Parents Students Staff Community

ESL

Title III/English as a Second Language (ESL) Program

Program Goals
Buncombe County Public Schools strives to maintain an ESL Program that works in conjunction with the wider school system to provide equal educational opportunities for students with diverse language backgrounds.  All second language students have equal access to content, facilities, and the full range of programs offered by BCS.

BCS works to foster an educational environment where all students can maintain pride in their own cultural and linguistic heritages while developing the knowledge and skills necessary for becoming positive, productive members of society.

The ESL Program's ultimate goal is that each LEP student in our system eventually reach grade-level English proficiency in all domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as measured by the WIDA and state academic assessments (end-of-grade and end-of-course).

Service Models
  • ESL "pull-out" classes which meet for approximately 30 minutes daily at the elementary level.
  • ESL elective classes in reading or writing, which meet for 60-90 minutes daily at the middle and high school levels.
  • Co-teaching between ESL and content teachers to deliver content instruction across all grades.
  • Sheltered instruction in which a content teacher is specifically trained to use a variety of ESL teaching strategies.
  • Newcomer Center for newly-arrived, novice English learners in middle and high school spend all day with intensive English language and literacy instruction for nine weeks to one year, depending upon the need.

Program Staff
37 ESL teachers in 41 schools.

For more information, please contact:
 
Geneva Neeriemer
Director of Federal Programs, 828-255-5966
 
Kelsie Berg
ESL SIOP Coach, 828-225-5277
 
Kathleen Worley
ESL SIOP Coach, 828-271-4515

ESL Program Office, 828-232-4239