Schools Immerse students in English

School Languages: New data show non-English tongues

Although the latest census figures show a 2.61 percent increase in the Hispanic population, Laguna Niguel does not have the number of Spanish speakers as other cities like San Juan Capistrano and Santa Ana. But the city can be characterized by its increasing number of diverse languages, said Beverly DiNicola, Principal of Capistrano Adult School for English proficiency.

For example, Hidden Hills Elementary School in Laguna Niguel has 112 registered native Spanish speakers while San Juan Elementary School in San Juan Capistrano has as many as 658, according to the California Department of Education’s Spring 2001 data just released last week.

But San Juan Elementary School does not have any other languages represented in their English Learning program, according to the data, while Hidden Hills represents several languages including 18 Farsi speakers and seven Filipino.

Hidden Hills Elementary School houses Adult English Learning classes in Laguna Ni guel. It is among 17 locations that serves parents of English learners in CUSD schools, DiNicola said. Teachers must be trained to deal with the diversely populated classes, DiNicola said.

There are different factors with different populations because each has its own cultural background,” DiNicola said. Teachers need to understand where they come from. The parents might not understand the school system or we have to learn how their school system works to help them.”

The district provides separate classes for 3,500 English Learning Adults and for parents of English Learning Students. About 500 parents per year attend Capistrano Affirmed Family English classes, DiNicola said.

If the parents don’t speak the language, it is very difficult for the child to get help with homework,” DiNicola said. Kids who are read to in English learn the language much more efficiently. If the parents don’t speak English, they can’t be reading to their children.”

The district recommends students who speak a primary language other than English to various programs based on the results of the district’s Language Assessment Test, said Jackie Campbell, Director of English Language Development.

Non-English speaking and limited English speaking students are placed in a Structured English Immersion program, which is more intense with highly trained teachers, Campbell said. Still, all lessons and textbooks are in English.

Students with higher proficiency in English but still needing additional support are placed in the Mainstream with English Language Development Program.

Bilingual and Fluent English Proficiency (FEP) students are place in Mainstream English classes.

The passing of Proposition 227 in 1998, which requires schools to give non-native speaking students more English immersion than bilingual instruction spurred changes in the CUSD programs, Campbell said. She said parents still have the option to enroll their students in the district’s bilingual program, but almost all parents prefer the English Immersion program.

With the passing of Prop 227, it needed to be made very clear to the school district and to parents and students enrolling the schools that it was mandated to change the structure of the program to immerse the students in learning English,” Campbell said. …We’re definitely seeing an increase in the acquisition of English in Elementary schools.”

While the English Immersion program immediately saturates elementary students with English lessons, the bilingual program transitions students from Spanish to English usually in the third grade, Campbell said.

Campbell said staff is monitoring the English Immersion program to make sure students are learning cognitive English in subjects like math and science as well as learning interpersonal English skills.

Campbell said students who are constantly surrounded by English speaking role models are more likely to rapidly learn the language.

For information of ESL classes, call 489-7431 or for information on adult ESL classes call 489-7320.

Top Five languages among

EL and FEP students

Aliso Niguel High School

(2,643 total students):

Spanish, 157

Farsi, 105

Korean, 42

Vietnamese, 40

Pilipino, 36

Dana Hills High School

(1,478 total students):

Spanish, 356

Farsi, 22

Vietnamese, 11

Pilipino, Arabic, Japanese, Cantonese, Korean, 7 each

Niguel Hills Middle School

(1,873 total students):

Spanish, 102

Farsi, 38

Pilipino, 11

Japanese, 8

German, Vietnamese, 7 each



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