Each of our sixteen elementary schools is served by at least one ESOL specialist. The number of specialists assigned to a school and the amount of time weekly that a specialist spends at a school depends on the number of English Learners (ELs) who attend the school as well as the level of need of the students. Some specialists serve in more than one school.
In addition to ESOL specialists, instructional assistants and language guides (paraeducators who are bilingual in English and at least one other language) may provide support to ELs who are at the earliest stages of English acquisition. Teacher assistants and language guides may also provide support at a school on days the ESOL specialist is not available.
ESOL instruction in the BASD at the elementary level includes both pull-out and push-in models. The ESOL specialists schedule sessions for small groups of students which meet for three to five sessions per week. These groups may be pulled out of their classrooms in order for students to receive more intense and direct instruction in English acquisition. ESOL teachers also push into students’ classrooms to support instruction there. The amount of daily instructional support an EL receives depends on his/her level of English language development.
ESOL specialists provide instruction to assist ELs in their English language acquisition. Instruction will include language for Social and Instructional purposes, language in the content areas of Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. It will also enable ELs to access the ELA and math curricula for their grade levels. ESOL specialists use McGraw-Hill’s Wonders ELD component as part of the English Language Arts curriculum.