Download - Osceola County School District

Multicultural
Education
The School District of Osceola County’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
Program serves students who have been identified as English Language Learners (ELLs).
The students are enrolled in appropriate grade-level courses for Language Arts/ESOL,
Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Computer Literacy. ELLs are introduced to the
various cultural aspects of American society in order to facilitate their transition into the
community life of their new country.
For additional information, contact the Multicultural Education Department at
407-870-4848.
Website For
Bilingual Parents
(English/Spanish)
For up-to-date information, log on to
the Multicultural Education
Department website at:
http://
www.osceola.k12.fl.us/depts/
multicultural_education_
department/index.asp
Bilingual
Community
Liaison
The English/Spanish-
Parent/Community Hotline is open
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to
answer questions or address any
concerns pertaining to our students,
school events, and programs.
The number for the hotline is
407-870-4850.
Did You Know?
➤ ESOL students in Osceola County represent 107
different countries and speak over 90 languages. More than
14,200 students (about 25% of the total student population)
participate in the school district’s ESOL Program.
➤ English Language Learners have certain program
models and resources available to them and their teachers.
These resources may vary by school level and/or school,
but they are all geared toward the goal of furthering the
students’ English language skills and academic
achievement in content area classes. Program and
resources available may include Project Families and
Schools Together (Project F.A.S.T.), Treasure Chest,
Rourke Reading Web, A+Rise, SIOP, V Math and Voyager.
➤ Certain district schools offer a Dual Language Academy
or Program. This educational model integrates native
English speakers and native Spanish speakers for all, or
most of the day. Academic subjects are taught to all
participating students based on a 60/40 model: 60%
instruction in English and 40% instruction in Spanish.
Please contact the Multicultural Education Department for
more information about this program.
➤ A Parent Leadership Council (PLC) is established at the
district level. The representatives are identified by each
school as parents of students in the ESOL Program. The
PLC meets twice a year to establish goals and enhance the
school-to-district communication. The Multicultural
Education Department facilitates and assists the Council in
conducting its meetings and training activities.
➤ The Multicultural Education Department provides an
interpretation system (TalkSystem) for all of the schools in
order to facilitate communication with parents. The goal is
for parents to feel welcome and comfortable enough to be
involved in their children’s education. The TalkSystem
allows simultaneous interpretation at Board meetings,
parent conferences, and school activities.
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