Welcome To ESOL
Vision of the ESOL Programs
"To promote the effective instruction of all English language learners across the curriculum to enable them to acquire the social and academic English needed to achieve in all content areas, pre-K through 5th grades".
Placement Testing
As a result of the "No Child Left Behind" Act, the State of Maryland requires schools to administer an English language proficiency test to any new student that lives in a home where another language is spoken. Therefore, within the first thirty days of the school year these students will be tested. Parents and guardians will only be contacted if their child qualifies for ESOL services. The final decision of whether or not to accept services is up to the parents.
ESOL Curriculum
The Elementary Integrated Curriculum (EIC) is used to ensure that critical thinking skills and content are unified across all subject areas. World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Standards are also being utilized within the ESOL program to align the curriculum with the more rigorous national standards. The curriculum is designed so that students develop and practice English as they listen to, discuss, read, and write about grade-appropriate academic content.
Scheduling
The students are pulled out of the classroom for ESOL instruction. However, the amount of time that they are taken out into small groups depends upon their level of proficiency. The ESOL teachers work very closely with the classroom teachers to ensure that students are not missing math or reading instruction.
ACCESS for ELLs
The Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs) is the standardized test that is used for ESOL placement and progress in the state of Maryland. When a student enters a MCPS school for the first time, they are given the placement version of the test. Each spring, all students enrolled in the ESOL program take the ACCESS for ELLs to check their progress in acquiring English. They are assessed in four areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. These are the same skill areas that are addressed during ESOL instruction throughout the year.
Strategies
Since parents are their children's first and most important teachers, there are strategies that parents can use at home which will help their children do better in school. The stronger a students language skills are in their first language, the easier it is for them to learn a new language. Therefore, continue to speak the native language at home. It is always good to read with your child in any language and ask them questions about what they have read.
The ESOL Teachers
Courtney Bay is the full-time ESOL teacher at Stone Mill ES. She has been teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages for over 15 years. She taught ESOL at Goshen ES for 6 years. Prior to her experience teaching in MCPS, she lived in Israel for 15 years where she taught English as a foreign language. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Rockville with her husband and two children.
Marie Tu is one of the ESOL teachers at Stone Mill ES. Prior to teaching ESOL, Marie taught Kindergarten at Stone Mill for twelve years. She received her Bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University with a dual major in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, and received her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. Marie was certified as an ESOL teacher through the PRAXIS test for English to Speakers in Other Languages. She is truly passionate about teaching children and helping them achieve their maximum potential. When Marie isn’t at Stone Mill teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family. She has two little boys named Parker and Logan.
Jennifer Hsu is one of the ELD teachers at Stone Mill Elementary School. Prior to teaching at Stone Mill, Jennifer taught PK, K, SPED, and ESOL for 17 years. She received her bachelor’s degree from New York University with dual certification in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. She also double majored in Psychology. Jennifer attended University of Maryland, College Park, to earn her master’s degree in Teaching ESOL and earned National Board Certification in 2014. She loves working with children and helping them grow, learn, and accomplish great things! In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and 4 young children. She also enjoys crafting, cooking, and baking.