The mission of the Manassas City English for Speakers of Other Languages program is to equip ESOL students with the language skills they need to be socially and academically prepared to be successful students in Manassas City's school division.
Manassas City Public Schools has provided English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services to English Learners (ELs) for many years. The number of ELs in MCPS has increased annually. Currently, the school system services over 2,000 ESOL students from more than 27 different language groups.
The ESOL program provides students with the opportunity to reach proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing as measured in the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) assessment, the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS) for English Language Learners. In addition, Manassas City must also comply with the federal requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) amended in the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). A performance goal of ESSA requires EL students to become proficient in English while reaching high academic achievement standards in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science. ESSA also requires that EL students participate in annual academic achievement assessments in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science.
The ESOL program addresses these goals through several approaches. These program components have been designed with the student's grade and proficiency level in mind, along with recommended best practices and scientifically-based research. Each school uses several types of service delivery, along with specific teaching strategies by ESOL and classroom/core content teachers.