ESOL Orientation

Odessa College Adult Education

ESOL Division

Welcome to Odessa College! You are here to begin a long, hard and rewarding journey. We are here to help you along the way. Learning a new language is not easy. It takes a long time and lots of hard work. Your teachers will help you, but you are the one who must use English in the real world. You must use it, not just in class, but at home, at work and in the community. The more you speak and listen to English, the faster you will learn English. You are in charge of how fast you learn!

Where will I begin? Will I be tested?

The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program consists of five levels of English instruction. You will be given a standardized test, as required by the Texas Education Agency, to determine your abilities. The test has two parts, an oral part and a literacy part. The oral exam will last 15-30 minutes. The literacy test may take as long as one hour. The two tests will be given to you separately. The oral test will be given to you individually. The literacy test will be given to you in a group after the oral test is completed.

Students who score beginning levels on the oral exam will not be given the literacy test. Intermediate and advanced students will be given both the oral and the literacy test. The verbal and written responses you give will determine your level in our classes. It is most important that you do your very best on the entrance test. Only if we place you correctly, according to your abilities, will you be in the best position to learn. In every level, you will be instructed in all language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. After some time in class, you will be given a progress test to determine your progress. When you are prepared to move to the next level, you will be promoted.

How long will school last? Do I need to come every day?

Odessa College Adult Education offers ESOL classes from September through July. Each year is divided in three semesters of approximately 12 weeks each. ESOL Orientation and testing is the beginning of each semester. Orientation will be one week. Attendance is required for entrance into the program. If for any reason, you cannot attend the full week of Orientation, you will not be admitted into the program.

Learning depends on good attendance. Seventy-five percent attendance each month is required to remain in the program. If your attendance falls below 75% in any month, you will be given a warning. You will talk with your teacher to discuss the reason for your absence. Hopefully, you and your teacher can find a solution to the problem. The probationary period will last for two weeks. We regret that we will be forced to drop you from class, if at the end of that two weeks, your attendance has not reached 75%.

Such an attendance policy may seem unfair considering the family and work obligations of adults. However, please consider that state and federal money fund Odessa College Adult Education. For this reason, we are required by law to meet state and federal

standards. These standards tell us how often you must come to school. They also tell us that you must make progress for us to receive funding. If these standards are not met, funding for the ESOL program will end. These requirements are beyond our local control. We hope that you will understand that you must come to school and make progress for Odessa College to meet state and federal standards. Odessa College can provide English classes for the community only if we do this.

Why do I need to come to an orientation?

We have an orientation so that you can answer this question: "Do I have the time and the desire to attend English classes?" Orientation is designed for you to seriously think about your life situation. Are you ready, prepared and motivated to commit to a 12-week semester to learn English? At the close of Orientation, you will be able to make a good, reasonable decision. If you chose to attend, we will register you for the 12-week semester. If you choose not to attend, we encourage you to work on the problems that are keeping you from coming to school. Maybe you can come next semester.

Please take ESOL Orientation seriously. Work the activities designed to help you think about your life. Do this with careful attention and honesty. Discuss your concerns with your teacher and other students. If you will participate fully in Orientation, I am sure that you will be better prepared to make a good decision about your ability to commit to a 12-week semester. And that carefully reasoned decision will be your first step to English fluency.

I wish you the very best in this rewarding but difficult journey!

David Heath
ABE Coordinator

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