As with many other educational programs, before being placed into a class you need to take a classificatory exam to find out where to start in the program. It is really easy and fun to do; as with the ESL program, the exam is completely free, you don't need to pay a dime to do the exam. Just be on time the day of your appointment.
Based on my experience, you can enter into the ESL program almost anytime except during the weeks near summer vacations, winter break and spring break, because the Adult Education Office doesn't accept new people due to the proximity of the holidays.
The exam is fairly easy. It's divided in two parts; the first part of the test is a written exam composed of 2 sections. The first section of the written part is lecture comprehension. The second section is mathematical comprehension using daily living examples, such as a trip to the market or where you need to apply different concepts such as subtraction and multiplication before making a purchase. The second part of the test is audio comprehension, and is not that difficult either, as the exercises are spoken in a neutral accent. For people who are not used to the different accents in the United States or the southern accent, the audio part is not going to be troublesome as the narrators speak in a soft spoken tone without accent.
When the exam is done, you will be classified into one of seven (7) levels; each level is completely different from the others. The first levels are based on the basics of English and are more focused on written and grammar rather than oral expression. The oral aspects are confined to the last levels, where it is assumed that the students have more mastery of the language. The methodology is different according to the teacher you are assigned; there is not going to be an exact method in all the classes as the teachers have to fulfill the needs of their student body. The admittance to the classes is open; you can go whenever you are available, but if you miss 3 consecutive weeks you will be signed out of the program. If you want to start up again, you have to take the classificatory exam again.
After 75 hours of assistance, you have to take another classificatory exam, because according to the program policies after 75 hours your knowledge should have improved enough to go to the next level. If you pass the exam you will be moved to another level. If you fail you will remain in the same level you were for another 75 hours, or until the teacher thinks you are ready to take the exam again.
