Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Departments of Justice and Education on Wednesday issued new guidance for states and school districts regarding the nation's 5 million English language learner students.
• In the 40-page document, the two departments detail that public schools must have programs in place for ELL students with specific learning plans in place to help them reach English proficiency, and that they must also have access to magnet programs, honors societies, and other opportunities provided to their peers.
• The document also states that districts must provide the parents of ELL students, if they do not speak English proficiently, with a translator or translated materials when communicating with them.

Dive Insight:

Also provided in today's materials: A toolkit that includes sample surveys for determining if English is a household's primary language. The release, which also specifies that ELL students shouldn't be unnecessarily split up from other students, comes as the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has investigations or compliance reviews under way for 55 districts in 25 states, the Huffington Post reports.