ACT Now Accommodates ELL

With the passing of Proposition 58, California voters have opened doors to the opportunity of bilingual education in many other ways. Test makers for the ACT have just announced accommodations will be made for ELL learners beginning next school year. Accommodations will include, directions in the student's native language, bilingual glossaries (without definitions), and additional testing time in separate rooms. Many believe these accommodations will level the playing field for students and ensure all students will be able to show what they have learned. Students whose primary language is not English will now be able to show proficiency and mastery despite not being fluent in English.

Although some see this as an effort to gain money and competition against the SAT as it does not offer accommodations, it is still getting much praise. I think it is about time ELL students have the testing field equaled so they can showcase their knowledge and mastery of skills. How else will we truly know what they have retained if these accommodations are not made? It seems unfair to me to not make the accommodations, so I believe this is a great thing for students!


Source: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/nov/21/test-maker-announces-special-accommodations-englis/

The Spanish Lesson I Never Got in School

The article I choose to write about this week was " The Spanish Lesson I Never got in School", posted by the New York Times and written by author Hector Tobar. Tobar was born in Guatemala, but grew up as a child of immigrants in California in the 70's. He went to school during the time period when the state first passed an anti-immigration movement in which students were not allowed to speak or learn any other language other than English in schools. He speaks of the stigma surrounding the children who knew more than one language, and how they were seen as stupid. He also speaks of how he lost his native language through the years as English was pushed so hard and his Spanish was completely lost. With the recent passing of Prop 58 these anti-immigration laws from the 70s were overturned by the voters in California. English is a language all students need to learn, but their native languages need to also be embraced and valued. Their bilingual abilities do not make them stupid, but rather make them brilliant learners! Tobar speaks highly of multiligualism and how it shows of high intellectualism, and I agree.






Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/opinion/the-spanish-lesson-i-never-got-at-school.html?_r=0

Shout Out!

The article I chose to write about this week was a shout out recognizing a bilingual teacher named Cassandra Barreto in the Chicago Tribune. Barreto became a paraprofessional first, and loved being in the classroom so much she decided to become a teacher. I chose to write about this specific article because I see this being common trend in education today. Bilingual teachers are not common, and it much easier to find a person who is bilingual and make them a teacher rather than the other way around. Barreto actually went to college first to become a graphic designer, but the economy was so bad, and she could never find a job in her degree which is why she ended up in the classroom.

Barreto now teaches seventh grade, and her favorite thing about being a bilingual teacher is showing her students knowing two languages is a positive thing. She often encourages her students to speak in more than one language in her classroom. She loves the smaller class sizes she has and the relationships she gets to build.

I think it is wonderful teachers are being recognized in such a public way such as this, especially bilingual teachers. This is such a difficult and under recognized job, and it feels good to be recognized.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/franklin-park/news/ct-fhj-shoutout-barreto-tl-1110-20161101-story.html

Dual Language Immersion Program

The article I chose this week focused on a school in Georgia named C.J. Hicks Elementary that has chosen to immerse a dual language program into its elementary curriculum. C.J. Hicks is one of 38 elementary schools in GA that has chosen to do this on a trial and error based method, but has found it very successful thus far.

What they have done is two teachers team up in a particular grade level, one teacher teaches completely in Spanish while the other teacher teaches completely in English. The English taught classes are writing, social studies, and phonics and the Spanish taught classes are math, science, and phonics. Students start in one class and rotate between the two classes so they are getting half a day with English and half a day with Spanish.

Since research also shows students learn better in the morning rather than afternoons, the teachers also switch their schedules every other week, so students are learning the opposite subjects every other week. The teachers must be very in tune with each other, and plan together very well.

The reason for starting this program was, the U.S. Department of Education reports that bilingual students have more cognitive skills and students of dual enrollment programs are less likely to drop out. The teachers have promoted very high success, and student enjoyment and excitement. Parents have also shown a high level of support for this program and would like it to continue.

I think it is wonderful something like this is being offered and has seen such a high level of success. I could see how this could be so difficult to make work, and it is amazing to me these teachers are making it function! They must work so well together!

Source: http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/news/school/elementary-school-promotes-bilingual-education/article_be2c2001-c004-5d91-9beb-d24115a41b00.html