Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners
Forward
In 1986, ACSA established a
task force on language minority issues. That group developed a position
statement on bilingual education adopted by the ACSA board in 1987.
That position statement has served ACSA well and is the foundation
for the updated position ACSA has taken, which is contained herein.
This updated position statement was developed by a new task force established by ACSA this year. The new task force was designed to provide a broader representation of California's education community. In addition to ACSA members and educational associations, this task force included representation from teachers, parents and community.
The goal of the task force was twofold: first, to revise ACSA's position as necessary to reflect the changes that have occurred in the last several years, including recent decisions by the State Board of Education; second, the task force's goal was to produce a position statement which would be useful to our constituents- school administrators.
In the process, the needs of students remained a primary focus. As a result, the task force redefined the scope of its task to address students' needs as opposed to addressing programs designed to help meet their needs.
In this document, references to "bilingual education" have been changed to read, "programs for English Language Learners" which includes all programs and services provided by schools to meet the needs of students. The phrase, "Limited English Proficient" (or LEP) is changed in this document to English Language Learners to eliminate the labeling of any student as limited or deficient.
Clearly, the focus of this position statement is student achievement and success. We hope that this position is helpful to you in your efforts to improve achievement for all students.
Ken Noonan, Chairperson
Superintendent, Gilroy Unified School District
Introduction
ACSA has adopted this position statement to assist our members - school administrators - in developing effective programs for English Language Learners.
ACSA believes that California's diversity is a strength as well as a reality. Students who speak languages other than English are no longer the exception in California schools; they are and they define the mainstream of our state's academic K-12 community. Current demographic studies indicate that students whose primary language is other than English make up more than a third of the California student population. These figures reflect a growing number of minority students from diverse racial and ethnic groups and with varying language backgrounds. Their potential to become bilingual or multilingual adults represents a significant asset to California as we stand on the brink of the 21st century and prepare to compete in its international economy.
Too much of the dialogue addressing the needs of English learners has sprung from a deficiency model which assumes that primary acquisition of a language other than English is a disadvantage or a disability. ACSA's mission statement emphasizes the value of every student's experience when it says, " ... ensure that every student in the state will be able to successfully compete in the international society ... " Most of the world requires proficiency in more than one language for academic success; students who come to us with the ability to speak a language other than English have a head start in meeting international academic standards. At the same time, fully successful participation in American society will require fluency in English.
Students who are English learners will continue to depend on the process of schooling to acquire the skills and knowledge which provide access to and facilitate participation in all dimensions of society. The education experience for these students must recognize their cultural and linguistic needs in order to guarantee their proficiency in English and their access to the rest of the academic program.
Therefore, we support and promote a program which builds upon the knowledge and the home language which children bring into the classroom.
ACSA believes that:
The primary goal of programs for English Language Learners is the development of English proficiency
English Language Learners must have equal access to all parts of the core curriculum
English Language Development programs must promote full English fluency and literacy to enable student success in academic and social environments
The programs which are most effective in meeting the educational and social needs of English Language Learners have multiple components related to English Language Development, including but not limited to primary language instruction
Schools should work toward providing programs for English Language Learners with all of the necessary resources, qualified staff, and support systems needed to ensure academic success
To ensure academic success, primary language instruction is one of a number of valuable components of a comprehensive English Language Development program
The international society values multilingual ability; therefore, it is beneficial for all students to develop proficiency in more than one language
Successful programs for English Language Learners develop appreciation for the diversity of languages and cultures
ACSA's Role
ACSA believes that its members should be offered development and support to enhance effective leadership of educational programs for California's diverse student population.
- ACSA will provide leadership to enhance understanding among educators, parents the community and legislators about the significance of educating English Language Learners
- ACSA will actively address, encourage and support communication about English Language Learners throughout its committee structure and association activities
- ACSA will actively support policies, regulations and positions that will assist local districts in providing quality programs for English Language Learners
- ACSA will take the leadership role in collaborating with other organizations in providing staff development. ACSA will provide strands in statewide conferences, and disseminate information and publications to spotlight critical issues and exemplary programs associated with English Language Learners
- ACSA will actively support and lobby for state and federal level processes leading to increased fiscal support for programs and services for English Language Learners
The Role of Parents and Family
ACSA believes that parents/families:
- play key roles in the academic success of all students
- play a significant role in developing and supporting the school's educational goals
- should be encouraged to participate in making choices regarding educational programs for their children
- should be provided an opportunity to consult about the assignment of their child, after assessment and prior to placement in a program for English Language Learners
- should engage in activities which promote the learning of English for parents
ACSA encourages its members to notify parents:
- that the goal of programs for English Language Learners is to facilitate the learning of English
- about program options which are available for their children
- about their right to visit their child's classroom and the importance of that activity
- that parents have the right and responsibility to participate in all decisions regarding the placement of their children in any program and must have recourse to an appeals process
- about the importance of exercising their right to participate in school and district advisory committees
ACSA believes that:
School districts must actively encourage interaction throughout the entire community including students. Active involvement of the communities' businesses and agencies with English Language Learners can serve to positively break down stereotypes and barriers and promote understanding between the general public and students. In addition, community-student interaction and cooperation provides a social context which the English Language Learners can use to develop language skills. This interaction can also foster the development of greater cross-cultural understanding in the school and community.
The Role of Community
The role of the community is twofold:
1) Community can contribute to the development of the students' language proficiency and cross-cultural understanding by:
- providing mentorship for individual students
- providing training and internships
- participating in school related activities
- sponsoring student for service organizations' activities
2) Students can contribute to the community, develop their language skills, and develop cross-cultural understanding by:
- participating in service activities and community projects
- volunteering their time to public and civic agencies
- volunteering their time for community activities where their primary language capabilities will be valued and utilized
Instructional Practices and the Role of Teachers and Administrators
ACSA believes that administrators and teachers should create, implement and support research based, effective instructional programs with sufficient resources for English Language Learners in an optimal learning environment.
ACSA supports local districts and schools in the utilization of innovative and alternative enrichment models of instruction for English Language Learners based on research proven effective instructional programs, e.g., Dual Language Immersion and other successful programs accompanied by responsible evaluations of program effectiveness.
ACSA believes that a high quality English Language Learner program should, at a minimum, provide:
- Early and accurate identification, assessment and placement of English Language Learners
- English Language acquisition opportunities that emphasize communicative and academic competence
- Concept development through the primary language
- Concept development through SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English)
- Activities that promote self-esteem and the appreciation of all languages and cultures
- Ongoing assessment and timely redesignation based on a combination of objective and subjective criteria to allow students to successfully participate in the total curriculum and school programs
- Follow-up, after redesignation, to monitor academic success
- Consideration of Pre-K and school readiness program opportunities for English Language Learners in their communities
Personnel Needs
ACSA Supports and encourages:
- the concept of locally developed programs to encourage and promote sufficient numbers of personnel to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective instructional programs for English Language Learners
- the state teacher licensing commission to require course work for all prospective educators in the areas of English language acquisition and understanding of our multicultural society
- teacher training institutions to pursue aggressively the recruitment and training of candidates to acquire the appropriate certificate or credential to work with English Language Learners
- incentives and career ladder programs to assist bilingual/multilingual paraprofessionals to become teachers with the appropriate certificate or credential for the teaching of English Language Learners
- expansion of state and local recruitment fairs for teachers and administrators trained to support of English Language Learners
- expansion of state and local training programs to assist teachers and administrators in acquiring appropriate language-acquisition certificate or credential. For maximum effectiveness, such programs should be conducted on released time, during intersession and during the summer
- the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Legislature should continue to address the unique personnel and funding needs of English Language Learners in small or rural school districts
Program Research and Evaluation
ACSA believes that programs for English Language Learners must be based on a sound body of research and evaluation should be conducted for continual program improvement.
ACSA will:
- identify and disseminate information on effective practices for English Language Learners.
- encourage the continuous evaluation of the curriculum and methodologies used in programs for English Language Learners
- encourage administrators to assess programs for English Language Learners through structures such as Coordinated Compliance Reviews, Program Quality Reviews and other self appraisals
- identify and disseminate information about successful professional development programs aimed at teachers of English Language Learners
- encourage administrators to conduct field research to improve programs for English Language Learners
Fiscal Support
ACSA strongly endorses current law which provides that funds appropriated for the education of English Language Learners must supplement and not supplant local funds or categorical funds designed for other purposes. Therefore, expenditures of basic classroom funding in a school or school district should be available to support ELL students on the same basis as all other students.
ACSA believes that funding for the education of English Language Learners should be adjusted annually for growth in the English Language Learner student population and cost-of-living increases equivalent to those for revenue limits as well as other categorical programs.
ACSA actively advocates for additional federal and state-level fiscal support for local districts to:
- staff English Language Learner programs with qualified personnel
- retrain existing staff, including administrators, so that they can better recognize the needs and abilities of English Language Learners
- implement local teacher recruitment and incentive programs to increase the numbers of bilingual/multilingual teachers and administrators
- conduct comprehensive evaluations of programs for the education of English Language Learners
|
