The CATESOL Journal

This article recounts some of the motivations, hurdles, and successes the Cuyamaca ESL Department in San Diego encountered while transforming its curriculum to an accelerated model. The college discovered that the new program, while challenging, increased the success and rate of passing among its language learners and improved the quality of their writing in ways even the implementers did not expect. The concerns, philosophy, and results behind Cuyamaca’s move away from traditional ESL classes are examined.