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Erin White

Sentinel’s ELL Program: Teacher Encouragement to Support Student Goals

Sentinel is a diverse community, filled with students who come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. As many students have maternal languages other than English, our school makes it a priority to provide support for those in the process of learning the language, in order to help them in reaching their individual goals. Sentinel has a great ELL (English Language Learning) program, which aims to ensure that every student gets what they need to succeed in communicating effectively, in both social and academic contexts.

Testing is offered at the beginning of the school year for new ELL students, in order to place their level of English language acquisition. These levels are determined by a standardized reading assessment, a written assessment, and an oral discussion. This placement is intended to help students to find the right courses for them, and counsellors, administrators, as well as Sentinel’s ELL Coordinator use these assessments to recommend course selections and to monitor student progress.


Sentinel’s ELL program offers various language adapted courses (LA courses) which contain the same content as non-LA classes and, in the majority of cases, grant students with full course credits. These adapted courses generally offer visual aids, a slightly slowed down course, and increased teacher support due to a smaller class size. They are often helpful in allowing ELL students to learn key skills and vocabulary along with the course content, creating a strong basis of communication and academic writing ability for those wanting to pursue post-secondary education in British Columbia.


Many students have felt the positive impacts of the ELL program, and praise the many ways that its help has allowed them to improve their skills. One grade 10 student mentions how her “teachers in school help most in grammar,” discussing how it “is a very important part in writing and speaking.” She talks about bringing essays to her ELL teacher so that they can help with editing and proofreading. Another notes how “the teacher can help me by providing extra time during lunch or break,” which can give students valuable one-on-one instructional time and encourage constant learning and improvement. A third student, also in grade 10 this year, says that “[Sentinel’s ELL program has] helped the students whose first language is not English” and that it also helps “international students adapt to the language environment and teaches things for their English level.” If the ELL program was not there to help students, they conclude, “it might affect their grades.”


For more information on Sentinel’s ELL program, students can contact Sentinel’s ELL Specialist Teacher, Mr. McLean, or talk to their counsellor. The link below also provides more details on course selections as well as frequently asked questions about Sentinel’s ELL program.



Mr. McLean (Contact Information) tmclean@wvschools.ca

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