English as a Second Language
ESL Policy Guidelines 1999 - Focus on the Learner
The student's strength, proficiency and literacy in the first language correlate positively with the acquisition of a second language. As students develop an understanding of the general features of language through their first language, they can bring this knowledge to the task of second language learning.
Planning for the Learner
Adaptations to the provincially prescribed curriculum for ESL students should be made on the basis of assessed student needs. Language cannot be taught effectively in isolation. The ESL student's program should therefore focus on the acquisition of language, knowledge, and cultural understanding that will enable the student to access the provincially prescribed curriculum.
Planning for ESL learners should recognize the objective of integration into the mainstream school program as soon as feasible in order to achieve the expected learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum. ESL students must continue to develop socially and academically as they acquire English language skills. It is therefore best if they are integrated, with support, into mainstream classes with their English-speaking peers as soon as their English-language skills are sufficient to enable them to learn effectively in such a setting. For further information on adaptations to the provincially prescribed curriculum, see the section on "Required Areas of Study in an Educational Program Order" in the Manual of School Law, 1995.
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