Vision Academy’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program aims to increase the English language proficiency of the English Learners attending our school.
ESL Program goals are to assist English learners in using English and, per Every Student Succeeds Act, to:
- Communicate in social settings.
- Achieve academically in all content areas.
- Interact in socially and culturally appropriate ways.
Ensuring Student Success
Vision Academy provides ESL services to support English Language Learners (ELL) to exceed state academic standards within our ESL program setting and their regular classroom environments. Vision Academy offers equal opportunities for English learners to participate in extracurricular activities. We also want to give them cultural, social, and emotional support that will help them adapt to their new cultural setting.
Identifying ESL Students
Vision Academy Charter School uses our Home Language Survey and parent interviews to identify students who would benefit from ESL services. We then adhere to guidelines specified in the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Basic Education Circular on the Identification of English Language Learners and the Pennsylvania ESSA Consolidated State Plan of January 12, 2018.
For students whose primary home language is not English, we complete an academic records review to determine if there is evidence of English language proficiency. If no such evidence is found, the students are screened using one of the WIDA screening tools (WIDA ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT) for kindergarten students or the WIDA Screener for students in grades 1-12).
For Further Information, please get in touch with Mr. Ozden, ESL Teacher, at ozden@vacharter.org.