Why not test English learners in English?
Regarding “Academic standards: Students must master English above all else” (Editorial, June 5): The No Child Left Behind holds each school and district accountable for the skill levels of every student, including English Language Learner students who have only resided in the United States for half a year, and they’re expected to hit the same targets as all other students. If the required number of ELL students do not make the targets set by the federal government, the whole school fails to make its targets. Not having tests in a student’s language is a set-up for failure in schools that serve underprivileged communities with a large percentage of non- English-speaking students new to the United States. Despite tireless efforts, these schools will always test lower (i.e., “fail”) because all students residing in the community have the right to education at that school, regardless of the length of time they’ve been in the school system. Instead of the long tradition using schools as sca
Related Questions
- How can English language learners participate in an assessment if the state or district does not allow students to take the test with all of the accommodations they need?
- Why should English language learners who want to do well be put through the emotional stress of taking a state or district test?
- Are test variations available for English learners?
