What is LEAPstart?

LEAPstart is a yearlong. accelerated learning community designed to accelerate ESL students through the advanced-level, academic ESL sequence. In the fall semester, students enroll in ESL 101 (Written Communication I, 5 units) and ESL 131 (Academic Reading II, 3 units). When students move on to the spring semester, students enroll in ESL 102 (Written Communication II, 5 units) and Reading 110 (Power Reading, 4 units). The required courses during each semester must be taken simultaneously. If one course is dropped, the student will be dropped automatically from the other course as well.

After the yearlong program, successful students have an opportunity to leap into the English sequence (English 50 or English 100). Some students, who need extra support, take ESL 103 after their year in LEAPstart. The majority of students, however, accelerate into English 100 or English 50.

During their year in LEAPstart, students are supported by embedded tutoring, homework review sessions with a tutor, college success skills workshops, and field trips.

Who should enroll in LEAPstart?

As LEAPstart is an accelerated program, it’s a good program for students who desire to reach English 100 in a shorter amount of time with the skills they need to be successful. It is for students who can devote at least 10 hours of out-of-class time a week to working with a tutor, visiting professor office hours, completing writing and reading assignments, attending workshops, and/or attending field trips. Students will complete a lot of work in this course, and, to be successful, students need to make time in their schedules to do the work.