District of Columbia Public Schools: English Language Learners (ELL)An English language learner (ELL) student is defined as a linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) student who has an overall English Language Proficiency (ELP) level of 1-4 on the ACCESS for ELLs™ test administered each year. Students who reach ELP Level 5 or above are considered English Proficient (EP) students and are no longer ELL students.