Goals of ESL

The goals of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program in the South Amboy Public Schools are to enable the English Language Learner (ELL) student to acquire English language skills and to become mainstreamed into the academic and social context of his/her school environment.  Specifically the goals of the program are to:

1. Provide developmental English language instruction, including both academic and social language skills in order to mainstream students as quickly as possible into courses where they will achieve success and sustain positive self-esteem. 

2. Provide a program that fulfills each individual's needs and abilities. Emphasis will be given to the whole student (cognitive, social, emotional, and physical), which dictates flexibility in the program. The program takes into consideration: previous school experience, age, literacy level, culture, native language, interest and self-concept. 

3. Develop lessons that appeal to both the cognitive and affective domains. Study skills are taught for each level and both students and teachers are made responsible for learning. 

4. Include the parents and community so both student and family feel a strong sense of belonging and involvement. Parents are informed of students’ progress through conferences, phone calls, progress reports and report cards. 

5. Address the individuality of the learner and care for each student as a whole person. This program will use an eclectic approach using humanistic as well as academic means. 

6. Provide academic content support based on World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards and the New Jersey Language Proficiency Standards.