Department of English as a Second Language
Karen Gouede, Assistant Principal
ESL Department Overview
The ESL Program at John Bowne High School enables English Language Learners to develop the proficiency and competence needed in order to successfully participate in the required academic classes. Instruction is provided at three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Students are placed in classes based on their scores on the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT). The NYSESLAT was developed by the New York State Education Department to meet the federal requirements of No Child Left Behind and state law CR Part 154A. Continued assessment assures that students are correctly placed throughout their participation in the program. Emphasis is placed on the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students continue to receive ESL and bilingual services until they receive a proficient score on the NYSESLAT. The customs and traditions of American culture are incorporated into all levels of the ESL Program. Emphasis is placed on tolerance and appreciation of the diverse backgrounds of our students.
The SIFE program is uniquely interdisciplinary as it addresses standards from all content areas. 9 th grade bilingual Spanish speaking students who have had periods of interrupted formal education are programmed for a core of classes with selected teachers. Particular emphasis is placed on building a bank of information that can enable students to succeed in social studies, science, math and Spanish Native Language Arts classes. Cooperative learning, portfolio assessment and project based activities are used to evaluate the students’ progress. Through team teaching and the use of scaffolding techniques, this block program model helps students improve literacy and accelerate academic learning.
