ceremony where students received a certificate. After the ceremony was over, the celebration continued with a cake reception.
Multiple South Whittier School Board members were in attendance of the event. One board member was, Sylvia Macias. At the April board meeting Macias shared her experience at the reclassification ceremony.
“It was really nice to see the children excited to receive their certificates and even more exciting for me to see the parents,” she shared. “They were beaming. I spoke with one father and he was so proud that his daughter would be able to speak two languages.”
In order to reclassify, students must meet reclassification criteria standards put together by the California Department of Education. The criteria includes assessments over multiple years of English Language proficiency, teacher evaluations, parent consultations, and a review of a student’s basic skills relative to English proficient students.
Congratulations, Carmela students!