Instructional Services
Students in our schools come from a variety of linguistic, racial and ethnocultural backgrounds. Some of these students require program support in developing and/or refining standard Canadian English communication skills. As well, some students may require support in their transition/orientation to their new environment.
Provision of ESL/ELD Programs and Services
York Catholic District School Board provides the following programs and services to meet the needs of ESL/ELD students:
- Program support to ESL/ELD students at the elementary and secondary levels;
- Consultative support for school staff regarding programs and services for ESL/ELD students;
- Interpreters/translators and multilingual assessors through Multilingual Services.
Goals of ESL/ELD Programs and Services
- To help students with their transition/orientation to the school, community and Canadian society;
- To assist students in developing and/or refining standard Canadian English communication skills;
- To assist students in developing academic skills;
- To facilitate students transition from elementary to secondary schools;
- To assist school staff in the development, adaptation and implementation of programs for ESL/ELD students;
- To assist board staff in communicating with parents/guardians who have limited English proficiency.
Students Who May Require ESL/ELD Programs and Services
- Students from non-English-speaking countries who have limited proficiency in standard Canadian English;
- Students from English-speaking countries who have limited proficiency in standard Canadian English;
- Canadian-born students from homes/communities where standard Canadian English is not prevalent and who have limited proficiency in standard Canadian English;
- Native students from communities where an indigenous language is the first language of communication and who have limited proficiency in standard Canadian English.
- Some of these students may also have educational gaps due to limited educational opportunities and/or interruptions in schooling, and require literacy skills/academic upgrading.
ESL/ELD Programs in Elementary Schools
ESL/ELD teachers work in collaboration with classroom teachers to provide ESL/ELD students with the program support they require.
ESL/ELD teachers provide the following types of support:
- Instructional program support to the ESL/ELD students on a withdrawal and/or in class basis;
- Support to the ESL/ELD students through consultation and collaborative planning with the classroom teachers.
ESL/ELD Programs in Secondary Schools
The following courses are currently being offered to enable students learning English to succeed in regular programs:
- ESL credit courses which can replace some of the mandatory English credit courses;
- Special ESL sections in certain subject areas (e.g. Geography) for which students receive the subject credit.
Multilingual Services
Through this service, interpreters and translators from a variety of linguistic, ethnocultural and racial backgrounds are provided to assist board staff in communicating with parents/guardians and students who have limited English proficiency.
As well, through this service, students with limited English communication skills are provided the opportunity to have an academic assessment in their first language. Multilingual assessors are available to provide support to schools in assessing the needs of these students.
Interpreters, translators, and multilingual assessors may be accessed through the ESL/ELD Teacher assigned to Multilingual Services (Student Services).
Do you Speak Another Language?
The York Catholic School Board's Multilingual Services is interested in recruiting candidates who are proficient in other languages and have good communication skills in English for our list of interpreters, translators and first language/bilingual assessors. As well as having proficiency in another language, candidates must also have some knowledge of the culture and the school system of the country. Teaching experience would be an asset.
We are especially interested in recruiting candidates who have proficiency in the following
languages: African languages, Assyrian, Arabic, Cantonese, Creoles, Farsi,
Filipino, French, Ga, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Malayalam, Mandarin, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Interpreters, translators, and first language assessors are provided with training and are paid an hourly rate for interpretations and assessments and per word for written translations.
If you are interested in becoming an interpreter, translator or first language/bilingual assessor, or know someone who would be interested, contact Ana Maric at the Education Centre, Instructional Services for further information.
Tel: (416) 221-5051 or (905) 713-2711, Ext. 13057
Fax: (905) 713-1265
E-mail: ana.maric@ycdsb.ca