While growing numbers of students who learn English as their first language at home are under the gun to pass tests of English/Language Arts/Reading, the bar for English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students may be set so low that "children who are learning English...[in some states]...could leave high school without being taught to read or write the language":
While the No Child Left Behind Act has a detailed formula for bringing students to proficiency on state reading and mathematics tests by the 2013-14 school year, it's much less precise on states' goals for English-language learners.
Under the law, states for the first time must set "annual measurable achievement objectives"—or AMAOs—for how English-language learners are progressing toward learning English. States must also show that they are meeting those goals...
U.S. Department of Education officials acknowledge that some of the goals states have set are weak, but for the time being, the officials say, they're not rejecting any of the goals because of a lack of rigor.
How weak? Well, the "most ambitious" plan belongs to Michigan, which hopes to bring 95% of students from just-starting-to-learn-English to full proficiency in four years. However, "full proficiency" here is defined as a C student in mainstream classes; e.g., the kid who doesn't need English-language support but is not necessarily a good reader.
Other "less ambitious" programs includes Minnesota's, which aims to have, within 10 years, only 12% of students who have been in English-language programs for six or more years to be fully proficient in English. What's Minnesota doing that they can't teach a kid how to read, write, and speak English in six years? Perhaps I'm unaware of how difficult this is - several states apparently informed the government of "research [showing that] it takes five to seven years for students to learn English." I don't know anything about the research, I'll admit, but that seems like an amazingly long time for kids to learn English as a second language.
Posted by kswygert at November 25, 2003 01:16 PM