What is intensity?
A brief discussion of what is meant by intensity of instruction.

Factors Affecting ESL Student Performance
Discussion items include: intensity of instruction; teachers' skill level; personal barriers to success; students' past educational backgrounds; how to best manage and serve students with more previous educational experience.

Program Experiences Described
Several people describe how their programs address issues that affect ESL student achievement. Discussion items include: structures and/or policies to facilitate student transition; need for VESL programs; lack of funding and its consequences; charging fees; managed enrollment; intensity of instruction; persistence; transitions.

Class Size; Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC) Described
A discussion of how class size affects performance and outcomes; a description of the Defense Language Institute English Language Center and how it addresses several variables including class size and instructional time.

Focus on Tests and Testing
The discussion focuses on the pros and cons of different standardized tests including BEST Plus and CASAS, and several tests used by the DLIELC, as well as some discussion on the use of formative and 'homegrown' assessments in the classroom.

Spanish GED
A discussion of the pros and cons of providing Spanish literacy versus English literacy instruction, and the Spanish GED; how NLL (Native Language Literacy) contributes to the development of second language; critique of the NRS and how the system measures progress.

Generation 1.5 Students
A discussion of how to best serve the needs of the Generation 1.5 student.

Low Beginning Learners
A brief discussion on the disparity in achievement for low beginning learners.

Professional Development
A discussion of the professional development challenges subscribers face and how they address them.

Multiple Intelligences and Transitions
A discussion of Multiple Intelligences (MI) and its relationship to college transitions.

Closure