English learners make strides on state test
Kimberly Epler
Test scores being released by the state today show most North County students learning English as a second language are doing better since California voters ended bilingual education two years ago. Improvements on the Stanford Achievement Test Ninth Edition, or SAT-9, are more widespread in the lower grades, especially among last year's second-graders, who spent the most time in English-only classes as required under Proposition 227. The state law passed in 1998 virtually ended bilingual program by requiring schoolchildren be taught "overwhelmingly" in English. But, although many educators credit the law as a factor in the improved test scores, they also said there is more to the results than meets the eye. "Teaching kids in English has enabled us to see how quickly they can learn," said Cindy Sabato, public information officer for the Oceanside Unified School District. "We're really pleased. We're seeing enormous strides." But, she said, other important changes in the district once racked by poor student showings also should be taken into account, among them class-size reduction, phonics-based instruction in language arts and a back-to-basics math program, she said. Officials in the Encinitas Union Elementary School District echoed the assessment, pointing out new instructional techniques and afterschool programs for parents and children learning English. "I think it was really a combination of all of those things," said Paula Blocker, the Encinitas district's bilingual coordinator. "When our kids become fluent in English we want them to do as well or even better than English kids. I think we're right on target." For Silicon Valley businessman Ron Unz, the author of Prop. 227, the scores are a validation of his effort to do away with bilingual education here and in other states. "I think it's a very large component," he said Monday. "It's simply unfortunate that it took so many years and that so many generations of immigrant students' education were destroyed by misguided policy." "Very few educational reforms have shown such a rapid and dramatic educational progress," Unz said. He also credited adoption of back-to-basic teaching styles by many districts. Mick Choate, superintendent of the Fallbrook Union School District, said it is too early, and scores are too incomplete, to say whether education under Prop. 227 is more effective than bilingual education. Although younger children still learning English may now be able to keep up with their peers academically, the true test of the law will come when those same students are enrolled in upper-grade math and science classes, he said. "The real test will be in the eighth, ninth and 10th grades, when we get to see if their understanding of English was strong enough to allow them to compete in core subjects," Choate said. "That debate can't be proven by this data." The state Department of Education also stopped short of crediting higher scores across California to the 2-year-old requirement of English-only classes. "The good news is that results for our English learners, although lower than results for English proficient students, increased in most subjects," Delaine Eastin, the state superintendent of public instruction, said in a written statement. ""I commend schools across the state for their efforts to ensure that all students become sufficiently skilled in English to achieve academic success. We must continue to support these efforts." Meanwhile, second-graders in the Escondido Union School District also jumped ahead of their predecessor's scores. Acting Superintendent Ron Guiles said it makes sense that the more exposure students have to English, the better they will do on a test in that language. "I think it definitely has an impact," he said. "We're just really pleased the kids are showing improvement." The test, he added, is only one measurement, but it's an important one for charting progress. Several school officials said they are looking ahead to next year when the first group of children to be taught only in English takes the test completed by all students in grades 2 through 11 each spring. "We're anxious to see how that impacts are scores," Sabato said.
Staff writer Gig Conaughton contributed to this report. |