Exiting means that an ESL student no longer requires pull-out or in-class support. English language instruction occurs in mainstream classes; however, an exited ESL student may be withdrawn from mainstream classes for specific help over a short period.

In general, the following conditions for exiting must be understood and met:

• Decisions about exiting the ESL program are taken by the ESL teacher in consultation with (the) class/subject teacher(s).

• Students leaving ESL should be functioning in class competently, fluently, confidently and with increasing accuracy.

• Students should be competitive with other exited students in fulfilling the student learning outcomes of the mainstream curriculum based i.a. on teacher observations, portfolios, writing samples and other appropriate class work.

Exiting from the program in the Primary School generally does not take place. This is due to the fact that a) even under optimal circumstances it takes at least five years for a foreign learner to achieve native fluency and, b) progress made in reading and writing is considerably slower than in speaking and listening. Therefore it is very difficult to measure proficiency in those areas in any meaningful way.

In addition to linguistic criteria for exiting the program, there are also social and psychological factors which are taken into consideration. These include:

• The child’s linguistic background

• His/her motivation and ability to work independently

• His/her longer-term academic plans after discussions with parents

• The attitude of the child towards learning English at FIS