Welcome to Elite Language Institute Welcome to ELI! Now that you are a student at our school there is some important information you need to know. Please follow these steps so you are well informed about ELI class schedule, tuition payments, and school policy. STEP 1 -Make a payment to ELI (Tuitions, Textbooks, any school related fees) STEP 2- Take a placement test STEP 3 - Watch our Orientation Video. STEP 4 - Read this welcome package which includes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. ELI Policy Orientation Handout. Class Information. Frequently Asked Questions. Make-up Classes Handout. Class schedule & Tuition due dates. If you complete these 4 simple steps you will know everything that you need to know to start your classes. Enjoy your Classes! ELITE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE | POLICY ORIENTATION HANDOUT Satisfactory Progress Policy *Good Status = 80% attendance, 70% grade average, no past due tuition 1. Attendance Policy You must be enrolled full-time in an AM or PM class for credit. (Not both – 18 hours/week) You may not attend the morning and the evening class on the same day. You must maintain a minimum of 80% class attendance each month. 2. Absences You must maintain your attendance at 80% or more. Only 3 absences per month are allowed First, Second, and Final warnings will be given for additional consecutive absences. Two weeks in a row of absences will result in Termination. 3. Check your attendance every Monday Attendance will be posted every Monday. It is YOUR responsibility to check your attendance. You only have 2 weeks to make attendance change requests to the front office. 4. Make-up Classes (More details on the last page) Alternative Class If you miss class, you can attend the alternative class (AM for PM or PM for AM) on the same day up to 4 times per month. Pronunciation/Accent Reduction You can only attend Pronunciation class up to 3 classes of credit per month. Pronunciation class meets Mon-Thurs 1:30-5:00 (3.5 hours) and Fri – 11:00-3:00 (4 hours). Arrive on-time; there is a maximum of 18 seats in the class. No extra students will be permitted. Arrive early as the class fills up quickly. Check back at 3:30 because new seats often open up. You receive 4 classes of credit by attending a full class Monday - Friday. You receive 0.75 credits for attending each day You must participate in the class to receive credit. If you attend class but do not participate, you can be banned from Pronunciation class for 1 month. DynEd Usage Only two hoursper week of DynED completed outside of class time is allowed for make-up attendance. Two hours of DynEd equals 0.5 days of credit per week. The cut out time for DynEd for each week is every Sunday midnight. 5. Tardies/Early Departures If you are more than 10 minutes late to class= .25 absences (1 hour missed). If you leave more than 10 minutes before class ends= .25 absences (1 hour missed). Lunch/Dinner break is only 30 minutes. Please return from breaks on time to avoid losing credit for 1/4 a class. 6. Academics You must pass your class with 70% or over. If you do not pass the class with over 70%, you will be required to repeat the class. If you do not pass the class on the second time, you will face termination. You must have permission from the curriculum director to repeat a class that you have already passed with over 70%. If you are worried about your academic performance, please set up an appointment with your teacher to discuss possible options (moving to a different level, make-up work, tutoring etc.). 7. Tuition rates________________________________________________________________________ - $650/each for 6 months: Initial Students/Initial Transfer Students 1) Entered the U.S. with a newly issued I-20 by ELI 2) F-1 visa change got approved in the U.S. with ELI I-20 3) Entered the U.S. with I-20 from different school but never enrolled or enrolled but never completed a term in the previous school 4) Reinstatement was approved through ELI - $500/each for 4 months: Transfer-In Students 1) Transferred to ELI from other SEVP school with minimum one term completion with or without status 3) Permanent Resident or the U.S. citizen for Just Study $450/each: Just Study: Visa holders except for F1 visa. Allowed to study only up to 90% of the full time study. Minimum study of one month required. 8. Tuition Due Dates Please check the calendar for tuition due dates. If you pay your tuition late, you will be charged a late fee ($35-$70) If you are more than 30 days late paying your tuition, you will be at risk of termination. 9. Course Textbooks You must purchase class textbooks no later than one week after your enrollment date. If you do not have your own copy of the textbooks bythat time, you may not receive attendance credit. 10. Vacation/ Policy You will be allowed a one month vacation after attending full-time for four months (if you are in *Good Status). Once you use one month vacation, you are required to enroll minimum three months. 11. Enrollment Agreement/Transferring Out Transfer Students – 4 month registration period required Initial Students – 6 month registration period required You must maintain good status throughout the registration period in order to transfer out in *Good Status. Tuition must be paid and up-to-date on tuition in order to transfer out. If you are planning on transferring out, you MUST notify the office immediately Do NOT stop attending classes. This may result in termination No refunds will be given for those who transfer-out early 12. ELI Scholarship Students may receive a scholarship after an 8 month study enrollment. Scholarship may be used to pay 1 month of tuition ($500) or to take 1 additional month of vacation Attendance: monthly attendance of 90% or more for last 8 months (not average) Grades: monthly grade of 90%or better on previous 2 final exams and 2 mid-term exams (not average) 13. Classroom Policies English is the only language spoken in the classroom Please do not use cell-phones in the classroom (unless you have permission from the instructor) If you are considered disruptive or disrespectful you may be asked to leave the class. You will be put on probation for: poor attendance, no participation in class, not completing final exams, failing to pay tuition, interfering with the teacher’s ability to teach class You will be terminated after two warnings for: continued absences after probation notice is given, not completing final exams, over 30 days late on paying tuition, violating school policy repeatedly, etc. 14. No Littering! Please help us keep the school facility and parking lot clean Please throw away all cups, food, cigarette buds, etc. If you are caught littering, you will be penalized with 2 days of absences 15. Smoking Areas Smoking is only allowed outside at least 25 feet away from the door on the side of the building. Smoking is not allowed in the front of the building. All violations of smoking policies will result in a $25 fee. Do NOT smoke inside (especially in the bathrooms) Do NOT use the any of the emergency exits. You must go downstairs and use the front door 16. Extreme Weather Cancellations Call the front desk in advance, or check our Facebook page for extreme weather cancellations Attendance credit will be given for cancelled classes 17. LIKE ELI on Facebook Check our Facebook page regularly for alerts, news, announcements, and photos @ www.facebook.com/elitedallas ELITE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE | CLASS INFORMATION Schedule Elite Language Institute has a flexible class schedule that allows you to easily achieve the 18 hours per week of study required by law for F1 visa students. AM Classes – Monday - Thursday 9:00am – 1:30pm PM Classes – Monday - Thursday 5:00pm – 9:30pm Pronunciation – Monday - Thursday 1:30-5:00 | Friday 11:00 - 3:30 Classes ESL Level I This is a true beginner ESL class that focuses on introducing the basic English core skills, grammar, and vocabulary. Prerequisites -None Textbook / Workbook – Top NotchFundamentals(ISBN: 978-0-13-279485-5) Grammar Book – Basic English Grammar (ISBN: 978-0-13-184937-9) ESL Level II This is an upper beginner ESL class that builds on the basic English core skills, grammar, and vocabulary learned in ESL Level I. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level I or 42% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Top Notch1(ISBN: 978-0-13-279486-2) Grammar Book – Basic English Grammar (ISBN: 978-0-13-184937-9) ESL Level III This is the first of two intermediate ESL classes that introduces more complex English concepts while building on the basic skills learned in previous levels. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level II or 52% on placement exam Textbook– Top Notch2(ISBN: 978-0-13-2794879) Grammar Book – Fundamentals of English Grammar (ISBN: 978-0-13-246932-6) ESL Level IV This is an upper intermediate ESL class that continues to improve on more complex English concepts while perfecting the basic skills learned at previous levels. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level III or 62% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Top Notch3(ISBN: 978-0-13-279484-8) Grammar Book – Fundamentals of English Grammar (ISBN: 978-0-13-246932-6) ESL Level V This is the first of two advanced ESL classes that focuses on introducing high-level competencies in English grammar, vocabulary, communication, reading, and writing, in preparation to achieve fluency. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level IV or 72% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Summit 1(ISBN: 978-0-13-298636-6) Grammar Book – Understanding & Using English Grammar (ISBN: 0-13-184937-9) ESL Level VI This is an upper advanced ESL class that continues to improve high-level competencies in English grammar, vocabulary, communication, reading, and writing, with the goal of achieving fluency. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level V or 82% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Summit 2(ISBN: 978-0-13-298635-9) Grammar Book – Understanding & Using English Grammar (ISBN: 0-13-184937-9) Communication This is an advanced ESL class that focuses on improving interpersonal communication, discussion, debate, public speaking and presentation. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level V or 82% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Speech Communication Made Simple(ISBN: 978-0-13-195544-6) Grammar Book – Understanding & Using English Grammar (ISBN: 0-13-184937-9) Future Insight This is an advanced ESL class that focuses on improving functional English skills such as resume and cover letter writing, and interview skills, while teaching aspects of American civics, law, culture, and other important information for foreigners living in the US. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level V or 82% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Future: English for Results 5(ISBN: 978-0-13-240875-2) Grammar Book – Understanding & Using English Grammar (ISBN: 0-13-184937-9) GRE English This is a GRE training course. In it you will learn all the skills that are necessary to achieve an excellent score on the English portion of the GRE exam. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level V or 82% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Barron’s GRE 21st edition (978-1-4380-0568-3) & 5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems (978-1-941234-51-8) TOEFL This is a TOEFL iBT training course. In it you will learn the core skills (reading and listening comprehension, speaking, essay writing) and advanced test taking skills necessary to excel on the TOEFL iBT test, in preparation for college or university admission. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level VI or 92% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Longman Preparation Course for TOEFL iBT(ISBN: 978-0-13-324800-5) Civics and American Politics This is an advanced ESL class that focuses on improving the learners’ knowledge of American government and politics. Some of the topics covered include: the constitution, the court system and the federal government. Prerequisites - 70% in ESL Level V or 82% on placement exam Textbook / Workbook – Keeping the Republic, Power and Citizenship in American Politics (978-1-4833-5289-3) Pronunciation/Accent Reduction This is a mixed level extra-credit class that can be used to make-up attendance, or for extra study. In it you will learn advanced concepts of pronunciation such as reduction, stress, and intonation that will help you speak more clearly and effectively. Prerequisites - None Textbook / Workbook – None College Admission Advantage Elite Language Institute has conditional admission agreements with a number of popular Texas universities. These agreements state that a student who passes ESL Level VI with 70% or above is eligible to apply to program of their choice without the need for language proficiency tests (TOEFL or IELTS). Elite Language Institute currently has conditional admission agreements with the following institutions: Texas Wesleyan University Abilene Christian University Location: Fort Worth, TX Established 1890 Students: 3,378 Website: www.txwes.edu Location: Abilene, TX Established 1906 Students: 4,558 Website: www.acu.edu Texas A&M Commerce Texas Health & Science University Location: Commerce, TX Established 1889 Students: 12,500 Website: www.tamuc.edu Location: Austin, TX Established 1990 Students: 120 Website: www.thsu.edu ELITE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. When is tuition due? Tuition is due on the Friday before the start of the next monthly session. For example, if the monthly session starts on Monday, January 5th, tuition is due on Friday, January 2nd. Please see the “Class / Break Schedule & Tuition Due Dates”handout for more information. 2. How can I get a discount on tuition? There are a few ways to get discounted tuition: Pay all 4 months in advance to receive a 5% discount. Refer another student to receive a one-time $30 referral bonus. Refer a family member to receive a 5% monthly discount. 3. How do I request vacation? You may request a 4 week vacation after 4 months of 80% attendance. All you need to do is apply in person at the office. 4. Can I vacation outside the United States? Yes you can. If you are approved for a vacation, simply come to the office and ask for the Designated School Official. He/she will sign the 3rd page of your I-20, which gives you authorization to travel outside the US. You are not able to travel outside the US if you have received a change of visa or if your F-1 visa is expired. 5. How do I apply for a scholarship? If you have attended ELI for 8 months and have 90% attendance and 90% grades over that time period, you can apply for a scholarship. Just come to the front desk and ask for an application. If approved, you receive an extra month of vacation or a month of paid tuition! 6. How can I get reduced fair through DART? Although ELI does not proved student IDs, we have arranged for our students to receive a reduced fair through DART. Visit the front desk and ask for the “Reduced College/Trade School Student ID Application”. 7. How can I get/renew my driver’s license? ELI is just around the corner from a DPS office, so you can quickly apply for a new Texas State Driver’s License, or renew your currently license. You will need your “active” I-20 and a letter provided by the office, as well as the documents required by DPS. Visit their website at: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlicense/identificationrequirements.htm 8. How can I request transcripts? ELI is a language school and does not offer college credit. As a result, we do not have transcripts. If applying to a college or university that requires transcripts, please come to the office and request a “No Transcripts Letter”. If you want to know your grades, simply request you “Monthly Performance Report” or “MPR”. 9. How long is my term? If you are a student who transferred to our school from another institute, and you had an “Active” I-20 when you transferred, you have a 4 month term. If you are a new student, change of visa student, or student who has been approved for reinstatement, you have an “Initial” I-20 and are responsible for a 6 month term. 10. How do I change my address on SEVIS? It is important to keep your personal information, especially your address, up-to-date on SEVIS. If you change addresses make sure to visit the office and complete a “Change of Address” form. This form will be submitted to the Designated School Official, who will change your address in SEVIS. ELITE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE | MAKE-UP CLASS INFORMATION ELI has a number of flexible options that allow YOU to make-up absences and earn extra credit. Pronunciation Class This is a mixed level extra credit class based on speaking and pronunciation. It is a fun class that will help you eliminate absences while also improving your English communication skills. Please note that the Friday Pronunciation class is longer, and worth more credit, than the classes from Monday to Thursday. When: Monday to Thursday 1:30 – 5:00 Where: Sharon’s TOEFL classroom How Much Credit: 0.75 of a class When: Friday 11:00 – 3:30 Where: Sharon’s TOEFL classroom How Much Credit: 1 class Maximum Credits: 1 credit per week / 3 credits per month DynEd This is an online study tool that allows you to study on your own time while making up absences. When: The weekly hours will count from Monday 12:01 AM until Sunday 12:00 AM Where: The Computer Lab, your personal computer, or your mobile device How: Purchase the USB from the front desk for $50 or search for the free application on Itunes and Google Play Store under the name “DynEd” or at http://web2.dyned.com/download/student.shtml.en How Much Credit: 0.5 classes per 2 hours of study time. Maximum Credits: 0.5 credits per week / 2 credits per month Alternative Class If you have to miss your regular class, take the same class earlier or later in the day to earn your credit. When: The same day as your missed class How: If you are an AM student, take the PM class / If you are a PM student, take the AM class. How Much Credit: 1 class Maximum Credits: 1 credit per week / 4 credit per month Follow these make-up class rules to keep your attendance above 80% and keep yourself in good status! For any further questions, please consult our office staff.