About Our ESL Program
The Cresskill Public School District is comprised of a culturally and linguistically diverse student population. Students from around the world have been or are currently registered in our district. To meet the needs of our diverse population, we have developed an extensive program to help our English Language Learners achieve competency and return to mainstream learning as soon as they are ready.
Our English Language Learner Program in Cresskill has been designed as a “High Intensity” English as a Second Language Program. Our English Language Learners comprise approximately six percent of our student population K-12. Our two main emergent bilingual populations are Korean and Hebrew speakers, although approximately fourteen other languages are represented in the district.
The Curriculum for English Language Learners is based on the WIDA standards. Listening, speaking, reading and writing skills are developed through a “hands on” approach. A variety of multicultural literature is used. Content area is supported in preparation for standardized testing. English Language Learners will communicate in English for Social and Instructional purposes within the school setting. ELLs will communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content areas of Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.
Assessment is conducted annually in the spring. All students in grades K-12 will take the ACCESS for ELLs. All areas above are assessed.
Do You Qualify for ESL Services?
Students who are registered as speaking a language other than English at home are identified on our Home Language Survey. Those students are then screened by certified ESL teachers for their English language proficicency level.
All ESL students are tested in the Spring with the ACCESS for ELLs test to determine their proficiency level in English. Exiting the ESL program is based on multiple criteria including their performance in the main classroom as well as ESL, feedback from teachers, ACCESS for ELLs test results, and other state testing results.