WELCOME TO OUR PROGRAM The English as a Second Language Institute (ESLI) at Jackson State University offers non-credit courses in English as a second language. Since June of 1990, an ESL-Add-on Endorsement has been part of the Jackson State University curriculum. Presently, the English as a Second Language Institute conducts ESL training in four categories: (1) for entering internationals who plan to enroll in long term academic programs; (2) regular English as a Second Language classes for international students who require additional ESL training; (3) survival English training for internationals; and (4) TOEFL preparation. So far, individuals from four continents come to Jackson State University ESLI to study. Countries like, Russia, Czech Republic, Korea, China, Japan, Venezuela, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Angola, Guinea, Namibia, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Libia, and etc. just to name a few. OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM Orientation/Placement test by level The ESLI offers five 8-week courses per year. Each session starts with the orientation on the first day of the school session coupled with a written placement test and an oral interview for all ESLI students. The written part of the placement test includes three sections: Listening, Reading, and Language Use. The oral interview functions as a tool of diagnostic assessment: in essence a "check up" for incoming ESL students. The results from this placement test then determine which level each student will enroll in on the first day. Part of the Orientation is to introduce the students to the State of Mississippi, City of Jackson and Jackson State University. At the orientation, students receive an ESLI Student Handbook and a package with brochures on museums, galleries, and cultural events in our capitol city. The ESLI offers a variety of personal services to aid students in adjusting to life in the United States. These range from meeting students upon arrival at the airport to providing information on specific services required by students to individualized counseling. Instruction/Monitoring The ESLI offers five levels: Beginning, High Beginning, Low Intermediate, High Intermediate, and Advanced. The average instructor-student ratio is 1:4. All classes meet daily from Monday through Friday, for a total of 25 classroom hours per week. Each day four classes are running from 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Each class lasts 1 hour and 10 minutes and there are 10 minute breaks between classes. After class, the students are required to go to the multi-media language lab in the afternoon, where they have audio/video equipment as well as computers with Internet access at their disposal. Weekly instruction is supplemented by an on-going monitoring of the student's English skills. Student attendance and grades are recorded in instructors' notebooks. Instructors meet weekly to assess their students' progress. Thereby, progress reports on each student are generated based on the instructors' weekly observations and quizzes. Four periodic review tests are given to the students to evaluate their competence in the four skills: speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Aside from regular school days, various cultural events also take place every weekend. For instance, students are taken to scenic and/or historical sites in Jackson, New Orleans or Memphis. At the end of each session a final comprehensive test is administered to all students in reading, listening, grammar sections. An oral interview completes the final stage of monitoring the students. Certificate At the end of each eight-week session, students receive ESLI certificates of completion along with their report cards. The certificate serves as evidence that the student is ready to be promoted from one level to another.
2006-2007 Academic Year
2007
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