The President’s proposals with respect to
students with limited English proficiency are addressed in greater detail in
research commissioned by the Harvard Civil Rights Project and in an analysis
issued by the Hispanic Education Coalition.
Two aspects of the President’s plan are particularly troubling and merit
mention here:
First, the plan sends a message that ELLs do
not need to be taught math, science and other subjects at the same time they
are learning English. The Citizens’ Commission believes federal law
- both the current Title I and the civil
rights laws
- requires that English language learners
must be provided access to the core curriculum, as well as be provided with
appropriate language instruction. If
English language development is all that “counts” under the President’s
accountability proposals,[12]
then the plan could result in millions of LEP students being left behind in
subjects like math, science, and others.
Second, the plan does not include provisions for assessing Spanish-speaking students in Spanish where an assessment written in Spanish would provide a more accurate measure of such students’ knowledge and skills. Three-quarters of ELLs students are Spanish speakers, and assessments written in Spanish are used in Houston and elsewhere in Texas to measure student progress in meeting standards. Spanish language assessments are now widely available, and where they are not, the federal government should invest in ensuring they are developed and used where appropriate.
[12]
Current law requires state definitions of AYP to address the progress of
limited English proficient (LEP) students.
Other proposals for Title I reauthorization also would require separate
progress for Ells students compared to students who already are proficient in
English. Leave No Child Behind and a related draft from the Administration,
however, requires separate progress in the content areas only for
“disadvantaged” students. The only
progress required for ELLs in the plan is in acquiring English proficiency.