Department Overview

The English as a New Language Department at RHHS is here to support students who are learning English. ENL teachers support students in stand-alone and co-teaching classes in the development of their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and vocabulary skills. Students are placed in courses based on their official English level, as determined by the NYSITELL (New York State Identification Test for English Language Learners) entrance exam or the NYSESLAT (New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test) yearly language achievement test administered every spring. The five English levels are Entering, Emerging, Transitioning, Expanding, and Commanding. ENL teachers strive to incorporate a variety of high-interest, culturally responsive materials into our curriculum which is targeted to meet the linguistic needs of each student grouping, as well as aligned to students’ ELA curriculum. The ENL office is located in Room 323, where teachers are always available to help our students learn and grow. The ENL Department is supported by ENL Coordinator Ms. Heras-Campos (room 125) and Guidance Counselors Ms. Bhanot, Ms. Leonardo, and Ms. Terrero.