The Bilingual Student Services Department administers and coordinates English language learning programs throughout the Seattle Public Schools. Some of its functions include:

• Administration of dedicated federal and state grants for bilingual education (Title III)
• Development of curriculum and standards for English language learners
• Programs for Native American students. See Huchoosedah for more information.
• Programs for overage students (students from overseas who may enter too old to complete their education in our school system)
• Summer school and after-school programs
• Translation of school documents and interpretation for families in need of communicating with school staff
• Professional development for teachers, bilingual instructional assistants, and other staff
• Standardized testing
• Community outreach and partnerships

In partnerships with the schools, district departments, and community organizations, Bilingual Student Services supports and promotes programs to help family members acculturate to their new country, find resources in the community, learn English, and become active participants in their children's education.

Bilingual Family Center
Bilingual Student Services runs the Bilingual Family Center, a special enrollment center for immigrant families. Bilingual Family Center staff speak Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrigna, and Vietnamese, and can help families who speak those languages with enrollment, school transportation, testing, interpretation for meetings, and many other school-related activities. 

Bilingual Orientation Centers (BOCs)
The BOCs support students who know little or no English and who may be preliterate in their own language. Most of these students are new to the country, and many have come from lives of hardship in war-torn areas of the world and refugee camps. At the BOCs, students learn English while also studying social studies, science, and mathematics. There are four elementary BOCs, at Hawthorne, Dunlap, John Stanford International, and West Seattle elementary schools.

The Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center (SBOC) is a special newcomer school housed at Meany building in Capitol Hilll. Its students come from all over the world. The supportive environment of the SBOC allows students to acculturate and adapt to the American school system before attending a regular school. Students typically stay at the SBOC one or two semesters before transferring to middle school or high school.

Updated on: September 29, 2009

English Language Learning Programs

Bilingual Orientation Centers

Enrollment Center: Bilingual Family Center

After-School and Summer Programs