English as a Second Language (ESL)

ESL Services Description

 

Instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL) is provided to Monument Valley Middle School students who have been classified as English Language Learners (ELLs), by means of a state-mandated English screening test administered when the student enters the school system.  All ESL instruction is provided by a BHRSD certified ESL teacher.

The ESL Curriculum has two main components.  The first component is Academic Vocabulary.  The goal of this instruction is to fill-in, catch up, support, and increase the academic vocabulary of our English Language Learners.  The relevant vocabulary comes from subject area classroom teachers as well as state standards for each subject area and each grade.

The second component of the ESL Curriculum is Language Structure.  This includes the structure of sentences as well as words and discourse as specified in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks English Language Arts Language Standards.

Students receive direct instruction through either one:one instruction,  or in small groups, with ample time for guided and independent practice of the material to be learned.  Students demonstrate what they have learned through regularly administered written assessments, student projects, and a yearly state-mandated assessment designed to measure proficiency in English as a Second Language.