Study prompts Levy to consider changes

In a move that could affect one in six public school students in the city, Schools Chancellor Harold Levy is expected this week to propose significant changes in the city’s bilingual education program.

The move comes as the city’s current system for teaching immigrant students with poor English skills has been criticized for slow progress.

A recent Board of Education study found that more students in English as a second language classes reached English proficiency than did their peers in bilingual classes.

The study said that one in three bilingual students are placed in special education classes, sparking fears that students who have trouble with English are mistakenly placed in classes with those who have disabilities.

Levy’s plan is expected to give parents three enrollment options if their children fail English assessment tests:

The current bilingual education program, in which students are taught subjects like math and science in their native languages. Critics say it deters children from learning English. Supporters say it keeps kids interested in school as they gain English proficiency.

Classes focusing on English as a second language, in which students would be trained in rudimentary English for several periods a day while taking other classes in English. Critics say this method throws foreign-born children into English-language classes before they fully understand it. Supporters say it pushes them to learn English faster.

A new intensive ESL program that would provide after-school and weekend instruction with the goal of moving students rapidly into a full-time, English language program. Critics say this method can push students too hard, while supporters say it quickly moves students into the mainstream.

A spokeswoman for Levy could not be reached for comment. The plan was first reported yesterday in The New York Times.

The Board of Education’s current system automatically places students in bilingual classes if they fail an English competency exam. Currently, 176,000 public school students-one in six-are enrolled in bilingual education or the ESL program.

Over 65 percent of students enrolled in the classes are Hispanic, with the rest mainly Chinese or Russian. The issue has served as a rallying point for Hispanic leaders who are adamant in insisting that the program not be dismantled.

Some Hispanic civil rights and community groups, who fought hard to establish the bilingual programs in the 1970s, say they worry that the plan might reduce funding to such programs, greatly reducing the ranks of bilingual students and teachers.

But critics have complained for years that foreign-born students become trapped in bilingual programs which offer substandard academic courses.

Levy, who sits on a three-member panel appointed by the mayor to examine bilingual education, is expected to propose the plan to the seven-member Board of Education when it meets this Tuesday. The proposal would go into effect if approved by a majority of the school board.



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