Outcomes
Many outcomes and achievements in a community English program like ours are intangible: Do learners feel more confident interacting in English? Are they more able to advocate for themselves and their families? Do they feel accepted and valued in the community? Although those factors are difficult to measure, both anecdotal student feedback and outcome data suggest a resounding "yes!"
BLC has higher than average persistence rates. The National Center for Educational Research found that most adult ESL learners persist less than 7 months in their English language courses. In comparison, in 2023-2024, 76% of BLC students were still attending their classes at the end of the year.
Moreover, in 2023-2024, 52% of students were returning for at least their second year of BLC classes. Given our students' often challenging life circumstances, this points to their satisfaction with the English instruction as well as the sense of belonging they feel. Many current BLC students and volunteers have been returning yearly since well before Covid.
In terms of advances in English fluency, 63% of 2023-2024 students in Levels 0 - 4 progressed to the next level. We feel that this promotion rate is appropriate for our community. It indicates demonstrable progress for the large majority of students. It also indicates that we are paying close attention to the needs of each learner.