Bilingual charter school considers major changes
TEMECULA---Leaders of a bilingual charter school are considering some major changes in their teaching approach after a recent school board ultimatum that test scores go up within a year. The school may switch from an almost complete Spanish-immersion program for earlier grades to incorporate more English. Temecula Valley Unified School District board members had questioned the effectiveness of the Language Acquisition Magnet Program (LAMP), which immerses students in kindergarten through fifth grade in varying levels of Spanish and English instruction. Questions arose when last year's state-mandated test scores were considerably lower than other schools in the district. Parents and supporters say test scores are only one indicator of quality and say they are pleased their children are reading and speaking two languages at such young ages. They say the students might not do as well on English or Spanish tests in younger grades because they are only halfway through a program that aims to produce fifth-graders who are fluent in both languages and up to par academically. Board members of the Language Acquisition Magnet Program, which is housed at Sparkman Elementary School, are presenting a plan to counter the low scores at their next meeting Oct. 11. Gradual shift to English During the school's four years of operation, kindergarten pupils were taught in Spanish 90 percent of the time and English the remaining 10 percent. The balance then gradually shifted. By fifth grade, 10 percent of the teaching is in Spanish, with 90 percent in English. The school has a mix of students who spoke Spanish and English when they entered school. After reiterating their concerns earlier this week, Temecula school trustees extended the charter school's contract with the district for one more year. The charter school is run independently of the district, but must have a contract with the district as its sponsoring agency. Charter schools struggle The charter school is not alone in its struggles, as others around the Riverside County have also had difficulty. The Indio Charter School in the desert faces a warning from Riverside County school officials to fix financial and record-keeping problems or be closed. Over the years, conflicts between administrators and parents have divided the Temecula Learning Center. Another home-schooling charter school in Corona recently lost its contract. Oftentimes, financial and bookkeeping concerns have raised questions about charter schools. In this case, the concern is focused on performance, school board members have said. Last year, 45 percent of the school's English-speaking second-graders scored at or above the national average in reading on the state's assessment test, compared with 67 percent in the Temecula school district and 53 percent in Riverside County. Twelve percent of the school's students deemed to speak limited English scored at or above the national average, compared with 35 percent in the district and 25 percent in the county. "We worry about the scores just like the board," said Ann Flores, who has filled in as the school's lead administrator after its principal left this year. "We are saying the 90/10 (format) is not effective." Flores said the school is considering using more English in the earlier grades, maybe as much as half and half. Instruction that reduces the time kindergarten pupils spend on Spanish to 70 percent of their day is also being considered. Parents praise results Mary Lem, who has two children at LAMP, said the school is already producing positive results. Lem's third-grade daughter reads in Spanish to her first-grade brother and helps with homework. "I really feel it's important that children know that there is a whole society out there that doesn't function in English," Lem said. "This opens the world for them." Founded in 1997, LAMP became a charter school the next year. The move was made to avoid the restrictions of a new state law, Prop. 227, which essentially prohibits teaching in any language other than English. As a charter school, LAMP is largely exempt from state education law and has a degree of freedom from its sponsoring district. |