ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) AND ENGLISH LITERACY DEVELOPMENT (ELD) unit1

The goal of Ontario secondary schools is to support high-quality learning while giving individual students the opportunity to choose programs that suit their skills and interests. The updated Ontario curriculum, in combination with a broader range of learning options outside traditional classroom instruction, will enable students to better customize their high school education and improve their prospects for success in school and in life. THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) AND ENGLISH LITERACY DEVELOPMENT (ELD) IN THE CURRICULUM Ontario secondary schools are now home to students who speak more than 100 different languages, including several Aboriginal languages, many African, Asian, and European languages, or an English-related creole language (such as Caribbean Creole or West African Krio).

We are committed to working with Indigenous partners and the education sector to improve access to education for Indigenous students in Ontario and support First Nation, Métis and Inuit student achievement and well-being. This includes:

• closing the achievement gap between Indigenous students and all students
• increasing every student’s knowledge and awareness of Indigenous histories, cultures, perspectives and contributions
  
  
  
  Ontario’s increasing linguistic and cultural diversity provides students with many opportunities for cultural enrichment and for learning that is global in scope. At the same time, however, this diversity means that a significant and growing proportion of Ontario students arrive in English-language schools as English language learners – that is, students who are learning the language of instruction at the same time as they are learning the curriculum.