Bradley Hills ES ESOL Parent Presentation November 13, 2018 An introduction to what every parent should know about English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

ESOL Teacher : Mrs. Reaves ESOL at Bradley Hills: ESOL Teacher : Mrs. Reaves

How many Bradley Hills students are in the ESOL program? This year 30 students are enrolled in the ESOL program and speak about 10 different languages.

Identification Based on the New Student Admissions form, students are identified as potential ESOL students Students are administered World Class Instructional and Design and Assessment (WIDA) in two skills: listening and speaking. If a student is identified as an English Language Learner (ELL), a notification letter is sent home for parent signature. The WIDA scores determine the instructional level of the student

Parent Refusal for ESOL services If a parent refuses ESOL services for their child, ESOL instruction will not be provided in school However, the student is still required by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)to take the annual English Language Proficiency test for progress until he/she attains proficiency as designed by MSDE If identified as ELL, it is beneficial to stay in the program untill proficiency is attained

Myths or Misconceptions about ESOL Students An ESOL student may be a child born in the United States, or moves here from another country and speaks multiple languages, or lives in a home where another language is spoken.

ESOL Levels ESOL instruction takes place in small groups Level 1: Entering Level 2: Emerging Level 3: Developing Level 4: Expanding Level 5: Bridging Level 6: Reaching ESOL instruction takes place in small groups Follows MCPS schedule guidelines which state how often a student receives ESOL services. This could be 40-50 minutes two to four times per week depending on the level

What do ESOL Teachers do? Teach interpersonal and academic English to students who are learning English as a new language Provide explicit and structured instruction in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing Curriculum 2.0 ESOL Connections is used for instruction

How long will my child be in ESOL? From 2-4 years A variety of formal and informal assessments are used in the ESOL class to measure the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing All ESOL students are administered the WIDA ACCESS exam in January to test for English proficiency.

Possible ESOL Accommodations (decision by the ESOL Team) Extended Time on class quizzes, tests, exams and state assessments Small Group testing Have part or all of the test read to the student

Are there opportunities to learn English during summer break? MCPS offers English language summer classes for beginner ESOL students to learn academic English

Thank you for coming this evening! The best way to help your child succeed in school is to have a strong partnership between school & home.

QUESTIONS? Question bin