The goals of the Bilingual Education program are to ensure that English Language Learners are provided with content area instruction in the native language and in English, which will allow them to develop academic skills while acquiring English language skills. The aim of the program is to prepare the students to communicate in social settings, to function successfully in academic settings, and to meet graduation requirements.
The Bilingual Education program takes into consideration the cultural background of the students in the program and as the same time introduces the students to the culture of the Inited States. Developmental ESL instruction is an integral part of the Bilingual Eduction program.
The Linden Public School District has two state-approved part-time alternative, transitional Bilingual Education programs in Polish and Spanish. The Bilingual program includes all required courses and activities available to other students in the district. On the elementary level, the pre-kindergarten ELL students are identified by a language survey when registering and tested using the WIDA Model for Kindergarten Assessment. They are taught by their general curriculum teachers in the neighborhood schools. Ongoing professional development is given to the pre-K teachers on second language pedagogy and methodology.
At the elementary level the district has designated four out of our seven elementary schools as ESL magnet schools. Part-time Bilingual programs are in place at School #6 for students whose native language is Polish and at School #2 for those students whose primary language is Spanish. In both schools, students are mainstreamed in English program classes, but receive daily instruction by a certified bilingual teacher in Mathematics and Reading.