Lucy Hernandez and Cathy Liska have differing views on teaching students in their native languages.

Hernandez, a first-grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln School, believes students who speak limited English should be taught in their primary language until they become fluent in English.

“If LEP (Limited-English Proficient) children are placed in classes taught in English only,many of them would fall behind,” Hernandez said.

Liska, a third-grade teacher at John Marshall School, supports English-language instruction with primary-language support.

“I’m for teaching English to limited-English students from day one, with native-language support from bilingual assistants or teachers,” Liska said.

Their views highlight the debate that surrounds bilingual education in the Anaheim City School District.

Trustee Harald Martin wants all limited-English speaking students who enroll in the district to automatically be placed in classes taught in English, unless parents specify otherwise.

The district offers several alternatives for teaching limited-English speaking students.

The options include:

Instruction in the primary language, which can include bilingual teachers and bilingual aides;

Instruction in English with primary-language support, which includes bilingual aides; and

Specially designed academic instruction in English.

All limited-English speaking students receive “English Language Development” classes, which help them become fluent in English.

“The child receives support in the primary language while they’re learning English, so they can be progressing in all areas of the curriculum,” Superintendent Roberta Thompson said.

Martin also wants to simplify placement procedures for limited-English speaking students. He believes the forms their parents have to read and sign are too bureaucratic.

During a recent board meeting, Martin asked district officials to create a new form for parents to complete when their children enroll.

The simplified form would be completed by parents whose children may be assessed for English-language skills. It would ask parents whether they want their children taught in English or in another language.

But Martin’s motion died because no one seconded it.

Currently, all parents complete a home-language survey when their children enroll. If the survey indicates that a language other than English is spoken in the home, the student later will be tested for language fluency skills.

Students who speak a language other than English at home must be tested for English-language fluency within 30 days of enrollment and for primary-languagefluency within 90 days.

If the student never has taken these tests, and if the survey indicates the student is limited in the English language, the district usually places the child in a class that provides primary-language support.

After the student is tested for language fluency, the district recommends a program of instruction to the parents. But the parents make the final decision, Thompson said.

District officials should evaluate the program for teaching limited-English students before deciding whether to revise the forms, said Trustee PresidentTodd Kaudy.

As of last April, the last month official figures are available, the district had about 11,100 limited-English students. There are an estimated 12,000 such students now.

Their listening, reading, writing, and/or speaking skills in English are not comparable to those of native-English speakers.

Martin believes those students aren’t learning the English language quickly enough.

Most limited-English speaking children who enroll in the district in kindergarten move to full-time English instruction by third grade, Thompson said. It may take five to seven years for some students to become officially redesignated as “Fluent-English Proficient. “



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