ESOL & EFL

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) – Established in the early 1960s

English for Speakers of Other Languages is a required program for students whose home language is other than English and who are classified as less than independent in English. It is a language arts program that incorporates all aspects of Language Arts instruction, content, and language development. The ESOL Competency-Based Curriculum for each grade level addresses the following components: 

  1. Reading/Literature
  2. Composition
  3. Vocabulary/Word Study/Language
  4. Listening/Speaking/Viewing
  5. Information Literacy/Study and test taking
  6. Culture

Extended Foreign Language Program (EFL) – Established in 1993

Extended Foreign Language (EFL) refers to a program delivery system offered at the elementary level which follows the same organization as a Bilingual School Organization except that it is only offered in selected classes per grade level. The EFL Program emphasizes the teaching of language arts and curriculum content in both English and another language (e.g., Spanish, Italian). It aims towards a 60% of instruction in English and a 40% of instruction in the targeted language. The program is designed for a group of students at each grade level who, after participating in the program for one school year, are automatically enrolled in the subsequent grade level in order to move towards a continuum of bilingual studies through twelfth grade.