Multilingual Learner Services

Welcome to the Office of Multilingual Learner Services

Contact Information

Joanna Rodzen-Hickey

Coordinator of ESL and Bilingual Programs

Hackettstown Public School District

315 Washington Street

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

[email protected]

Program Overview

The Hackettstown Public School District Language Instruction Educational Programs (formerly English Language Learner Programs) support students from immigrant and linguistically diverse backgrounds in the development of English language skills and the attainment of academic content. Currently, the Hackettstown Public School District serves over 260 Multilingual Learners (MLs) in grades K-12. Our program comprises Sheltered Instruction, High Intensity ESL, Bilingual Education, and Newcomer services.

Our Philosophy

According to Stephen Krashen, a renowned expert in linguistics, language should be taught with comprehensible input in mind, i.e., at one level above the learner’s current language proficiency. Krashen also argues that the affective filter (variables such as anxiety, fear, and lack of self confidence) negatively impacts the process of acquiring a new language. In Hackettstown Public Schools, we believe that increasing comprehensible input while reducing the affective filter helps our students to achieve success.

We in the Hackettstown Public School District understand that teaching a new language is best done in a holistic way, using conversation and reading engaging texts while ensuring an appropriate level of language input. We understand that language is a social phenomenon, and create an environment in which students learn through social interaction and real life situations. We foster a love of language and learning, and believe that all students can learn and grow, but they don't all learn and grow in the same way. Therefore, we tailor our instructional practice to the different styles of learning present in our classrooms.

In the Hackettstown Public School District, we provide our students access to rigorous grade level content while honoring their ways of knowing and being, and utilizing their cultural, linguistic, and knowledge capitals. In other words, we embrace our students' cultures, knowledge, and unique qualities, as we understand that learning can only occur when all learners feel valued and at ease. Additionally, our goal is never to replace one culture with another, but to create an additive cultural environment where every student's first language (and culture) is viewed as an asset and continues to be developed along with English. Ultimately, we want our students to use their cultures, knowledge, and bilingual skills to better the community in and out of the classroom.

In the Hackettstown Public School District, we encourage students to become lifelong learners who appreciate and celebrate diversity. We believe that in order to prepare our students for the future and help them build the foundations for success in college and career, we need to focus on the quality of their experiences in the present.