Upswing in bilingual students

More OUSD limited English-speaking students becoming fluent, official says

The Orange Unified School District has seen a marked increase in the number of students who speak little or no English who are becoming bilingual over the last two years, Orange Unified School District officials announced last week.

Pam De Loetz, the district’s special programs administrator, reported to trustees last Thursday that since the program was implemented during the 1993-1994 school year, it has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of students redesignated.

De Loetz attributes the steady increase in students who transition, to the training of more than 50 teachers in bilingual education and improvements in the bilingual curriculum in kindergarten through second grades.

“We took the district’s core curriculum program and provided a resource guide in Spanish for teachers to refer to ,” she said.

“This way teachers can know exactly what the student should be learning at each grade level.

“Over time we’ve created a successful program with students and teachers working together. Transitioning becomes easier when students are in a classroom they feel comfortable in. “

De Loetz said it takes a student an average of three to five years to transition to fluent English. She said students who are academically prepared in their primary language advance more rapidly.

To become English proficient, students must meet district curriculum standards, pass an English language proficiency test, and score at a minumun of a 36th percentile in reading, math and language on the California Acheivement Test.

About one-fourth of the population in the Orange Unified School District have limited English speaking skills, she said.



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