Nassau BOCES and the Roslyn school district partner to provide English as a second language courses to adult residents throughout the district.
BOCES Assistant Principal Patrick Silvestri said the courses are run in conjunction with the adult education courses at Roslyn High School, such as computer skills, creative arts, health and wellness, and humanities.
“There’s always a need for adults, and we feel it’s important because these are working people who are trying to improve their own skills to give themselves a better opportunity in this country,” Roslyn’s director of adult education, Barry Edelson, said. “It’s our mission to provide lifelong learning, and this is one of the more meaningful ways that we can fulfill that mission.”
This semester, registration for the English as a second language classes is at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at Roslyn High School. Students must be at least 18 years old and not enrolled in the Roslyn district, and a photo ID is required for registration.
Silvestri said the courses are divided between beginners’ sections from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and intermediate sections at the same time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The courses are generally free for students, Silvestri said, with much of the course costs covered through the state’s Employment Preparation Education Program. A registration fee of $55 to $80 is required, however.
Silvestri said the countywide program serves 1,800 students in seven locations every year who speak a host of languages, but what language the student already speaks isn’t important in the English immersion class.
“The curriculum is based on learning the English language as opposed to doing a translation by language,” Silvestri said.
He said students can also continue with their studies through Nassau BOCES after finishing the English as a second language courses, continuing through High School Equivalency classes to prepare for before the state’s Test Assessing Secondary Completion exam, which replaced the General Education Development exam in 2014.
“Anyone who applies and attends our classes is looking to improve their employability skills,” Silvestri said. “It starts with language, then we’ll do some work with our students as far as résumé-writing workshops and classes that can help them find work.”
