NYS TESOL is committed to the English language and academic content education of all ESOL students, and urges all secondary schools to grant credit for ESOL courses, comparable to the credit granted for mainstream foreign language and entry-level English courses. Receiving academic credit for secondary ESOL courses increases student motivation and performance, and promotes equal access to education for all students.
Secondary schools acknowledge the legitimacy and importance of courses by granting credit to students who achieve passing grades in such courses. Secondary students must accumulate a specified number of credits within a given time frame in order to graduate. Therefore, secondary students who must acquire English proficiency in non-credit-bearing ESOL classes before gaining access to credit-bearing courses are, in effect, denied an equal opportunity to achieve a high school diploma.
Like other academic disciplines, secondary ESOL programs in New York State are governed by the State Education Department. The state has established an ESOL curriculum and requirements for teacher certification. Secondary ESOL programs are developmental, not remedial, because these students are acquiring proficiency and literacy in an additional language. The goals contained in the New York State Core Curriculum for English as a Second Language in the Secondary Schools and the level of reading and writing proficiency required to graduate from mandated ESOL services exceed the objectives and proficiency level of foreign language courses for which credit is granted. In addition, the Core Curriculum encompasses objectives similar to those of mainstream English curricula, such as the mastery of reading and writing skills, and literary appreciation.
Secondary schools which grant credit for ESL courses demonstrate their commitment to equity, which in turn motivates students to strive for academic success. For these reasons, NYS TESOL strongly recommends that all secondary schools grant credit for developmental ESOL courses.