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Springfield, Holyoke could lead bilingual reform move Editorial The report card on Springfield's $12.4 million bilingual education program is in, and it confirms what many parents and school officials have argued for years: It's not making the grade. The 33-page audit, ordered by School Superintendent Joseph P. Burke and conducted by a team of outside educational experts, says the city lacks a district-wide philosophy or mission statement for educational services for students with limited English proficiency. The bilingual program is also plagued with inconsistencies, according to the audit - with teaching practices that can vary from teacher to teacher, from building to building and from year to year. The audit also questioned the English proficiency of some of the teachers charged with easing the language transition of the city's growing Hispanic student population. In addition, the report criticized the lack of data assessing the progress of students participating in the program. An overhaul in the program is clearly long overdue and we commend Burke and the School Committee for finally getting the ball rolling. Repeated calls for accountability from the School Committee fell on deaf ears until last year when former School Committee member Jose F. Tosado, who is now a member of the City Council, made the move for an audit. Hispanics' poor performance on the state-mandated Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test and disproportionately high drop-out rates has educators and elected officials from across the state calling for reform. Cities like Springfield and Holyoke with high Hispanic enrollment can help lead the way. In Holyoke, Superintendent Eduardo B. Carballo says he plans to change the way students who are learning English receive instruction. Carballo, who favors an immersion-style program with support in the student's native language in lower grades, said yesterday he will come forward with a new plan for educating after reviewing Holyoke's current bilingual program. Burke is expected to devise a plan of action based on the information and recommendations included in the report. Acting Gov. Jane M. Swift and members of the state Legislature are making proposals for a bilingual education reform bill. In the meantime, a proposed ballot question, which would give students one year to learn English through intensive language classes, is gathering support. We think the ballot question, bankrolled by California software entrepreneur Ronald Unz, is the wrong approach to a complicated problem. State officials should seek input from superintendents like Burke and Carballo. They're in the hot seat. They know the system isn't working, and they want to fix it too. |