The school has invested in the Creative Education Institute's (CEI) Essential Learning Systems software program, a multi-sensory approach to teaching children to read. The software is used both for students who need remediation in reading and by the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. The ESL program is an example of Freeport's commitment to give students the academic supports they need as well as to be accountable for student progress.

ESL students are divided into two groups, depending on their knowledge of English (which usually corresponds to the amount of time they have been in this country). The two groups receive ESL instruction from a teacher and an aide between 8 and 11 a.m. during the language arts and social studies blocks. Those students who are more advanced spend 45 minutes in the CEI lab under the direction of the aide, and 15 minutes in direct instruction with the ESL teachers. The less advanced students do the reverse.

When they first start in the program, students are given a pretest and a grade equivalent level. They get scores in instructional reading (i.e., decoding or word attack skills) and reading comprehension (i.e., understanding the facts and subtleties of written passages). In the lab, students work daily at their own levels, learning vocabulary, word attack skills, decoding, and reading comprehension. The aide, who is certified by CEI, monitors the students' progress through the curriculum. She believes that CEI is a wonderful tool for ESL students and that it improves both their speaking and their reading ability.

The ESL teacher and aides regularly monitor students' progress to determine when the students should transition into regular language arts and social studies classes. A Language Proficiency Assessment Committee, consisting of the ESL teacher, an administrator, and a trained parent, meets every two months to determine which students are ready to move. The ESL staff then monitors students' progress for two years and provides help and support as needed.

The CEI program is showing results for both ESL and other students. In 1998 - 99, ESL students benefited in instructional reading and reading comprehension, as evidenced by the following:

1. Instructional reading increased by 1.55 grade level or the equivalent of one-and-one-half-year's progress.

2. Reading comprehension increased by 2.12 grade levels or the equivalent of more than two years in a single year of instruction.

3. Special education students in the self-contained resource room showed increases in instructional reading of 2.55 grade levels and in reading comprehension of .95 grade level.

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