Welcome to ESL

Welcome Back to School Year 2011-2012

Welcome to the webpage of Mrs. O'Connor.  I am the coordinator of English as a Second Language (ESL) for the Cliffside Park School District. I also teach ESL in the Cliffside Park Middle School and School 6.

Our goal with the ESL program is to have your child achieve proficiency in English within four years of arriving to this country.

The NJ state exam to determine English language proficiency is the ACCESS for ELLs test.  This year, the testing window is from 3/12/12 to 4/27/12.  We will test your child in the four modalities of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

The test maker, WIDA, is pleased to announce the release of a set of ACCESS for ELLs® Sample Items for grades 1–12.  The sample items are free and available to the general public at :
www.wida.us/sampleitems

In order to help your child be ready for the test, please practice the sample items. Also, there are many educational websites your child can visit in order to build English fluency. Please visit the "ACTIVITIES WEBSITES" tab.

Please note that the NJ Dept. of Education ESL/Bilingual education website is http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/