Math isn't always a universal language:
While math has long been regarded as a universal language because of its foundation in numbers, the subject poses nearly as many hurdles for students with limited English as lessons that rely more heavily on reading, many educators say.That issue has gained renewed attention under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires schools and districts to test students annually in both reading and math in grades 3-8 and one in high school and make yearly progress in those subjects.
In addition, the law requires schools and districts to report separately the scores of English-language learners, a provision that many observers say has brought new scrutiny to the needs of that population.
One way to help would be to get rid of overly-wordy math items that depend as much on understanding of esoteric English terms as they do on understanding mathematical concepts. Do any of my more mathematically-focused readers out there have insights on math education for non-native English speakers?
Posted by kswygert at July 13, 2005 11:23 AM