Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Esol topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves new ESOL 3 high-school course to help intermediate English learners
Summary
The board approved a year-long ESOL 3 course for high-school students scoring in the WIDA 3.0-3.9 proficiency band to strengthen academic English and content-specific vocabulary.
The Harford County Board of Education voted April 14 to add an ESOL 3, one-credit, year-long high school course designed for intermediate English learners to build academic language and subject-specific vocabulary.
District officials said the course is aimed at students whose yearly WIDA ACCESS test scores place them in the 3.0 to 3.9 proficiency range. The course is intended to close the gap between everyday conversational English and the academic English students need to access rigorous content classes.
Dr. Shondra Krantz, supervisor of multilingual instruction, told the board that students take the WIDA ACCESS exam annually between January and March; the WIDA scale ranges from 1.0 to 6.0 and students scoring 4.5 or higher typically exit direct EL services. Krantz said ESOL 3 will provide targeted scaffolding so students can progress to greater independence in grade-level classes and on state assessments.
The board approved the course after administrators described a phased implementation plan: teacher preview and training in summer 2025, classroom rollout in fall 2025, teacher feedback and course adjustment in spring 2026, and further resource development in summer 2026. The administration said the course will be mapped to WIDA English language-development standards and that staff will monitor effectiveness via WIDA score changes, formative assessments and student feedback.
Board members asked about staffing and costs; the administration said existing EL staff and Title-funded supports will be used and any summer writing or resource work will be compensated from curriculum office budgets. The motion passed with no recorded opposition.
District leaders said the course is designed to improve academic writing, formal speaking and comprehension of content-specific texts in math, science and social studies, and to provide pathways for English learners to remain competitive in college and workforce readiness.
