Admissions

International Students

Bayside Academy welcomes those international students living locally with their immediate family to apply for admission. By accepting international students, Bayside Academy embraces a wide range of cultures, skills, and backgrounds into our school community. We believe these multinational students help create a global classroom environment and enhance the rich academic and social life of the school. Inviting international students to join our Bayside community teaches all our students to work collaboratively in a multicultural community, consider alternative viewpoints, find common ground, and explore cultural values.

Our Program

Bayside employs a certified English language facilitator to provide individual, small group and/or push-in classroom support. International students new to Bayside requiring language support will work with our English language facilitator to build speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. These sessions are individually tailored to the needs of the student. International students meet with the facilitator one to five times a week depending on their individual needs.

Admissions Process

International students seeking admission into Bayside Academy will follow the admission process outlined for all potential Bayside students. International students requiring English language support will complete a Home Language Survey and the WIDA screener. The WIDA screener is an English assessment that helps educators identify the language proficiency of our international students. The WIDA screener assesses each of the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing and assists in the planning of differentiated language support for each child.

International students entering Bayside Academy in Grades 7–12 may be required to demonstrate a baseline level of English proficiency prior to admission.

Resources

A variety of resources, tools, and support systems are utilized with our new international students as they develop their English language skills. These support resources may include the following:

Depending on skill level, new international students may be issued an iPod Touch with access to translation apps.
Imagine Learning is an online research-based, standards-aligned curriculum that builds core reading and academic language skills. Bayside Academy students enrolled in the international program may access this resource at school or home.
Depending on skill level, teachers provide our international students with copies of notes while they develop their content vocabulary.

International students may have access to Bayside Academy’s special testing centers where they receive help with the translation of questions and extended time on assessments.
International students in Grades 5–12 may be enrolled in the Academic Foundations class offered through Bayside’s Student Support Program.
The Bayside Academy counseling team may establish weekly meetings with new international students to ensure that each child is adapting to the Bayside community.

Assessments

Bayside’s international students are administered a variety of formative and summative assessments to gauge areas of growth and continued areas of need.

The WIDA annual assessment is administered each spring to students in the Bayside International Student Program. This assessment reports the students’ progress in English language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

English language students may apply to receive language accommodations on select standardized tests based on their level of English proficiency and performance on the WIDA annual assessment.

Communication

Parents can expect regular feedback from the classroom teacher and the English language instructor on the progress of their child outlining their areas of growth and continued areas of need. At the end of each year, a conference will be scheduled to evaluate student progress, suggest summer support options, and to put a plan in place for fall support.

Fees for the 2023–2024 School Year

$2000 per semester for students in Grades PK–4 actively receiving support with the ELL instructor.
$2500 per semester for students in Grades 5–12 actively receiving support with the ELL instructor, academic support through student services, and special testing services.