As part of the student enrollment process at MERS, a home language survey is administered to identify multilingual learners. For students who speak a language other than English, additional evaluation may include a review of academic records and an English language proficiency assessment.
The MERS ESL program provides daily instruction aligned with the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards, emphasizing both social and academic language development. Instruction is integrated with content areas and differentiated based on each student’s English proficiency level. All students in the program are assessed annually using a New Jersey Department of Education-approved English Language Proficiency test to track their progress and determine readiness for exiting the program.
Families are notified if their child qualifies for ESL services. Additionally, the MERS ESL Department hosts Parent Advisory Committee meetings three times per year, with topics shaped by parent questions and interests.
