English Learner Program (EL)
Welcome to the New Canaan Public Schools English Learners program. The EL Program is a K-12 program designed to assist students in the study of the English language in order to help them become proficient and independent.
Our mission is to facilitate the acquisition of communicative and academic English, academic content and cultural knowledge to enable English Language Learners (ELLs) to succeed in general education classes and in U.S. communities as quickly as possible.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to provide ELL students with:
Comprehensive English Language instruction in all language skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking, and critical thinking.
Content area instruction that is academically challenging and tailored to the student’s linguistic proficiency, educational background and academic needs.
Access to a caring and qualified staff.
Ongoing professional learning is provided for all staff members to help them facilitate the academic growth of linguistically and culturally diverse students.
Our Beliefs
NCPS recognizes diversity as a resource to our community and celebrates it as an asset.
Language is functional and it is best acquired through meaningful use and interaction.
Language learning is culture-based, and therefore it follows that the teaching of culture must include the values, norms, and beliefs appropriate to the language.
Language learning is an on-going process. It is affected by the background of each student and progresses at varying rates.
Language processes (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) develop interdependently.
Students need learning environments that provide opportunities to practice and develop these skills.