English as a Second Language (ESL)

“The mission of the ESL department isto prepare students with adequate listening, speaking, reading, writing, and academic skills to enable them to be successful in everyday situations, vocational settings, and transfer-level classes.”

The ESL program at El Camino College has been in existence for over 25 years. During that time, it has served students from almost 100 different countries. The department has a large faculty highly qualified in English along with second language acquisition and linguistics. Many of the instructors are bilingual and have lived abroad.

Tradución en Español

Apply to El Camino College

Make an OpenCCC Account
Submit an online application for El Camino College
Log into your MyECC portal and take the English and Math Placement Survey
Log into your MyECC portal and sign up for a Placement Test: Credit ESL or Non- Credit ESL
Complete New Student Orientation online via Canvas or by signing up for a ESL Orientation
Apply for financial aid (highly recommended)
Register for Classes: The Warrior Welcome Center can walk you through the registration steps online via Zoom, phone 310-660-3405 (please leave a voicemail), or email WelcomeCenter@elcamino.edu

Credit vs. Mirrored vs. Non-Credit ESL

At El Camino College (ECC), there are two ESL programs, the CREDIT program, and the NON-CREDIT program. Our goal is to help you reach your educational goal(s). Per state legislation (AB 705), all students have the right to register directly into transfer‐level coursework in English or in credit academic ESL. Colleges such as ECC, utilize multiple measures to place students in ESL courses. Please see the chart below and find out what ESL program is best for you!

English as a Second Language (ESL)

	Credit ESL	Mirror ESL Classes	Non-Credit ESL
Curriculum	Classes that will count towards a degree or certificate in any of a wide variety of careers.	Mirror classes are exact replicas of credit classes; only they are non-credit. Students attend class with credit studdents and are expected to do the same work.	Courses focused on helping students communicate in English at home, at work, and in the community.
Units per Class	4 - 5	0	0
International (F1 Visa) Students	Please contact our International Student Program regarding the classes you need to take.	DO NOT TAKE	DO NOT TAKE
ECC Courses *Not all classes will be offered every semester	Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation ESL 51 A – Elementary ESL 51 B – Intermediate ESL 51 C – Advanced Reading and Vocabulary Building ESL 52 A – Elementary ESL 52 B – Intermediate ESL 52 C – Advanced Writing and Grammar ESL 53 A – Elementary ESL 53 B – Intermediate ESL 53 C – Advanced	Only 5 spots per class offered Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation* NESL 51 A – Elementary NESL 51 B – Intermediate NESL 51 C – Advanced Reading and Vocabulary Building NESL 52 A – Elementary NESL 52 B – Intermediate NESL 52 C – Advanced Writing and Grammar NESL 53 A – Elementary NESL 53 B – Intermediate NESL 53 C – Advanced	Grammar and Conversation NESL 02A – Level 1 NESL 02B – Level 2 NESL 02C – Level 3 NESL 02D – Level 4 Reading and Writing NESL 03A – Level 1 NESL 03B – Level 2 NESL 03C – Level 3 NESL 03D – Level 4 ESL for Health Care I & II ESL for Childhood Educators I & II ESL Support for Career and Technical Programs ESL for Math I & II ESL for Medical Terminology ESL for Anatomy and Physiology I & II ESL for Radiological Technology I
Placement Tests	After you apply to ECC, you can register to take the Accuplacer test by completing the following form Credit and Mirrored ESL Placement Test Testing Hours: Online: By appointment only On-campus: M-Th 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM, F: 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM Components: This is a computerized reading and writing skills exam Length of Exam: Online: 2- 3 Hrs. (Due to set-up of exam) On-campus: 30 minutes - 1 Hr. Location: Online: Zoom, information will be emailed to you On-campus: Student Services Building - 1st Floor at the Warrior Welcome Center		After you apply to ECC, you can request to take the CASAS exam by completing the following form: Non-credit Placement Test Testing Hours: The exam is available after registering at El Camino College. Online: We will send you the link during business hours On-campus: M-Th 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM, F: 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM Components: This is a computerized reading and writing skills exam Length of Exam: 30 minutes - 1 Hr Location: Online, information will be emailed to you On-campus: Student Services Building - 1st Floor at the Warrior Welcome Center
Cost	Tuition and Fees	FREE	FREE

If you are an international student and want to take ESL classes at the college, you can get information from the International Student Program at (310) 660-3431. International students need a TOEFL score of at least 450. If an international student's TOEFL score is lower than 450, they can take classes at El Camino Language Academy before meeting the 450 TOEFL score requirement.

If you wish to further discuss your ESL placement results and/or challenge an ESL prerequisite, please contact the Associate Dean of Humanities, Scott Kushigemachi, at skushigemachi@elcamino.edu.

Questions? Contact Us

Warrior Welcome Center

El Camino College

WelcomeCenter@elcamino.edu