English As a Second Language (ESL)

Program Goals

-Provide English as a Second Language (ESL) students with equal opportunity and access to services so that they may increase their proficiency in English

-Ensure that ESL students, compared to native English speakers, make comparable progress as measured by on-grade-level tests administered in EnglishProgram Overview

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) provides an ESL program for students whose dominant language is not English. The goal of this program is to develop students’ English language ability as quickly as possible so that their academic performance is equivalent to native English-speaking students of the same age and grade level.

The program serves both students who are beginning to learn English as well as those who have already developed a good command of spoken English but are performing below grade level in reading and writing. Depending on the age and proficiency level of the student when he/she enters the ESL program, the process may take from one to several consecutive years.
ESL in DoDDS Isles District

The district has qualified English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in those schools that have large ESL populations. Alconbury Elementary, A.T. Mahan Elementary, Bahrain School, Lajes Elementary, Lakenheath Elementary, and Lakenheath High School all have ESL classes. In schools where there is no assigned ESL teacher, students are provided help through Language Arts Reading Specialists. Qualified ESL teachers travel to the students’ schools to test them.

DODEA ESL Standards
Goal 1: Basic Interpersonal Communication Students will demonstrate English proficiency through basic interpersonal communication.
Goal 2: Cognitive Academic Language Development Students will demonstrate English proficiency though cognitive academic language development in all school subjects, to include language arts, mathematics, the sciences and social studies.
Goal 3: Sociocultural Knowledge Students will demonstrate English proficiency in socially and culturally appropriate ways.
Why should my child participate in this program?
On the surface the ESL student may appear fluent in English, yet struggle to read and write. As ESL students progress through school, content, and skills continue to get more difficult. Although a student may gain proficiency in spoken communication in approximately two years, it can take up to six or seven years for that same student to gain proficiency in academic language skills that include reading and writing.
Steps for ESL Student Identification and Placement
1. All parents/guardians complete the DoDEA Home Language survey.
2. Parents/guardians, if applicable, are notified that their child will be screened for possible placement in the ESL program.
3. All potential ESL students are given a language proficiency assessment unless a student’s standardized test scores in Reading and/or Language Arts exceed the 50th percentile (in which case the student does not qualify for ESL).
4. The parents or guardians are informed of the results of the assessment and if the student qualifies, the ESL teacher then recommends placement into one of four levels in the ESL program or placement into the mainstream curriculum.
5. All ESL students are assessed annually in May to determine progress.
6. ESL students remain in the program until they meet exit requirements. After students exit from the program, their progress is monitored for one year. Students can reenter the ESL program any time if there is a need.
Did you know?
· When parents and families get personally involved in education, their children do better in school and grow up to be more successful in life. Their children get better grades and test scores, graduate from high school at higher rates, are more likely to go on to higher education, and have more positive attitudes towards learning.

· Children who read at home with their parents, or talk about what they have read, perform better in school.
· Academic achievement drops sharply for children who watch more than 10 hours of television a week, or an average of more than two hours a day.

The American family is the rock on which a solid education can be built. I have seen examples all over this nation where two-parent families, single parents, stepparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are providing strong family support for their children to learn. If families teach the love of learning, it can make all the difference in the world to their children.

Richard W. Riley, Former US Secretary of Education

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