Dioany Yosuino
reporter

English as a Second Language students at TCC worked hard to pass the Texas Success Initiative assessment exam to be able to take accredited college classes.
TR student Jhoniel Rodriguez said his English language skills have advanced a lot after learning it for three years, but when it came to taking the exam, his mind became like alphabet soup.

Those vocabulary words of which he did not know the meaning also made him lose the sense of the text, so he had to concentrate deeply, he said.
“I managed to pass the test,” Rodriguez said. “The key was to imagine that I was inside of every context. Usually, those who have English as a second language have to study twice as much as commonly would
be studied.”

South student Dioyanda Yosuino said she took the exam three times
because she couldn’t understand all the prompts, even when she tried to translate each word into her language in her mind.

Yosuino said that she almost gave up, but her family encouraged her to keep practicing every day until the time for the exam came again.

“I have learned English for two years and passing this exam has become one of the many achievements to come,” Yosuino said. “Everything is possible for those who are willing.”
TR student Randy Rodriguez said the Texas Success Initiative Assessment exam was not complicated. He focused on answering what he knew and passed, which came as a surprise to him.

“I’m usually reading a book,” Rodriguez said. “So maybe that helped me to better understand the readings.”