The American Culture Exchange program, know as ACE, is opening doors for diversity here at Arkansas State University. This program was formerly known as the center for English as a Second Language, or CESL. After Sept. 11 there were a lot of complications with visas, and CESL was cancelled due to low attendance. Now that those complications have been cleared up, CESL was resurrected under a new name. Both the CESL and the American Culture Exchange programs were meant to prepare international students to enter the university by teaching them English as a second language. But this recently reinstated program is now broadening its reach. According to Art Polio, director for student activities for ACE and an instructor, the new program has opened its doors to people of the community who are not proficient in English. (more…)

search for : English as a Second Language

Throughout the semester, the organization Student Worker trains volunteers to provide English lessons to Spanish-speaking workers on campus. Student volunteers go though a brief training process and then work individually with staff members. Student Worker is trying to get the support of departments on campus by asking supervisors to consider making English classes a part of the workers’ paid workday. This is already in progress for workers at the Rec Center and the dining halls. Some believe English lessons are a way to improve cultural awareness and diversity on campus. “There is a lot of hostility and disrespect toward service workers at CU- Boulder, and learning English as a second language is a great way to make communities more connected,” said Professor Arturo Aldama, of the Ethnic Studies department, who guided students in establishing the program. (more…)

search for : English lessons, English as a second language

St. Cloud has one of at least 16 Chinese immersion programs in the nation. Spanish immersion classes are more common. District leaders have plans to add one immersion grade at the schools each year at least until this year’s kindergarten students reach junior high. At that point, they would take a class taught in their immersion language. Immersion classes are gaining popularity across the state and country. Spanish programs have been around for years. Chinese programs are catching on and received a push from the state this week when the Education Department announced five world language grants, including several that went to immersion programs such as Yinghua Academy in St. Paul. State leaders believe that students who speak Mandarin Chinese will have an edge in the business world. Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world, with more than 800 million people using it.

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search for : Spanish immersion class, Mandarin Chinese

Illinois students who have limited English language skills will have to take the regular state achievement exams beginning next year, under a recent decision by federal officials. In past years, students who were new to the country and spoke little English were allowed to take the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) in math and reading. That exam is written in English, but it has fewer and simpler questions. But the U.S. Department of Education ruled earlier this month that IMAGE was not an appropriate way to determine if non-English speaking students were mastering basic math and reading skills.

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search for : English language skills, U.S. Department of Education

The Hispanic population continues to grow across East Tennessee and in its schools. Knox County already has roughly 1,375 English as a second language students. That’s about 200 more this year compared to last school year and they say new ESL students are enrolled almost daily. That increase in Hispanic students, means more money out of your pocket. “We have a moral, as well as a legal obligation to provide an education to students,” said Dan Murphy, from the Knox County School Board. Murphy says that includes the growing number of Hispanic children in the Knox County school system. “If they don’t have sufficient English speaking skills, we have to provide a course of study,” he said. That’s exactly what ESL instruction does for students, but with 200 more enrolled already in Knox County schools so far this year, it doesn’t come cheap.

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search for : ESL student, ESL instruction

The number of students requiring English-as-a-second language instruction has jumped in Blount County Schools, significantly increasing costs for the service. Fiscal Administrator Troy Logan told the Blount County Education Committee Tuesday that the schools would have to ask for a budget amendment later in the fiscal year because there were 112 students enrolled now compared to about 80 last year. Blount County Schools is required by federal law to provide supplementary instruction for students who are not proficient in English. The ESL program is housed at Eagleton Middle School, although it is taught through a contract with Maryville College. The facility on the college campus where the program was formerly housed has been torn down due to construction. Blount County and Maryville, which also contracts for the services, split the utility and maintenance costs.

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search for : English-as-a-second language, ESL

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy found that an estimated 30 million adults in the United States read at what is termed a “below-basic” level. Most are native-born citizens who for one reason or another typically read at or below the fifth-grade level. The study also found that 11 million residents, many of them immigrants, are nonliterate in English. At best, such individuals can read very simple texts but they lack most of the reading and writing skills necessary for everyday life. This limitation has a tremendous impact on their ability to find work, achieve self-sufficiency, and support their children’s efforts in school. It affects not just the ability to read but also every other form of literacy as well – financial, health, mathematical, and cultural.

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At Terrytown, where the Hispanic population has exploded after Hurricane Katrina and now accounts for one-third of the student body, Spanish language natives are increasingly sought-after. In response, Principal Cherie Solieau-Varisco has adopted an unusual solution: appealing to the families of enrolled Hispanic students and bringing mothers onto the payroll as teaching assistants. In this capacity, Torres helps out with all students learning English. But she fills a much-needed niche as a translator for the overwhelming number of Hispanic pupils who have relocated to Terrytown from countries including Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Nicaragua.

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search for : Hispanic population, Spanish language, learning English