Magnet Administration Virtual Tour History Departments Sports Clubs Calendar Contact Downloads		ESOL Lee High School is a center for the E.S.O.L. program in Duval County and, as such, halls and classrooms sometimes seem like miniature United Nations. This year our students come from 24 different countries and speak many different languages -- from Arabic to Urdu. The program used to be called ‘English as a Second Language’. This was changed several years ago in recognition of the many students for whom English is the third or even fourth language. For example, we have students who spoke Russian and Ukrainian, Arabic and Amharic, or Serbo-Croatian and German before they came here and are now faced with the formidable job of learning English. Many students are refugees who have escaped the wars and oppression in their own countries: Bosnia, Kosovo, Sudan, Viet Nam, Cambodia and Cuba. Others are United States citizens who have moved here from Puerto Rico. Some of these young people come from excellent educational backgrounds; others have had only the most rudimentary schooling. No matter why they have come, no matter what they have faced in the past, they must all build new lives in the United States. In order to do that, they must overcome the barrier of English. It is the task of the ESOL department to help them accomplish this. When these youngsters first come to Duval County, they are given oral and written tests to establish their English level. Depending on those results, they are scheduled for one, two, or three hours of ESOL each day. Since all students, regardless of English proficiency, are required to meet standard high school graduation requirements, the students are also immediately placed in standard classes alongside their American peers. As can be imagined, this often creates tremendous challenges for the non-English speaking students and for their history, math and science teachers. In addition to meeting the credit requirements for graduation, ESOL students must also pass the HSCT or the F-CAT in order to graduate. It is sometimes very discouraging and can appear absolutely impossible but, as amazing as it may seem, most of the students succeed!