BCA
Bucharest Christian Academy
www.BCAromania.org
Admission of Elementary ESL Students
1. All English as a Second Language (ESL) students, applying for entrance in grades 2-6,
will be tested, prior to admission, to determine grade placement.
2. ESL students in grades 2-6 may be placed one to two grade levels below age level, to
provide a focus on language acquisition. Acceleration in later grades will be considered
depending on the student’s language acquisition and academic progress.
3. All ESL students are expected to obtain additional English instruction (tutoring) outside of
BCA’s program.
4. The percentage of ESL students in a grade level will be limited according to the following
schedule:
Grade Level
K 1 2 3 4 5 6
20 20 10 10 10 5
Significant Need (maximum percentage)
40 20 20 20 20 15
Moderate Need
50 60 40 30 30 30 20
Total (maximum percentage)
The following definitions will be used:
 Significant Need: students who require more than one period of ESL per day.
 Moderate Need: students who require one period of ESL per day.
5. Lower percentages will be maintained in combination classrooms (i.e. 2nd/3rd grade
classroom).
6. Admission and final grade placement decisions will be made by the Director, in
conjunction with the appropriate teaching staff.
7. ESL students will receive pass/fail or modified grades in depending on their grade level
and the subject area.
8. Students will no longer be classified as ESL (with regard to the above percentages) when
they successfully pass an exit test, composed of three parts: reading, writing, and
listening/speaking. At that point they will no longer require formal ESL instruction,
however, their work may not be error-free. It is expected that this process will generally
require no longer than 2 years.
Admission of Secondary ESL Students
1. Potential Secondary ESL students will be tested for English Proficiency prior to
acceptance into BCA.
2. Required level is at least LAS 2A Proficiency Level (6th grade proficiency in reading and
writing English).
3. Incoming ESL students will be placed in the BCA ESL Program.
4. ESL students must obtain additional English instruction/tutoring outside of BCA’s
program.
5. Within two years of enrollment at BCA, the ESL student will be expected to obtain LAS
Proficiency Level 3A (7 – 9+ grade level). Failure to reach this proficiency level may
jeopardize the ESL student’s continued enrollment at BCA.
Language Assessment for ESL Students
The following components will be used to evaluate the progress of students in the ESL
program.
1. Language Assessment Scale (LAS) – This assessment is a standardized test that checks
vocabulary knowledge (synonyms, antonyms), mechanics and usage, reading
comprehension, and the ability to write.
 The student is given one hour to complete it.
2. *Written Cloze – This assessment is a text in which some words are purposely removed.
The words are given in a list and the student has to place the words in the appropriate
blanks.
 The student is given 30 minutes to complete this.
3. Oral Cloze – For this assessment the student is read a passage that does not contain all the
words needed. As the student is read the passage they have to choose the word that best
completes the sentence. The missing words are different parts of speech and test the
ability of the student to master the spoken language. The list of missing words is not given
beforehand.
4. Listening Comprehension Test – During this assessment a conversation in English (1-2
minutes long) is played once for the student. The student must then answer a list of
written questions about the conversation.
 The student is given 20 minutes to complete this portion of the assessment.
5. Essay – The student is asked to write an essay on a given topic. S/He is expected to show
correct mechanics and usage, good vocabulary, and to observe rules learned for writing
essays.
 The student is given one hour to finish the essay.
6. Oral Interview – This assessment tests the students’ ability to hold a conversation in
English by answering a series of simple questions and elaborating on them.
*The student will take tests 2-6 only if they pass the LAS test.
Testing is done three times each year: at the beginning of the school year, at the end of
first semester, and at the end of second semester.
**Update above portion of document. Three progress reports will be given/semester in
ESL. The standard two and one additional one the last week before finals. They will not
be cumulative (so students are not penalized for coming in at a low level and progressing),
but rather a reflection of the student’s current ability.
All students will take the final exam. The final will consist of four parts: listening,
speaking, reading, and writing. It will count 60% of the semester grade and the third
progress report will count 40%.
In order to pass out of the ESL program they must have an average of 8 (7th and 8th
graders) or 9 (9th-12th graders) on their final progress report, and average of 8 (7th and 8th
graders) or 9 (9th-12th graders) on each of the four components of the final test.
Components:
Reading—will consist of two parts: a paragraph to read and answer questions, and an
oral cloze activity.
Writing—will consist of an essay (length to be different for junior high and high
school). 30% of the grade of the essay will be related to grammar, 70% will be related to
organization, mechanics, etc.
Listening—listening exercise (from the North Star Listening and Speaking Book)
Speaking—conversation
ESL Class
The ESL class meets Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8am to 11:45am. On
Wednesday, the class meets from 8am to 12:10pm. Students are encouraged to stay on
campus each day, after class is dismissed, and eat lunch with the 7th-12th grade students.
The class is structured around four main areas: reading, grammar, vocabulary, and
conversation.
 Reading: texts include Oxford Bookworms Library collection, from Oxford
University Press, 2000, for non-native English speakers for levels 1 to 6.
 Grammar: from internet resources, along with English Grammar in Use by
Raymond Murphy from Cambridge University Press, 1998.
 Vocabulary: from internet resources, and also Specific Skills Series from McGraw
Hill, Columbus Ohio, 1997.
 Conversation: Spontaneous conversation happens daily in class. Discussions on
various topics are also held. Listening is practiced using recordings with
questions following them. Each Friday a Bible study is done together.
The daily class schedule is as follows:
8:00am-8:15am
Bible
8:15am-9:00am
Grammar and Vocabulary
9:05am-9:55am
Conversation
10:00am-10:55am
Writing (daily writing, mini-lesson, formal writing)
11:00am-11:45am
Reading (books and short plays)