Bilingual reform Overhaul of Massachusetts program is overdue
We applaud state Sen. Guy W. Glodis' effort to put reform of the state's mandated bilingual education program back on the legislative agenda. The issue is of concern to taxpayers, educators and parents not only because of the cost of bilingual education, but also because the standard transitional bilingual education model may be holding back non-English-speaking students from reaching their full potential. The bill Mr. Glodis proposes, similar to one that died in the Legislature last year, would create an intensive, sheltered'' one-year immersion program grouping students of like ability and age. Parents would be able to request that their child be advanced more quickly or retained for additional traditional bilingual education. The Glodis proposal would reduce greatly the number of students who spend three to five years- and sometimes more- in bilingual programs, as now frequently happens. Yet it gives parents a larger measure of responsibility and authority regarding their child's education. Whether one year is the right time limit is debatable, but clearly the time a non-English-speaking student spends in bilingual education should be strictly limited. Students who have mastered the basics of writing and speaking English should be moved into mainstream classes and, if needed, receive extra English instruction. An immersion program adopted in California in 1998 has produced encouraging results. More than a million Spanish-speaking students were placed in English-speaking classes and, as standardized testing in English and math showed, improved rapidly and dramatically. The California results suggest traditional bilingual programs actually may perpetuate language inadequacies rather than eliminate them. A more effective method to move non-English-speaking students quickly into the mainstream also could reduce the high dropout rate among Hispanic students. While there are many contributing factors to the phenomenon, lack of proficiency in English is high on the list. Mr. Glodis' proposal and a somewhat different one by state Rep. Mary Rogeness, R-Longmeadow, both aim to integrate students into regular classrooms more quickly. The accelerated mainstreaming they propose should be the basis of bilingual education reform in Massachusetts that is long overdue. |