1. Successfully completed a minimum of one unit of EL Civics
2. Has a minimum score of 227 on the Reading CASAS Test
3. Has Intermediate High oral communication competency (No translator needed)
4. Has Speaking confidence and awareness of pronunciation basics
5. Can write a 3 paragraph essay/letter for an EL Civics Unit or other requirement, Writing Rubric
6. Exhibits effective group participation behavior, involved in teaching-learning cycles
7. Has computer and technology basic skills
8. Has academic skill awareness in a variety of areas (Meeting deadlines, following formats, independent study skills)
9. Has consistent minimum daily attendance
10. Has the motivation to learn at a higher level where additional effort and homework may be required
11. Can express future goals
12. Can self-assess needs in particular areas

1. allows you time to practice your English in a safe environment
2. gives you time to make more friends and learn about the American Cultu7re
3. gives you intense practice in high standards without the pressure of a Community College
4. is cheaper than any other form of education!
5. gives you great personal satisfaction
6. can be put in a work portfolio to show relative English fluency
7. gives you confidence that you have been prepared to study or work at a higher level

·focus on correct grammar and editing for composition

·focus on reading comprehension skills and genre analysis

·oral communication skills in discussions

·oral communication skills for presentation

·intensive high level grammar for ESL

·vocabulary toolkit for college prep (using academic word list), words in context with collocations

·idioms, defining metaphoric concepts and giving examples

·EL Civics Lifeskills Unit Topic genre readings

 

· 236 or above CASAS D-level reading test

· 230 or above in CASAS C-level listening test

· 50-question grammar test

· 5-paragraph essay from an essay question list, Writing rubric score

· Oral presentation based on their own writing sample, Speaking rubric score

In class, you should improve your ability to work in these different modes.  For your future, these skills will help you.

Board Meeting

February 10, 2010  6:30 p.m. 
City Council Chambers

3300 Capitol Avenue

Fremont, California

School Board Speech #2 Sometime after 10 pm at night.

Im Lisa Braley an ESL teacher at the Adult School. Our immigrant governor may one day be remembered as the destroyer of Adult Ed in California. But that shouldnt happen here. Fremont, a city of immigrants, should do better than that. We are different.

At a time for partnering with the community and companies to provide job training, proposed Adult School cuts are shortsighted and could cause the program to collapse. The consequences will be harsh for the underserved immigrant community and the underemployed Adult School teachers.

More than English we teach the practical details and secrets of daily American life to our students, for example:

How to fill-in job, housing, and citizenship applications, hospital, census and voter registration forms

How to write letters, apply to college, follow the law

What it means to belong to and be a part of a caring community, and how to be self-sufficient

Teachers, hours, and support staff have already been cut. Its not just hours. Its the donated time, momentum, enthusiasm, and expertise we lose. Losses are exponentially compounded. Working but underemployed teachers face stressful, competitive, and sometimes ridiculous conditions.  We are being asked to do more for paying students but with less hours, resources, and materials. And its going to get worse.

Whats left is a bad business model. Previous cuts have already undermined the program integrity. If  we don't have the class quality, availability and affordability, we won't be able keep the ESL student base and the viability of the program will be at stake.

Fremont must respond to future trends. Adult Schools are underutilized community resources. We could do more with high-level buy-in, support, and funding.  With our specialized expertise we should be a valued partner. Please make sure your legacy is as champions of adult ed and not the terminators.

Every day, I and my colleagues witness incredibly personal revolutions in our students as we prepare them for their continued growth and future success in this community as residents, citizens and voters.

Students and teachers all work hard to make PAID benchmarks.  We often do this in rooms that are completely full to capacity, occasionally beyond the legal limit, and with students who are now PAYING to be there.

Sometimes new immigrants come here with nothing, not even a word of English, and sometimes they come with an advanced degree they cant use. They all have a struggle ahead, but those that come to the Adult School can count on starting their life here in a positive and productive way.

Our students have sent you many letters of appeal that we have passed on to you.

There you can read about people like Bhajan, who was a farmer in India and came here with his family almost 5 years ago. He didnt know how to read, write or speak English.  I had his son in my class 4 years ago and now Jaspreet is an Engineering student at San Jose State. Bhajans wife is supporting them right now because he was laid off.

Or you can find out about Jaime from Mexico, who had studied as a Dental Surgeon but now works in a kitchen. 

ESL (English as a Second Language) or ABE (Adult Basic Education):  What is right for me??

ESL

• You will get regular listening and speaking practice
• You will work with people who have a similar English level as you do
• You will gain speaking confidence, pronunciation, grammar, writing, and life skills that will help you build your life in the United States
• You will learn about community and government resources that are available for immigrants
• You will make friends and gain learning skills

GED (General Equivalency Diploma)/High School/ABE Program (Adult Basic Education)

1. The student desires academic work (GED, or H.S. Diploma Program)
2. The student needs to spend more time learning or strengthening reading, writing, and math skills
3. The teacher has assessed their spoken English as good but their reading and written English skills are such that they would benefit more from an academically focused class.

ABE

You will not get regular speaking practice in ABE/GED/H.S. classes

(FAQ=Frequently Asked Questions)

1. What does EL CIVICs stand for? What does it mean?

EL CIVICs stands for English Language Civics Lessons. Civics relates to a city or its citizens.

2. What is EL CIVICs and why does Fremont Adult School participate in this program?

The government supports schools that teach civics with additional funding. If a student participates, completes, and passes a unit of instruction, the school will receive additional money for each student to help the school continue to provide exceptional learning.

3. What is the overall goal of EL CIVICs?

The main goal of EL CIVICs is to improve the student's skills in English for understanding of civics issues and to prepare them to be successful citizens in society.

4. Why do I care about EL CIVICs? I'm not an American Citizen.

If you live in a city, you are a citizen of that city.  You should care about making the city a good and safe place to live for you, your family, and other people who come to live in that city.  You should be able to access the community resources that are available to you.

5. Why do student have to do a pre (before) survey and a post (after) survey and take a CASAS pre and a post test before each unit?

1. A pre survey/test is done for students and teachers to see what students already know about a topic.

2. A post survey/test is done to see if the teaching and learning about that topic was successful for individual students and see what can be improved on for next time.

3. The CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System) test is an important tool for both teachers and the government to recognize the effectiveness and importance of the teaching and learning environment in each school.

Each unit of EL Civics has goals and objectives for students.  The tasks and assessments help each student meet the objectives for the unit.

More information...

EL Civics at Fremont Adult School

 This links to the Fremont Adult School EL Civics Web Page where you can find links for all the subjects we study for each unit.

http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=806

For everyone:

www.elcivics.com/

For teachers:

www.elcivicsonline.org/

www.casas.org/elc/