BRUNSWICK — With more than 16 languages being spoken in Brunswick schools this year, changes have been made to the school’s plan to deal with language barriers to conform to federal regulations.

Sharon Harvie, the district’s English as a second language coordinator, said instructors and administrators have to balance federal policy requirements with practical in-classroom instruction.

“They’re tested at reading, writing and speaking to determine what level of services they require for support,” Harvie said. “The students we have this year don’t need full-time assistance, they’re very proficient, but writing is the most difficult area for all English-limited students.”

Among the changes is an additional measure of assessment added to determine the students’ Englishlanguage proficiency immediately upon their arrival in September, Harvie said.

Native languages spoken in Brunswick schools include Finnish, German, Japanese, Swedish, Italian, Arabic, Korean, Russian, a Filipino dialect of Tagalog, Thai, Spanish, Bulgarian, Chinese, Somali, Cape Verdean and the Indian dialect of Gujarati.

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