World Languages Offerings

ESL 

ESL Program:  All students who enroll in Arlington ISD will complete a home language survey.  If the home language survey indicates a language other than English, students are evaluated for language proficiency. Students who are identified as English Learners receive sheltered instruction, which is available at all secondary campuses in Arlington ISD. Students receiving sheltered instruction will receive the same academic content, however, the teacher will accommodate and scaffold the instruction based on the students’ language proficiency.  

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) I: Objectives and expectations are identical to those of English I.  Emphasis is placed on vocabulary expansion, written and oral communication, reading comprehension and attentive listening.  This course is designed to accelerate the non-English speaking student’s social and academic English language acquisition.  Course content is adapted and scaffolded as appropriate for student language proficiency levels.  It is an End of Course (EOC) tested subject designed for beginning to intermediate English-speaking students in grades 9-12. Students must be concurrently enrolled in ELDA 1222 and will receive one credit towards graduation.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) II: Objectives and expectations are identical to those of English II.  Emphasis is placed on vocabulary expansion, written and oral communication, reading comprehension and attentive listening.  This course is designed to accelerate the non-English speaking student’s social and academic English language acquisition.  Course content is adapted and scaffolded as appropriate for student language proficiency levels.  It is an End of Course (EOC) tested subject designed for beginning to intermediate English-speaking students in grades 9-12. Students must be concurrently enrolled in ELDA 1223 and will receive one credit toward graduation. 

English Language Development and Acquisition (ELDA) I:  This course will provide instructional opportunities for recent immigrant students with limited English proficiency.  Through comprehensible input, students will accelerate second language acquisition and will be challenged to apply higher order thinking skills in all four language domains.  Emphasis is placed on word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension strategies and fluency in order to provide students with opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write with confidence.  This course is designed for students in grades 9-12 who have been in the country for less than 3 years and are beginning to intermediate English Speaking students.  Students must be concurrently enrolled in a language arts course and will receive one credit towards graduation.

English Language Development and Acquisition (ELDA) II:  This course will provide instructional opportunities for recent immigrant students with limited English proficiency.  Through comprehensible input, students will accelerate second language acquisition and will be challenged to apply higher order thinking skills in all four language domains.  Emphasis is placed on word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension strategies and fluency in order to provide students with opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write with confidence.  This course is designed for students in grades 10-12 who have been in the country for less than 3 years and are beginning to intermediate English Speaking students.  Students must be concurrently enrolled in a language arts course and will receive one credit towards graduation.

English Learners Language Arts Grade 7:  Objectives and expectations mirror those of English Grade 7 with the addition of foundational language development expectations.  Course content is adapted and scaffolded as appropriate for English learners (ELs) proficiency levels using the ELLA TEKS.  The course focuses on the interconnected nature of listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking through the seven integrated strands of developing and sustaining foundational language skills.  This double-blocked course is designed for beginning to intermediate English speaking students with less than 3 years in the United States.  

English Learners Language Arts Grade 8:  Objectives and expectations mirror those of English Grade 8 with the addition of foundational language development expectations.  Course content is adapted and scaffolded as appropriate for English learners (ELs) proficiency levels using the ELLA TEKS.  The course focuses on the interconnected nature of listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking through the seven integrated strands of developing and sustaining foundational language skills.  This double-blocked course is designed for beginning to intermediate English speaking students with less than 3 years in the United States.  

Newcomer Center: All students who enroll in Arlington ISD will complete a home language survey.  If the home language survey indicates a language other than English, students are evaluated for language proficiency.  After evaluation, those students who qualify may be enrolled in the Newcomer Center.  The Newcomer Center is an alternative education program designed to meet the needs of recent immigrant students in grades 7-10. To be eligible for the Newcomer Center program, students must be English language learners who have been enrolled in schools in the United States for less than two years.  

Bilingual

Arlington ISD supports Spanish-speaking students through a fully articulated PK-6 bilingual program.  What is the bilingual program?  Many people think of English as a Second Language (ESL) when they try to answer that question.  Both programs serve students whose first language is not English, but they are not the same.  In ESL classrooms, students speak any number of languages, so the teacher instructs only in English. In a bilingual classroom, the students are heritage Spanish speakers and teachers teach content in both Spanish and English, while providing accommodations and scaffolding as English language proficiency develops.  

Campuses with a large population of Spanish speaking students within their campus boundaries are able to provide a bilingual Spanish-speaking program at their home campus.  For campuses with a smaller number of students requiring services, a feeder pattern has been established along with transportation to and from the student’s home campus if the student lives more than two miles from the designated campus.  Currently, 24 campuses in AISD serve bilingual students, including Kooken Educational Center, a Pre-K center serving 3 and 4 year-old students.