WOISD reports success among biligual students

There’s a healthy array of languages represented in the student body at White Oak ISD, with 19 ‘Emergent Bilingual Students’ included in the school’s annual report on data surrounding English as a Second Language (ESL).
“Interestingly enough, we have Spanish, Japanese, Cambodian,” Superintendent Dr. William Paul reported to board members, along with Cebuano, one of the key languages of the Philipines. “It’s good that we’ve got that kind of diversity in terms of our students.
“As these students continue to master the English language and speak their home language, it’s going to make our district better.”
At WOISD, 20 teachers across K-12 have their ESL Supplemental Certification. The district follows the Pull-Out ESL Program of instruction, gathering Emergent Bilingual Students from other classes at regularly scheduled times for ESL instruction.
Those students are given lessons ahead of testing for the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS).
“It’s mastery of English in listening, writing, reading and speaking,” Paul noted Nov. 13. Importantly, during the last school year, “All students did get promoted to the next grade level.
“They’re getting the support they need to do well in school.”