Bilingual Education
Hipolito R. Corella and Carmen Duarte
To find out what information voters might need to make a decision about Proposition 203, the Arizona Daily Star brought together a panel of voters this month who were undecided but interested in the issue. The following questions were raised by the seven people who participated. Q What would happen to the state's bilingual programs if Proposition 203 passes? A Existing bilingual programs, in which a student's native language may be used in addition to English, would be dismantled, and all public school instruction would be conducted in English only. Children not sufficiently fluent in English would be placed in intensive English, or English immersion, classes "for a period not normally intended to exceed one year," the proposition says. Q How can parents get bilingual education for their children if Proposition 203 passes? A Parents may request waivers under very limited conditions, but teachers and districts "may reject waiver requests without explanation or legal consequence," the proposition says. Parents may request a waiver if their child: * Already speaks English OR * Is 10 years old or older OR * Has spent at least 30 days in an English language classroom and is found to have special physical or psychological needs above and beyond a lack of English proficiency. Q How many students in Pima County are classified as not fluent in English, or Limited English Proficient (LEP)? A According to the most recent state data, the numbers of LEP students in the county's six largest school districts are: Tucson Unified - 12,345 of 66,234 total students. Sunnyside - 4,214 of 14,338 total students. Amphitheater - 1,531 of 17,355 total students. Marana - 406 of 12,017 total students. Flowing Wells - 264 of 6,079 total students. Catalina Foothills - 77 of 4,855 total students. Total number of students in the state classified as Limited English Proficient - 139,599. Q What bilingual education programs exist in the Tucson and Sunnyside districts? A In TUSD: * The Bilingual-Bicultural Program, available from kindergarten through 12th grade, uses both English and Spanish for instruction. It is intended to teach competency in both languages. * The English as a Second Language (ESL) Program, available from kindergarten through 12th grade, consists of daily instruction in English language development, including reading and speaking skills, and the development of academic skills in English. The program also develops an understanding of the history and culture of the United States. At Sunnyside: * A transitional bilingual program, available from kindergarten through 12th grade, uses both English and Spanish for instruction. Under this program, the amount of Spanish used in instruction decreases as the student moves up in grade. * English as a Second Language, same as TUSD. * Individual education programs also are available at both TUSD and Sunnyside, as well as other districts, if parents request them or when there are fewer than 10 LEP students per grade per school. In them, the student's primary language is used for instruction in other subjects, to the extent possible. Community members, students and paraprofessionals assist students under the supervision of a bilingual- or ESL-qualified instructor. Q How many Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in the state are in bilingual education programs? A Of the 132,806 LEP students reported to be participating in programs: * 18,175 participated in a K-6 transitional bilingual program. * 3,239 participated in a 7-12 secondary bilingual program. * 23,505 participated in a K-12 bilingual-bicultural program. * 89,972 participated in an ESL program. * 7,413 participated in an individual education program. * 1,442 participated in an individual education program at a parent's request. Q Do parents have a choice now over whether their children are placed in bilingual education programs? A Yes. According to Tucson Unified and Sunnyside school district officials, all requests parents submit to get their children out of bilingual education are granted. Last year TUSD received 87 such requests, and Sunnyside received about 20. But two Tucson parents contacted by the Star with the help of English for the Children, the group supporting the ballot measure, say it was not easy to remove their children from bilingual education programs. Adriana Fernandez said she felt pressured by Leonard Basurto, TUSD's bilingual education director, and others to re-think her push to put her daughter in an English-only classroom at Keen Elementary. "My daughter is very timid, but she is fine. My daughter is now in second grade and she is learning. She is learning English in school and speaks Spanish at home," Fernandez said. Amparo Martinez, who has a son and a daughter at Lynn- Urquides Elementary, said she faced similar hurdles. She said her desire to have the children in English-only classrooms was ignored by school leaders for two years. "My daughter was learning English and Spanish. I liked that. When my son was in kindergarten, they only spoke Spanish. They only did the Pledge of Allegiance in English. I thought to myself, he could be going to school in Mexico," Martinez said. "I told my children we have to be superior in English so that we do better in life. My children are doing well in English," she added. "They speak Spanish with me at home." Q How long are students in bilingual education programs now? A Both TUSD and Sunnyside officials said that, on average, students stay in bilingual programs from five to seven years. In 1998-99, 132,806 LEP students in the state were in bilingual programs; 54,320 were assessed for English proficiency; and 7,312 were reclassified as English-proficient. Of the 7,312, 48.8 percent were in bilingual programs four years or less before being reclassified. Q How do standardized test scores of graduates of, or students in, bilingual education compare to average students' scores? A For the 1998-1999 school year, the TUSD averages on the Stanford 9 test were: * Reading - 48, language - 47 and math - 50. In that same year, students who were originally classified as Limited English Proficient and later reclassified for mainstream classes scored: * Reading - 48, language - 49 and math - 52. Q What impact does bilingual education have on dropout rates, if any? A Students at TUSD's Pueblo High Magnet School are the most likely in the district to have had bilingual classes sometime during their schooling. There, the dropout rate among Hispanic ninth-graders has been: 19.59 percent in 1995-1996 16 percent in 1996-1997 8.6 percent in 1997-1998 6.2 percent in 1998-1999 5.1 percent in 1999-2000 By comparison, Hispanic students at TUSD's Rincon High School are less likely to have taken bilingual education classes. There, the dropout rate among Hispanic ninth-graders has been: 10.45 percent in 1995-1996 4.4 percent in 1996-1997 8.6 percent in 1997-1998 10.5 percent in 1998-1999 10.4 percent in 1999-2000 There are myriad reasons students quit school, and schools across the city tackle prevention efforts differently. The comparison in this answer is not a full picture of what occurs at Pueblo or Rincon. Q What languages do Arizona students primarily speak? A State figures of student-reported language show: * Primary English speakers - 528,264 * Some home language other than English - 200,980 * Primary Spanish speakers - 162,538 * Primary speakers of Navajo - 18,695 * Speakers of other than Spanish or Navajo - 19,702 Q When would Proposition 203 take effect? A A spokeswoman for Gov. Jane Hull said the law becomes effective as soon as the governor signs a proclamation. Generally that occurs about a month after the election. Hector Ayala, co-chair of English for the Children, said he believes the measure would take effect next school year. A state Department of Education spokeswoman said officials from the department and the Attorney General's Office would meet soon to figure out when and how Proposition 203 would affect classroom instruction. Q What happens to students after one year of English immersion if they still don't know English well enough to be placed in mainstream classes? A The proposition does not address this. It does say that students will be put in mainstream classes "after they have acquired a good working knowledge of English and are able to do regular school work in English." Q Do school districts provide bilingual education for limited-English students whose native language is other than Spanish? A No. Most non-English-speaking students who speak languages other than Spanish receive ESL instruction. * Contact Hipolito R. Corella and Carmen Duarte at 573-4191. |