ESL assistance is provided to students whose use of English is sufficiently different from standard English to prevent them from reaching their potential.
Many students learning English speak it quite fluently and seem to be proficient.
School, however, demands a more sophisticated version of English, both in reading and writing. Thus, even fluent speakers might require ESL to provide them with an appropriate language experience that is unavailable outside the classroom. ESL is a transitional service rather than a subject. Students are in the process of learning the language of instruction and, in many cases, the content matter of subjects appropriate to their grade level. Thus ESL does not have a specific curriculum.