Support Programs
The Support Programs Department coordinates and oversees English Language support services for students who speak two languages at home.
We provide:
- Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI), including ESL instruction and native language support, when there are 19 or fewer students from the same language background at a single school
- Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE), including ESL instruction and instruction in the child’s home language, when there are 20 or more students from the same language background at a single school
Students are identified for the programs when they register and complete a home language survey. Those who speak a second language or live in a home where a second language is spoken, are screened to determine if they meet proficiency or not. If they do not, they are eligible for English Language services.
Homer 33C currently services more than 200 English Language Learners who speak 16 different languages, including: Spanish, Greek, Italian, Polish, Serbian, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Turkish, Urdu, Russian, Macedonian, Albanian, and Tosk.
We employ one coordinator, two bilingual Polish teachers, one bilingual Arabic teacher and three transitional program of instruction teachers.
