Nonnative speakers of English looking to improve their language skills should consider the ESL program at San Bernardino Valley College, located outside of Mira Loma, CA. As the website states:
The ESL program at San Bernardino Valley College is designed for individuals whose first language is not English and who have not yet acquired the English skills necessary to succeed in an English speaking workplace or in college level classes. The program consists of five courses that focus on preparing students to speak, read and write English at a level that will lead to successful occupational and academic experiences.
Valley College offers two sets of ESL courses: mainstream upper division courses offered for credit, and lower division courses offered for non-credit. A complete and detailed set of course descriptions can be found on the website, but the upper division courses include:
- ESL 907-Basic Conversational English
- ESL 930-Composition Based ESL Level 1: Beginning
- ESL 931-Composition Based ESL Level 2: Beginning
- ESL 940-Composition Based ESL Level 3: Intermediate
- ESL 941-Composition Based ESL Level 4: Advanced
The ESL courses offered for non-credit include:
- ESL 601-ESL Beginning Level 1-Introduction to Basic English Literacy
- ESL 602-ESL Beginning Level 2-English at Home and School
- ESL 603-ESL Intermediate Level 3-English for Work and Leisure
- ESL 604-ESL Advanced Level 4-English for Work and Education
Detailed course descriptions of these non-credit classes can be found here. All potential students should have a basic understanding of English before enrolling into this program. Valley College offers an economical tuition price for this program, charging around $36 per unit (courses offered for credit are 3-4 units). Classes run on the semester system, which means that classes are offered from either January through May or from August through December. Unfortunately, there are currently no ESL courses offered during the summer.
Those interested in this program may visit the website or call (909) 387-1617 for additional information.
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