This is a highly motivated student population with considerable academic potential. However, if these students are to earn academic degrees, they must achieve native speaker competence in English before they begin work in their areas of concentration. If, at that point, they cannot write an essay, understand a lecture, read textbooks or participate in a discussion, then either they cannot be retained or the standards of the instituition must be compromised and its accreditation jeopardized.
Programs designed to meet the needs of LEP students must be staffed by faculty qualified in the dis- cipline of teaching ESOL. Faculty must have specialized training, appropriate academic credentials and a primary commitment to the disci- pline in teaching, research, and pub- lications. In addition, such programs must include enough hours of instruction and enough levels for stu dents to have the opportunity to acquire the language of instruction of the institution, and must include suf ficient support services, including counseling services, to ensure the highest possible retention rate of these students. Excellence in higher education and the maintenance of academic standards in institutions admitting significant numbers of LEP students are unrealistic goals without effective ESOL programs.
The numbers of LEP students have been increasing steadily for over a decade. LEPs now account for one-third of the applicants for admis sion to two- and four-year colleges in New York City and over one-third of those in higher education opportunity programs in public and private colleges throughout the State. Many are permanent residents of the State. Most are also members of minority groups. Clearly, if there is to be genuine equality of opportunity in higher education in New York State, there must be appropriate instruction in English to Speakers of Other Languages in every post- sec ondary institution admitting students of limited English proficiency.