THE RIGHT MOVES
Transition to Secondary School
for English Language Learners
Understanding ESL/ELD Support
at Secondary School
A Guide for Ontario Middle School Educators
To help prevent middle school English language
learners from becoming
“LOST
IN TRANSITION”
this slide show has been developed to assist you
in supporting ELLs and their families with the
transition to secondary school.
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Terms and Issues
What do the following mean?
•
•
•
•
ELL
ESL
Everyday English
Academic English
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ELL:
English Language Learner
English language learners are students in provincially
funded English language schools whose first language
is a language other than English, or is a variety of
English that is significantly different from the variety
used for instruction in Ontario’s schools, and who
may require focused educational supports to assist
them in attaining proficiency in English.
(English Language Learners, ESL and ELD Programs and Services: Policies and Procedures for Ontario Elementary and Secondary
Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12, Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007)
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What is ESL?
English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are for
students whose first language is other than English or
is a variety of English significantly different from that
used for instruction in Ontario schools. Students in
these programs have age-appropriate first language
literacy skills and educational backgrounds.
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English Proficiency:
Everyday and Academic
In order to participate in the curriculum learning
taking place in their classrooms, English language
learners must achieve two types of English
proficiency:
•
•
Everyday English proficiency
Academic English proficiency
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Everyday English
Everyday English takes 1 – 2 years to acquire.
Everyday English proficiency is relatively easy for
most ELLs to master, usually within one to two
years, because the vocabulary and language skills
directly relate to their immediate surroundings, daily
lives and needs.
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Everyday English
proficiency includes:
• the ability to maintain a face-to-face conversation
with peers and others in various settings, inside and
outside the classroom
• the ability to talk, read, or write about familiar
content or about what is happening here and now
• knowledge about basic vocabulary/high frequency
words such as old, food, tired, cars, trees
• the ability to use simple sentences and the active
voice such as: We heated the water until it boiled. We
used a thermometer to measure the temperature.
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Strong Everyday English
proficiency enables ELLs to:
• Communicate more effectively with teachers and
peers in social contexts
• Integrate well into their new school environment
• Interact comfortably with English speakers outside of
school
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Academic English
Academic English takes 5 -7 years to acquire.
Academic English is more difficult to acquire and
takes much longer, often five or more years. ELLs
are working hard to catch up to a moving target –
they are learning the language of instruction at the
same time as they are learning the grade curriculum.
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Academic language
proficiency includes:
• the ability to understand when there is less
opportunity for interaction (e.g. listening to a
presentation or reading a textbook)
• the ability to talk, read, and write about content that
has fewer connections to prior learning or personal
experience, is more abstract, and is more distant in
space or time (e.g., learning about the water cycle,
studying the earth’s crust, or learning about the
economic differences in Canada’s various regions)
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Academic language
proficiency includes:
• knowledge of more sophisticated, low frequency
vocabulary such as ancient, nutrition, fatigued, vehicles
or deciduous
• the ability to use more complex sentences and
grammatical structures such as: When the water was
heated to the boiling point, a thermometer was used to
measure the temperature.
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Implications
Although students may be integrated into
mainstream classrooms and functioning well on an
everyday, social level, they may still be in the
process of acquiring the academic English language
skills which will be needed for academic success at
secondary school and beyond.
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Eligibility
• Regardless of length of time in Canada, ELLs who
need ESL courses at secondary school are eligible to
take them.
• Students who have not received ESL support in the
middle grades due to various program delivery
considerations, can still transition into ESL courses at
secondary school.
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ESL programs
at secondary school
The framework of ESL programs in secondary school
differs significantly from the framework of ESL
programs in elementary school.
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Differences between
ESL programs at
Elementary and Secondary
Elementary School
Secondary School
• ESL is a
support program
• ESL are CREDIT granting
courses
• ELLs may be
• in an intensive small
group setting
• withdrawn from other
classes
• receive in-class support
• be monitored
• ESL courses are offered as
part of the student’s
timetable, similar to English,
math, or any other subject
• Up to THREE ESL courses
may be substituted for
compulsory ENG credit
requirements
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ESL programs
at Secondary School
• are set up on a continuum from ESL A to ESL E
• ESL A introduces students to the English language
and helps them adapt to their new lives in Canada
• ESL E provides students with the skills and
strategies they need to make the transition to
college and university preparation courses at the
senior level in ENG and other subject areas
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Pathways to English
ELD Level 1
ELDAO
ESL Level 1
ESLAO
ELD Level 2
ELDBO
ESL Level 2
ESLBO
ELD Level 3
ELDCO
ESL Level 3
ESLCO
ELD Level 4
ELDDO
ENG1P/1D
ENG2P/2D
ENG3E/4E
ESL Level 4
ESLDO
ENG3U/3C
ENG4U/4C
ESL Level 5
ESLEO
ELD Level 5
ELDEO
ENGLDCC
ENG1P/2P
ENG3E/4E
Please note that not all ELLs will follow this sequence
exactly and individual students may vary in the rate at
which they progress through the levels.
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A sample of expectations
at different ESL levels
Skills
ESL A
ESL B
ESL C
ESL D
ESL E
Listening
and
Speaking
Present ideas and
information orally for
academic purposes in
simple, highly
structured situations.
(e.g., retell key events
from a photo
montage or picture
sequence)
Present ideas and
information orally for
academic purposes in
simple, structured
situations (e.g., tell a
brief story about an
imaginary or real
event following a
model provided by
the teacher)
Present ideas and
information orally
for academic
purposes in
supported situations
(e.g., make short
oral presentations
on familiar topics
using elements of
presentation format)
Present ideas and
information orally for
academic purposes in
a variety of situations
(e.g., plan and make
oral presentations on
school-related topics
using subject specific
vocabulary)
Present ideas and
information orally for
academic purposes in a
wide variety of situations
(e.g., explain a viewpoint
on a current issue
during a debate)
Reading
Respond to simple
texts created or
adapted for English
language learners
(e.g., create a pictorial
representation of a
story)
Respond to simplified
or adapted texts in a
variety of ways (e.g.,
participate in an
informal class
discussion)
Respond to adapted
and authentic texts
in a variety of ways
(e.g., identify and
discuss story
elements )
Respond to more
complex authentic
texts in a variety of
ways (e.g., connect
ideas in the text to
their own knowledge,
experience and
insights
Respond to more
complex authentic texts
in a variety of ways
(e.g., write a critical
review of a book or
article)
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Sample ESL Expectations
Skills
ESL A
ESL B
ESL C
ESL D
ESL E
Writing
Organize
information in
chronological,
sequential or
spatial order in a
scaffolded
paragraph
Organize information
relating to a central
idea in a short
paragraph with a
topic sentence,
supporting details,
and a concluding
sentence
Organize information
relating to a central
idea in a series of
several linked
paragraphs
Organize information
relating to a central
idea in a structured
composition of three
or more paragraphs.
Organize information in a
logically structured essay
of five or more
paragraphs that includes
a these statement, body
and conclusion.
Socio-Cultural
Competence
and Media
Literacy
View, read and
listen to simple
media texts to
obtain information
and complete
assigned tasks
(e.g., report the
weather as
forecast on
television)
View read and listen
to a number of media
texts to obtain
information and
complete assigned
tasks (e.g.,
television, radio and
internet news
broadcasts)
View read and listen
to media texts to
compare the
information available
on a subject or issue
in different sources.
View read and listen
to media texts and
identify strategies
used in them to
influence audiences
View read and listen to
media texts and explain
some ways in which they
influence society
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Placement Information
• Students may enter the ESL continuum at any level.
• Students who are not in an ESL program at
elementary or middle school but who require ESL
courses may move into them at secondary school.
• Secondary schools may vary in the range of ESL
courses that they offer.
• Check with your local secondary school to
determine which ESL courses are offered.
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Subject Support
In addition to ESL courses, some secondary schools
offer sections of other courses designated for ELLs,
such as:
• ADA 1O8 - Dramatic Arts adapted for ELLs
• SNC 1D8 - Grade 9 Science for ELLs
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Subject Support con’t.
• ESL subject section courses are credit-granting
courses.
• These courses focus on the subject content while
placing emphasis on subject-related vocabulary,
language structures and cultural background in order
to support students who are acquiring English at the
same time that they are learning the subject.
• Often these subject specific courses are aligned with
specific ESL levels.
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Myths and Realities
Myth:
Some students and parents believe that having an ESL
course on a transcript will impact post-secondary
acceptance.
Reality:
Post secondary institutions look at students’
achievement in their final years. Taking ESL will give
students the skills to perform well in their senior
English courses and other subject areas.
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Important Additional
Considerations
• Students in ESL classes may receive a deferral from
the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
• Students in ESL classes can be given extra time and
other accommodations on tests, assignments and
exams in other subject courses
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