At Boerum Hill School for International Studies (BHS), we value language as a bridge to understanding, identity, and connection. In alignment with New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) policy and the International Baccalaureate (IB) mission, our multilingual program supports students in acquiring additional languages while honoring their home languages and cultural backgrounds.
World Language Instruction: Spanish and French
All students at BHS engage in a rigorous world language curriculum, choosing either Spanish or French beginning in middle school and continuing through high school. As part of our IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), students receive structured instruction in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with an emphasis on real-world application, global themes, and intercultural understanding.
Students in grades 6–12 receive world language instruction, aligned with NYSED and IB standards.
Language learning at BHS is inquiry-based, culturally responsive, and rooted in authentic, global contexts.
Support for Multilingual Learners (MLLs)
BHS serves a diverse population of Multilingual Learners (MLLs)—students who are learning English as an additional language. Our program supports MLLs across all proficiency levels using the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) scale:
Entering (Level 1)
Emerging (Level 2)
Transitioning (Level 3)
Expanding (Level 4)
Commanding (Level 5 – Proficient)
Instructional support is determined by students’ proficiency levels and includes Integrated ENL (English as a New Language) and, where needed, Stand-Alone ENL services:
Students at Entering and Emerging levels may receive up to 360 minutes per week of ENL instruction.
As students progress to Transitioning and Expanding levels, support is adjusted to reflect their growing independence, with a combination of content-area integration and targeted instruction.
Students at the Commanding level are monitored for two years to ensure sustained success.
Our educators are trained to use scaffolds, differentiation strategies, and co-teaching models to ensure that MLLs have full access to our rigorous academic program while developing English language proficiency.
A Commitment to Equity and Global Citizenship
BHS is proud to be both a city public school and an IB World School that centers equity, inclusion, and international mindedness. Through our multilingual programming, students:
Build critical thinking and communication skills in more than one language
Develop empathy and cross-cultural understanding
Graduate prepared to lead in a multilingual, multicultural world
At BHS, we believe that every language is an asset and that every learner—regardless of background—deserves access to a meaningful and empowering language education.
