ESL / ESOL
Wall, Sandra

Based on TEA:

ESOL I and Sheltered English I receives English I credit

ESOL II and Sheltered English II receives English II credit

ESOL III receives local reading elective credit

Sheltered English III receives English III credit

Sheltered English IV receives English IV credit

Our campus/district also provides a Newcomer High School and Sheltered Content Classes.

TEKS for ESOL 1:

(1)  Students enrolled in English I for Speakers of Other Languages continue to increase and refine their communication skills. High school students are expected to plan, draft, and complete written compositions on a regular basis. Students edit their papers for clarity, engaging language, and the correct use of the conventions and mechanics of written English and produce final, error-free drafts. In English I, students practice all forms of writing. An emphasis is placed on organizing logical arguments with clearly expressed related definitions, theses, and evidence. Students write to persuade and to report and describe. English I students read extensively in multiple genres from world literature such as reading selected stories, dramas, novels, and poetry originally written in English or translated to English from oriental, classical Greek, European, African, South American, and North American cultures. Students learn literary forms and terms associated with selections being read. Students interpret the possible influences of the historical context on a literary work.

(2)  For students whose first language is other than English, the native language serves as the foundation for English language acquisition. Cognitive skills transfer from one language to another, and students literate in their first language will apply these skills and other academic proficiencies to the second language.

(A)  The development of receptive (listening/reading) and expressive (speaking/writing) skills in second language learners may be at different stages. In some instances, second language learners undergo silent periods of varying durations when they first begin to learn a new language. Students often understand more than they can produce and may repeat words in sentences that they do not entirely understand. Second language learners may also draw upon the resources of their language and culture as they acquire a new language and culture.

(B)  It is important to understand that limited knowledge of English structure and vocabulary is neither related to the students' intellectual capabilities nor their ability to use higher-order thinking skills. Literacy development across the content areas is essential in building academic skills in a second language and can accelerate the learning of both English language skills and higher-order thinking skills.

(3)  English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) students are at different stages of language acquisition. The following general proficiency levels are not grade specific: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced. The ESOL student may exhibit different proficiency levels within the four language components: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. An ESOL student may exhibit oral skills at the advanced level, reading skills at the intermediate level, and writing skills at the beginning level. Any combination of these components is possible and is affected by opportunities for interaction in and outside of school.

(A)  Beginning ESOL students associate utterances with meaning as they make inferences based on actions, visuals, text, tone of voice and inflections. Receptive language with some comprehension is acquired earlier than oral production. Beginning ESOL students produce spoken English with increasing accuracy and fluency to convey appropriate meaning. They read English using graphophonic cues, syntax, visuals, the context of the text, and their prior knowledge of language and structure of text.

(B)  Intermediate ESOL students use the listening process to improve comprehension and oral skills in English. Through listening and speaking in meaningful interactions, they clarify, distinguish, and evaluate ideas and responses in a variety of situations. Intermediate ESOL students participate successfully in academic, social, and work contexts in English using the process of speaking to create, clarify, critique, and evaluate ideas and responses. Intermediate ESOL students read English using and applying developmental vocabulary to increase comprehension and produce written text to address a variety of audiences and purposes.

(C)  Advanced ESOL students, through developmental listening skills, actively expand their vocabulary to evaluate and analyze spoken English for a variety of situations and purposes. These students participate in a variety of situations using spoken English to create, clarify, critique, and evaluate ideas and responses. Advanced ESOL students continually develop reading skills for increasing reading proficiency in content area texts for a variety of purposes and generate written text for different audiences in a variety of modes to convey appropriate meaning according to their level of proficiency.

(D)  Some ESOL students exhibit additional first language and/or academic needs due to their previous educational experiences that may include interrupted and/or limited schooling. In addition, there are ESOL students who have achieved oral proficiency in English but need additional academic competency skills. These needs as well as acculturation issues should be considered when making programmatic and instructional decisions.

(4)  The essential knowledge and skills as well as the student expectations for English I for Speakers of Other Languages are described in subsection (b) of this section and are identical to the knowledge and skills and student expectations in Chapter 110 of this title (relating to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading) with additional expectations for students of English as a Second Language. All expectations apply equally to second language learners; however, it is imperative to recognize critical processes and features of second language acquisition and to provide appropriate instruction to enable students to meet these standards. The knowledge and skills and/or student expectations that are applicable specifically to students of English as a Second Language are indicated parenthetically by ESL. It is recommended that the ESOL student be at the Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced level to enroll.

(5)  To meet Public Education Goal 1 of the Texas Education Code, §4.002, which states, "The students in the public education system will demonstrate exemplary performance in the reading and writing of the English language," students will accomplish the essential knowledge and skills as well as the student expectations in English I as described in subsection (b) of this section.

(6)  To meet Texas Education Code, §28.002(h), which states, ". . . each school district shall foster the continuation of the tradition of teaching United States and Texas history and the free enterprise system in regular subject matter and in reading courses and in the adoption of textbooks," students will be provided oral and written narratives as well as other informational texts that can help them to become thoughtful, active citizens who appreciate the basic democratic values of our state and nation.

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