As part of The Orme School's commitment to diversity, we actively seek and enroll students from other nations. To date, we have had students from Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, Russia, Moldova, the Bahamas, Lithuania, Bosnia, Columbia and Mexico. In order to open up the maximum number of positive opportunities for our foreign students, we offer a English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum.
The ESL Program has two basic goals. The first is to help students develop the skills they need to be immersed in non-ESL classes. The second is to prepare students to take the iBT (internet Based test) version of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Orme ESL teachers assess each student's English skill level using Secondary Level English Proficiency (SLEP)/ iBT scores, the results of a placement test given during Orientation, an informal interview and a writing sample.
The following are guidelines for admitting students into our ESL Program:
- No SLEP or TOEFL required for 9th grade or Middle School
- 40th percentile on SLEP for 10th grade
- 65 on iBT for 11th grade
- 80 on iBT for 12th grade
We have an ESL Program Director and an International Student Advisor on staff to enable students to succeed. The Director develops the ESL Program in conjunction with the Orme School Academic Committee. The Director also oversees the implementation of the ESL classes and helps ensure their integration with the rest of the school's curriculum. The International Student Advisor handles students and family concerns. In addition to teaching courses, the Advisor oversees day-to-day operational issues such as student documentation, travel visas, immunizations (in conjunction with the Health Center), and the securing of passports (in our Business Office).
The following link leads to the ESL curriculum page which covers in greater detail the expectations and curriculum of our ESL Program.
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