Battle Ground Public Schools is working with Clark College to teach English language classes for non-native speakers, the district announced late last month.
The evening classes will focus on conversational English, including reading, speaking and listening, according to a news release.
Kelly Moses, coordinator for the school district’s English Second Language education, said the service has been highly sought after for a long time.
“We’ve heard for years that parents are interested in this,” Moses said.
U.S. Census data from 2015 indicates that 14.2 percent of Clark County’s 459,495 residents speak a language other than English at home. That’s compared to 18.8 statewide and 20.9 nationwide.
Battle Ground has a slightly higher rate than the county, with 16.8 percent of the city’s residents speaking a language other than English at home.
The program is open to anyone interested, not just Battle Ground residents or parents with children in the district. But Moses noted that the district adds non-English speakers every year. Of the district’s 13,477 students in May, 786 were in a transitional bilingual program. That’s up from the same time in 2011, when the district had 13,342 students total and 685 students in a transitional bilingual program.
It’s a trend that the school district wants to address in order to help families navigate life in Clark County.
“Language is power,” Moses said. “Language is access to opportunity.”
How to register
Those who want to register must first attend an ESL Information Session at Clark College at Gaiser Hall in Room 213. They are at 9:30 a.m. or 6 p.m. Mondays and noon Wednesdays today through Dec. 28. The information session is free, and participants must bring a photo identification.
The classes meet six hours per week over 10 weeks in Room C25 at the Lewisville Campus, 406 N.W. Fifth Ave., Battle Ground. The winter session runs from Jan. 10 through March 16, and a spring session runs from April 11 through June 15. Classes are taught from 6 to 8:50 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students will be charged $25 tuition per quarter, and financial help is available by contacting the Clark College Basic Skills office at 360-992-2741.
Battle Ground Public Schools will also offer tutoring and day care for children whose parents are attending English classes. Participants can ask about registration and general information about the program by calling the Battle Ground Public Schools ESL Department at 360-885-5439.
