Program Resources

Program resources and staff expertise vary from region to region and program to program. In some areas of the country, resources are limited because immigrant populations are new and programs have not been developed; there are few trained adult ESL teachers available; and professional development opportunities for teachers are limited. In contrast, some states, such as California and New York, have worked with immigrant and refugee learners for several decades and have better developed programs, more trained teachers, and better training systems for these teachers.

(For more information about program resources see Florez & Burt, 2001; Van Duzer, 2002).

Program Standards

Efforts to develop standards and indicators for program quality and learner performance are underway. These efforts include program standards and a program self-review instrument for adult ESOL programs from TESOL (2003) and state standards projects.

• Arizona adult education standards (http://www.ade.state.az.us)
• California model ESL standards (California Department of Education, 1992, http://www.otan.us/webform/emailproject/standard.pdf)
• Maryland adult ESL program standards (http://www.research.umbc.edu/~ira/ESLstand.html)
• Massachusetts adult ESL frameworks (Department of Education, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1999, http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/)

For an annotated bibliography of states' ESL content standards, see Florez, 2002a, http://cal-org.wdi.net/caela/constanbib.htm; and for an annotated bibliography of program standards, see Florez, 2002b, http://cal-org.wdi.net/caela/prgstanbib.htm.

Instructional Configurations

Given the increasing demand for adult ESL instruction in many parts of the country, large classes or classes of learners with widely varied English language proficiency levels (multilevel classes) are becoming common (TESOL, 2003). In some places, instruction is provided in one-to-one tutoring, small- group, or large-group sessions. Some states and local ESL programs provide distance education opportunities for learners who cannot come to class consistently. The amount of instructional support that these distance programs offer varies. A combination of self-study and teacher support has shown promise in helping learners learn the language and in facilitating the transition into classroom-based programs (Center for Impact Research, 2002). Support may take the form of videos and other materials the learner takes home, in-person appointments, or periodic group meetings with an instructor or instructional aide.