Fresno teachers required to get bilingual training

Agreement to help non-English-speaking students.

Fresno teachers whose students are not fluent in English must get training within the next two years to learn better instruction methods.

Teacher success will be evaluated, and those failing to show progress “will be subject to corrective strategies” that could get them fired, according to a report to state and federal officials.

Fresno Unified School District administrators say firings are unlikely, but it is one of many conditions in a promise made to the California Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to prove students will get an equal education.

Carol Massey, president of the Fresno Teachers Association, said teachers are protected by due-process rights in their contract, but, “in our changing times, we need to meet the needs of all our students.”

About one-third of the 78,000-student district speaks little or no English.

The district’s programs for those students were reviewed by state and federal investigators this year, and administrators have been working for months on a plan to address their concerns.

The state and federal agencies have threatened to withhold as much as $ 24 million in funds to the district unless improvement plans are made.

Plan in effect

Seven months of negotiations produced a legally binding settlement.

“The comprehensive plan sets the district on firm foundation to move ahead,” said Norm Gold manager of the complaints and bilingual compliance unit of the state Education Department.

Fresno Unified trustees unanimously approved the plan after a special study session, making it immediately effective. In it, the district says it will:

* Ensure that teachers instructing non-English speakers have at least 45 hours of specialized training on how to teach non-English-speaking students. How the training will take place has not been determined.

* Give all students equal access to English language development services according to their needs.

* Evaluate non-English- speaking students in their primary language.

* Develop policies and programs to place students in regular classes once they become fluent in English.

* Translate all school correspondences for parents into their primary language.

* Hold teachers, aides, principals and administrators accountable for making progress toward the agreement’s goals.

Massey said that while the agreement does present some new challenges, “teachers are dedicated to the kids, so we feel they wil be able to meet those challenges as they go forward.”

New teachers being hired and those graduating from college have the necessary credentials, so the agreement should not affect a significant number of teachers for a significant number of years, she said.

No hard-nosed deal

A meeting to inform principals about the details of the contract will be held in mid-January.

If the district cannot meet those obligations, they will be able to renegotiate parts of the agreement, said Janice Klemm, the district’s assistant superintendent for instructional support services. She was the primary coordinator of the agreement.

“This is not a hard-nosed thing. If we’ve made a good faith effort, we know there are reopener clauses for us,” Klemm said. “And while we have a lot of work cut out for us, we think it’s achievable.”

The most challenging aspect will be to hire enough teachers and aides that speak Asian languages, she said.

A Bilingual Coordinating Committee will monitor progress.

Administrators and principals will also be evaluated according to their success.

Federal and state officials will review the 400-page document and formally respond to the plan in January.



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