English Language Acquisition (ELA)

Lake Middle School adheres to district policy regarding English Language Acquisition (ELA) program.  The goal of the ELA program is to use efficient and effective educational methods to provide students with the English language skills they need to meaningfully participate in the district's mainstream English language instructional program.  This ties in with the overall IB program.  Parents of students who speak a language other than English choose whether or not they want their child to participate in the ELA program.  For those children who do participate in the ELA program, it is expected that they will have sufficient proficiency in English to meaningfully participate in supported English language classrooms after three years in the program. 

In the IB program, the primary aim of Language B is to encourage students to gain competence in a modern language other than their mother tongue, with the long-term goal of balanced bilingualism.

In addition, the study of Language B aims to:

• encourage in the student a respect for and understanding of other languages and cultures
• provide a skills base to facilitate further language learning.

Proficiency in a second language gives students:

• access to a broader range of input, experiences and perspectives
• the enjoyment of being able to communicate in a language other than their mother tongue.

It is also acknowledged that learning another language greatly contributes to the holistic development of students and is believed to raise achievement in other subject areas.