Empowering Students: FIA's New ESL Initiatives

Supporting Students Through English Language Services

US University Pathways (USUP) is thrilled to announce English language support at Forward International Academy (FIA), designed specifically with our international students’ needs in mind. As part of our commitment to offer support that positions students to better succeed academically, we’ve made connections with two institutions to offer English language proficiency programs starting this fall and beyond.

In collaboration with the English Language Institute at Sacred Heart University (SHU), we are introducing a series of asynchronous online ESL courses. Each 4-month course is intended to serve students who may already have a solid foundation in English, but need further language development to prosper in FIA’s curriculum and other interactions outside of school. For our participating partner schools, most courses will run concurrently with a student’s FIA course load, and we will be able to award elective credit toward graduation upon successful completion of ESL courses. We will also provide program support through placement services and progress monitoring by an instructor.

In looking further into the future, we have also established productive dialog with the Wisconsin ESL Institute where we would eventually offer customized hybrid courses that include virtual sessions for live interaction between students as well as instructors. Details about this option will be shared as they develop later this year.

Why This Matters

The availability of these ESL programs to participating partner schools represents a significant step forward in making FIA more accessible to students for whom English is not their primary language and who are striving for fluency. We wish to offer our students the tools and resources needed to enhance the FIA experience and build their confidence and engagement as they adjust to new surroundings and circumstances in, and beyond, school. This effort also helps us further endorse the English language proficiency waivers for college admissions that were highlighted in last week’s Forward news post.

Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting news in the coming weeks!

Onward. Upward. Forward!