English Language Development Program
The City of Dharma Realm Developing Secondary School offers an intensive English Development (ELD) Program for international students and/or domestic students with less than minimal exposure or background with the English language, or who possess basic working knowledge of English. The ELD Program offers students an accelerated and comprehensive approach guided by language acquisition research and methodology to help nonnative English speakers to develop academic reading, writing, speaking and listening skills needed for transitioning into mainstream content courses. Students will be placed in the ELD Program upon enrollment and an initial assessment. After evaluation of students’ needs and strengths and assigning to appropriate levels, additional evaluation is conducted at the end of each semester to determine ability to progress.
Approach
We welcome students from international borders who wants to experience the Buddhist culture, practices and education, and the academic rigor of studying in the US. Students will benefit from boarding at our residential facilities and through our English Language Development Program for nonnative English speakers. Our ELD Program is divided into four levels and enrollment is dependent on assessment and evaluation. Regardless of age, students are grouped by level to acquire the same fundamental knowledge and skills needed to meet the demands of high school and college curriculums. The difference between Level 1 and Level 2 is the amount of scaffolding assistance needed and the strategies appropriate for each level. For instance, Level 1 allows the use of dictionary support as students try to adjust to the sociocultural and linguistic differences between their L1 and L2. Meanwhile, Level 2 is interdependent on utilizing strategies to grasp difficult content and vocabulary without the dictionary.
ELD Level 1 to 3
ELD Level 4
For students, upon evaluation and assessment, are able to meet the advanced Bridging level of English proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening after enrollment of Level 1
and/or 2, will be able to register in their mainstream grade-leveled English course without taking Academic Skills + Grammar 3 and English Literature + Composition 3.
