ESOL Program Overview

The ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program is designed to serve students whose native language is not English and to provide assistance to the schools that these students attend. Achievement for all students is the goal of Baltimore County Public Schools. The ESOL program provides direct instructional and educational support to English language learners. These students may be immigrants, refugees, non-permanent residents, or native-born Americans and possess a broad range of academic skills and knowledge of English.

ESOL instruction is provided for students whose English proficiency is not adequate for them to be fully successful in the regular classroom.  Listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills are all emphasized. By presenting different learning strategies through academic, social, and cultural activities, the ESOL program helps to meet the academic and social needs of the ESOL student. Students are also helped to understand U. S. culture while maintaining a positive concept of their own cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Level	Center	Model
Elementary	Home schools  Norwood Center	Pull-out
Middle	Dumbarton Middle Holabird Middle Lansdowne Middle Sudbrook Middle	Content Based
High	Dundalk High School Lansdowne High School Owings Mills High School Parkville High School Woodlawn High School	Content Based

Students in Pre-K through grade 5 participate in a pull-out program. Elementary ESOL provides a framework using content-based instruction that enables students to progress to succeeding levels in the program while enrolled in mainstream classes.  Secondary students attend an ESOL Center where they receive ESOL instruction on a daily basis and are mainstreamed into content courses as their English proficiency improves.

Multicultural and multi-linguistic skills are increasingly vital in today's global community. As part of Baltimore County Public Schools, ESOL embraces the vision for the academic success of every student.