ELD Model

Elementary Grades K-5

The nature of the ELD program at the elementary level is a pull-out model where ML students are grouped by language proficiency and seen during a dedicated block of instruction during the regular school day.  This model supports the mainstream classroom while providing English Language Development.  All educators share the responsibility of educating our ML student population, not just the Bilingual or ESL teachers. We see ourselves as "language teachers" regardless of the specific content area we teach.

• Newcomer Program : This program is designed for students who are new to the school (less than 10 months) and have little or no English proficiency, and/or interrupted formal education. The program is offered at schools where 10 or more newcomers in grades 3-5 are currently enrolled. 

• Pull-Out: In ELD pull-out programs students from one or more classrooms or grade levels attend special intensive language classes for part of each day. In other cases, the ESL specialist may work with ML's in their own classrooms and acts as a resource to their regular classroom teachers.

Middle and High School Grades 6-12

MLs are scheduled for ELD classes by English proficiency level. Eligible students may also participate in sheltered/bilingual classes. These classes are taught by regular education teachers who have received and/or continue to receive professional development on ways to make curriculum content comprehensible for ML students.

Non-Public 

An itinerant CT TESOL certified teacher provides ESL services to the ML student population in the non-public schools.

Bilingual Programs

For eligible Spanish- and Portuguese- dominant students, native language support is provided for a minimum of thirty months.

"Program of bilingual education" means a program of instruction in which eligible children are placed until such time as such children attain a level of proficiency in English which is sufficient to assure equal educational opportunity in the regular school program, including, but not limited to, educational experiences to enable eligible children to become proficient in English, subject matter instruction in the dominant language of eligible children, and provision of opportunities for eligible children to participate with and learn from children for other linguistic and cultural backgrounds that:

• Makes instructional use of both English and an eligible student's native language;

• Enables eligible students to achieve English proficiency and academic mastery of subject matter content and higher order skills, including critical thinking, so as to meet appropriate grade promotion and graduation requirements;

• Provides for the continuous increase in the use of English and corresponding decrease in the use of the native language for the purpose of instruction within each year and from year to year and provides to the use of English for more than half of the instructional time by the end of the first year;

• May develop the native language skills of eligible students; and may include the participation of English-proficient students if the program is designed to enable all enrolled students to become more proficient in English and a second language.

BILINGUAL MODELS in Danbury  

(Based on CT State Law)

School-based Spanish bilingual programs are offered at all schools. School-based Portuguese bilingual programs are offered at: Ellsworth Avenue, Hayestown Avenue, King Street Primary, Morris Street, Park Avenue, Shelter Rock, South Street, Stadley Rough, Broadview Middle, Rogers Park Middle, and Danbury High. 

Elementary: Grades K-5

Spanish and Portuguese Bilingual Programs are offered at the elementary level. These are school-based Spanish and Portuguese bilingual support programs that consist of a combination of "pull-out" and/or "push-in"/co-teaching approaches for eligible K-5 students. Some schools offer dedicated bilingual Spanish classes for Kindergarten or Grade 1.

Middle School: Grades 6-8

Spanish and Portuguese bilingual programs are offered at the middle schools. The program provides bilingual classes in the content areas (mathematics, science, and social studies). These classes are co-taught by certified content and bilingual teachers. Additionally, students attend classes which focus on English language development. 

Danbury High School: Grades 9-12

Spanish and Portuguese bilingual programs are offered, allowing Spanish and Portuguese dominant students to attend content area classes supported by native language instruction, in the areas of mathematics and social studies. Sheltered English classes complement the program in other content areas. 

A Spanish or Portuguese bilingual program consisting of a two-year sequence supported by ESL language arts and content-area classes allows first and second year eligible Spanish dominant students to attend classes taught in their native language and English. 

The bilingual teachers make instructional use of both English and Spanish or Portuguese enabling students to achieve English proficiency and academic mastery of subject matter content. All bilingual programs provide for the continuous increase in the use of English and corresponding decrease in the use of the native language for the purpose of instruction. English is used more than half of the instructional time by the end of the first year.

All bilingual programs include, by design, English-as-a-second-language (ESL). ESL instruction uses only English as the instructional language and enables students to achieve English proficiency and academic mastery of subject matter content and higher order skills, including critical thinking, so as to meet appropriate grade promotion and graduation requirements. This integration between content and language instruction is essential even when students, enrolled in bilingual programs, receive instruction, in at least some of the content areas, through their native language.

Mandated Secondary ESL Program Grades 10-12

Four levels of English as a Second Language (ESL) are offered at Danbury High School. All ML's attend a double block ESL class to strengthen their development of English. In addition, Transitional English class allows advanced MLL's and LTSS students a smoother transition to the mainstream. 

Sheltered English

In the content areas, Sheltered English classes are offered. These classes are taught by regular classroom teachers who receive training on how to make subject-area content comprehensible for ML students. Students in these classes are "sheltered" in that they do not compete academically with native English speakers since the class includes only MLs.

Additional ESL classes have been added to accommodate the needs of an ever growing influx of ML students and to respond to LTSS guidelines.