ESL Services

All English Learners (ELs) attend their local school. There are EL teachers assigned to every Hardin County School (HCS), most on an itinerant basis. EL teachers work directly with students within their classroom setting, individually, or small groups. The type of services a student receives is based upon their English level and support needs. English is taught through the core content curriculum of the classroom as well as an EL curriculum.

Currently, the following services are offered to EL students in Hardin County:

• Content-based EL: Programs in which English is taught through the content areas of mathematics, English language arts, science, and social studies.
• Pull-out EL/Resource: Programs remove ELs from general education classes to pre-teach, teach, or re-teach English language skills and/or academic content covered by the general education classroom teacher.
• Structured English immersion (Push-In): Programs in which EL teachers or bilingual instructional aides provide linguistic and academic support to ELLs in the general education classrooms.

The EL Coordinator works with EL staff and classroom teachers to enhance their abilities to work with ELs in the classroom setting. Strategies are implemented to make it easier for your child to understand the classroom content.

Currently, Hardin County Schools does not have bilingual classes or a newcomer academy for students who recently arrive in this country. All students are assigned to a regular English speaking classroom with an English speaking teacher. The amount of service provided by the EL teacher depends on the English Language Proficiency of your child. If a student is in the beginning stages of learning English, they will be seen by an EL teacher more often than students who have more English language ability. The amount of time is detailed in each student's Program Service Plan (PSP).