Bilingual & ESL

During the school year 2013-14, nearly 2,500 English Language Learners were enrolled at Pathways to Graduation. Close to 50% of those students were new entrants to the NYC Department of Education. English learners face an array of academic and social challenges as they adjust to life in New York City. Nevertheless newcomers at Pathways to Graduation are under even greater pressure to perform. They must accelerate language development while acquiring the content needed to obtain their high school equivalency diploma - all before the age of 22.

It is our responsibility, as educators and advocates, to provide quality instruction that is both equal and equitable for all minoritized students. As Conchas (2001) reminds us, schools have the ability to circumvent inequality if students and teachers work in consort toward academic success.

Pathways to Graduation offers two program options for students who are designated English Language Learners (ELLs):

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Freestanding English as a Second Language (ESL) 

The majority of ELL students are placed in a freestanding ESL program. Our ESL program emphasizes English language acquisition, with varying levels of support in the home language. Students enrolled in our ESL program come from a variety of home language backgrounds, including but not limited to, French, Bangla, Chinese, Punjabi, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Urdu, Fulani, Wolof, Mandingo, and many more! English is the common language among students and the principle language of instruction. Students are grouped according to their level of English proficiency as demonstrated by CLAS-E results.

At select Pathways to Graduation sites, the freestanding ESL program is either self-contained or departmentalized:

Self-Contained - ELLs are grouped together and receive leveled instruction in ESL and basic content areas from one ESL teacher.

Departmentalized or Content-Based Model - ELLs receive content-area and English language instruction simultaneously in ESL, Writing, Math,       Science, Social Studies, and Technology Literacy. ESL content-area teachers must be bilingual and/or ESL certified depending on the level served.

Students enrolled in the ESL program are preparing to take the TASC™ in English.

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Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) 

Transitional bilingual classes are available only to Spanish-dominant, newcomer students who comprise 59.7% of our current ELL population.

At select Pathways to Graduation sites, the transitional bilingual program is organized by cohort. Each cohort includes: an ESL component designed to develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English; a Home Language Arts (NLA) component designed to develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the students’ home language; and a Math component in the home language. Ideally, as students develop English language skills, instruction time in the native language decreases. Students in the transitional bilingual program are preparing to take the TASC™ in Spanish.