ESASD Adult ESL, Pennsylvania

At a Glance: ESASD Adult ESL, Pennsylvania

When East Stroudsburg Area School District’s (ESASD) Adult ESL Program had to go online amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Janice Rodriguez, ESL Specialist at ESASD, set out to find an interactive platform to help students stay engaged in a virtual setting.

“It was at a Department of Education in Pennsylvania ELD Conference that I heard about Off2class,” said Rodriguez, “I pursued finding out more information and loved it. I haven’t looked back.”

ESASD Adult ESL, located in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., is a program designed for adult family members of East Stroudsburg Area School District students. With over 30 languages spoken in the district, Rodriguez and her team focus on improving the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills of adult students, aged anywhere from 18 to 70+ years.

“I have students from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ukraine, Ecuador, Philippines, Cambodia, and more. It’s important that they have somebody that advocates for them to bring them in, make them feel welcome and help them with the needs that they have,” said Rodriguez.

ESASD Adult ESL students join the program for three main reasons: legal documentation, leisure, and career.

“Class is extremely practical in this sense, to bridge the gap between our communities and families and school,” said Rodriguez, “it’s like: what do you need? How do you say this?”

Challenges for the Adult ESL Program at ESASD Adult ESL

1. Virtual instruction

In the thick of the pandemic, asynchronous materials were no longer conducive to learning in an online setting. “Not all websites have the ability to show the students actual lessons,” said Rodriguez, “especially when you need listening lessons where you can push a button, and they can hear somebody besides me.” Rodriguez knew they had to find a program that was synchronous and interactive, to keep busy adult learners engaged.

2. Fragmented learning

Before finding Off2Class, ESASD primarily utilized textbooks and printed worksheets in their adult academy. This was a major pain point in providing sequential, cohesive learning for students. “That’s a problem in school school, right? You bring the worksheet home, but you’re not bringing the textbook with you,” said Rodriguez, “they couldn’t go back and review what they did in class and ask me questions about it.”

3. Finding materials with a focus on speaking

“Especially adults, it’s harder to create a safe space where everyone is comfortable. It’s harder to encourage everyone to speak and communicate and participate,” said Rodriguez. Hence, while weighing up new programs, a platform that met the number one goal of communicating to be understood was a priority for the ESASD team.

The Off2Class Solution at ESASD Adult ESL

“I am thrilled to have found Off2Class. When I needed something virtually, you guys were there,” said Rodriguez. Learners at ESASD occupy and use all licenses purchased for Off2Class. Rodriguez says learners are always asking for additional spaces on the platform.

Rodriguez emphasizes that Off2Class has helped create a “family environment in the classroom.” Just recently, a student had asked permission in an online class if her family members could join the session. “I said absolutely! Behind her she had four or five people, and it was great to see them all participating and asking each other questions and trying to repeat [the material]. It’s important because we know that our families have family members that are transitioning their life here too,” Rodriguez explained.

1. Variety of lessons for different usages and levels

Effectively designed to cover the full range of CEFR levels from A1 all the way to C2, Off2Class boasts over 1000 lesson plans across categories such as Business English, Tenses, Speaking Activities, and more.

”My students enjoy it because there’s a variety of lesson topics and various English proficiency levels that we need. And that continues to grow – I just got emails about even more topics,” said Rodriguez.

Off2Class’ lesson plan categories are also sequential, helping students level-up as they go. “What I do is I’ll be in one lesson, and another issue will come up, and next week we’re going to find that topic in Off2Class and deal with it,” said Rodriguez, “It is so much better that it goes sequentially.”

2. All-in-one platform saves time for educators

To eliminate fragmentation in teaching and lesson-planning, Off2Class combines a student management system, homework, placement tests, and games to boost ease of use for educators.

”I know I can go right here and look at the different topics and find what I need. I can check out what’s being asked and what’s been done. I’ve even made notes to myself sometimes. It’s all in one place. It’s not like I have to go to ESL boggle and a4ESL and multiple different platforms,” said Rodriguez.

Off2Class’ all-inclusive platform also allows for instruction based on the changing needs of students. “Every year, students are different, so it’s essential that instruction is based on needs,” explained Rodriguez, “this makes it so much easier because a lot of teachers’ wasted time is not being able to find what we’re looking for.”

3. Student engagement and understanding of material are reinforced

Off2Class’ digital-first platform maximizes learning, too. ”It’s nice that when I send them homework, they have access to that same lesson again at home. They can go back and listen and look even if they don’t understand everything. It’s not like, oh, here’s your homework — forget about what we just did in class,” said Rodriguez.

What’s more, digital-first also means that students can log in from anywhere in the world. “Sometimes they are either sick or there’s a situation or they have to go back to their home countries,” said Rodriguez, “but I have found that even when my students go back, they are logging in. That’s because they don’t want to miss class.”

4. High return on investment

“What really sold my district was that it was affordable,” said Rodrigeuz.

From its conception, co-founders James Heywood and Kris Jagasia – both ESL educators – set out to create a high-quality product that helps teachers better serve their students, to give back to their own community. And that’s why keeping pricing affordable and accessible to districts has always been at the core of the Off2Class ethos. 

Rodriguez added, ”If you look at the variety of topics and the language proficiency levels offered, there’s no way you can find anything else at this price. The price is phenomenal per student.”

Collaboration is key to supporting English Learners

ELLs represent the fastest-growing student population. Off2Class makes it easy for districts to rapidly adjust to changing student numbers and quickly spin-up supplemental programs to position newcomer students for success.

For this reason, our expert team can help you design a personalized Off2Class system that will empower your teachers and match the needs of the learners in your district. We can also advise on federal funding options. Book a consultation with our friendly advisors.