| East Brunswick Public Schools | Curriculum Home | World Language/ESL/Bilingual |
| Mrs. Mary Mackenzie, Supervisor |
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The goal of the world language program is to develop students’ ability to use the language in real-life situations in another culture. World language study begins in third grade, when children take either French or Spanish. They continue with the language through fifth grade. In sixth grade, students may elect a course in the same language or choose a new one. Introductory courses in French, German, Italian or Spanish are offered at Hammarskjold Middle School, and the students take Level 1 of the language during a two-year period. Students also have the option of beginning a new world language in eighth grade or later. In addition to the other languages, Latin is offered in the junior high and high school. The English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education programs serve students who speak languages other than English. The programs are designed to help the students become sufficiently proficient in English to participate in English-language activities. About 200 students from 25 different language backgrounds are currently in ESL classes. They remain in the program until they are proficient in English, usually from one to three years. Students are admitted to ESL and bilingual education only after it has been determined through testing that their English proficiency is limited. State guidelines are followed to determine their proficiency level. Elementary students have 30 minutes of ESL instruction daily, and middle and secondary school students have one or two ESL class periods daily. Students in sixth through twelfth grade have an extra period of ESL instruction, called High Intensity ESL, in which the emphasis is on content-area vocabulary, reading comprehension, and study and reference skills. The ESL teacher also provides tutorial assistance for the students. Bilingual education is required whenever a district has 20 or more students with
limited English from the same native-language background. Currently, East Brunswick has a
bilingual program in Mandarin. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade have classes
in reading and math that are designed to assist them in learning basic skills during the
period of transition from Mandarin to English. Much of the instruction takes place in
English, but the teacher and students use |
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