Current ELL Situation
There are currently 58 English Language Learners in Living Sky School Division. The number has doubled each of the past three years. The Immigration Resource Centre in North Battleford cannot provide future student projections. Even in the absence of solid projections, it seems prudent to expect the number to increase, though perhaps at a slower rate.
The largest number of ELL students are at Lawrence School and NBCHS, but most schools in the Battlefords have at least two or three. Several rural schools also have ELL students. (Of course, our three Hutterite Colony Schools are 100% ELL, with the students speaking only German before coming to school.) Parents and families of ELL students quickly form attachments to the schools their children attend, and most often do not want to move.
How are ELL Students Supported in Living Sky School Division?
We have a specialist teacher at NBCHS with overseas experience and an ELL Aide at Lawrence School, who has completed the CERTESL (Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language) training at the University of Saskatchewan. We have a library of resources housed at Lawrence School, and a site license for Rosetta Stone, a computer language program, which is heavily used by new arrivals. Support at other schools comes through Students Services teachers and EAs. Many schools have at least one teacher with overseas teaching experience. We currently have one teacher and one EA receiving bursary support from Living Sky School Division to complete the CERTESL program.
http://www.extension.usask.ca/ExtensionDivision/credit/Certificate/CERTESL.html
How are we increasing our ELL Capacity?
We have a committee of teachers, administrators, and educational assistants advising us. We are expanding the number of bursaries available to Living Sky teachers and staff to attend or participate on-line in the CERTESL training. The library collection at Lawrence School is being updated annually. A resource kit for teachers receiving an ELL student is being prepared based on McRel’s Classroom Instruction that Works for ELL.
Where are we going?
Our ELL students are a tremendous resource for Living Sky School Division. First of all, they bring the world to our classrooms and help us teach global citizenship. They also give us living examples of Canada’s strengths as a multicultural society. As well, most of them come from cultures that place a high value on education, and they therefore model a positive work ethic in their studies for all our students to see. Overall, they raise the bar on achievement and invite our students to live in a larger world. We are making every effort to see that they are welcomed and that they have the programs they need to succeed in Living Sky School Division.
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