ELL? TBE? ESL?

Those looking into bilingual/dual language schools may be familiar with the acronyms ELLS, TBE, ESL, etc. Here's a quick look at what these terms mean and how to determine what your child's needs.

In short, here's what the different acronyms stand for:

ELL- English Language Learner 

TBE- Transitional Bilingual Education 

ESL- English as a Second Language

What is an English Language Learner or ELL?

English Language Learners, or ELLS are newly enrolled students who have native languages other than English and need support learning English.

How does a school determine if my child is an ELL?

All parents/guardians of newly enrolled students must complete a Home Language Identification Survey (HLIS).

If HLIS indicates that your child uses a language other than English, he or she is administered an English proficiency test called the Language Assessment Battery Revised (LAB-R).

Once a child scores at a certain level of proficiency in English on the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT), he or she can enter a monolingual instructional program.

  

What ELL programs are available for my child?

Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE): programs include language arts and subject matter instruction in the students’ native language and English as well as intensive instruction in English as a Second Language.

Dual Language: programs provide half of instruction in English and half in the native language of the ELLs in the program.

Freestanding English as a Second Language (ESL):  provide all language arts and subject matter instruction in English. 

For more information about ELL programs in the NYC Dept. of Education, click here.