Students who are English language learners have been discriminated against and have had more challenges than any of the normal students in all school district around the United States. Teachers were not given the necessary tools and provided the necessary training to teach them. Teachers and Students encounter ESOL related problems almost daily. It has taken decades of trials, Acts, and Decrees for the United States to implement plans that not only teachers and administrations can utilize but also addresses the civil right of ELL/ESOL students to ensure their equal access to all educational programs.
LULAC vs. State of Florida (1990)
LULAC vs State of Florida, Six Key Points of the Florida Consent Decree In August,
…show more content…
The survey asks “is a language other than English used at home?”, “Does the student have a first language other than English?”, and “does the student most frequently speak a language other than English?”. The second requirement involves an ELL Committee, a team comprised of ESOL teachers, a home language teacher, parents, guidance counselor, social worker, and other educators’ responsible for putting together and determining the eligibility of a student for an ESOL program. The third requirement is the ELL Student Plan which is a written document that identifies the student’s name, instruction by program, including programs other than ESOL, amount of instructional time, date of ELL identification, and assessment data used to classify as ELL. Each student must have their own individual copy of a plan. The forth requirement is English Language Assessment that is required in areas of listening comprehension, speaking, writing, and reading. The fifth requirement is Classification and Reclassification where students classified as ELL continue to receive instruction until such time as the student is reclassified as English proficient. The sixth requirement is Post-reclassification Monitoring where the performance of the students who have been exited from their ESOL program must be reviewed to see if any patterns of continuing performance appropriate for tests and other assessments.
Section 2, Equal Access to Appropriate Programming The primary goal
English language learners (ELL) are one of the fastest growing classifications of students attending schools in the United States today. They represent a diverse group of students typically coming from homes or backgrounds where English is not the primary language spoken. Additionally, ELL students experience difficulties communicating or learning academic instruction in English.
In many schools throughout the country, there are populations of students that have been pushed to the side, with their education thought of as just their specialized teachers’ responsibility. While this situation is changing for some students, such as those with disabilities and students who are lucky enough to have dual language immersion programs in their school, many students who are learning English are still struggling to access the same curriculum that everyone else in the school has a chance to learn. Guadalupe Valdés (2001) looked at the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at a school which she called Garden Middle School. Although Valdés completed this study over fifteen years ago, the experience that her focal students had
As our nation shifts towards a more culturally diverse population both educators and families have to find a common ground to ensure that English Language Learners are academically successful. All stakeholders must carefully consider the social cultural impact on an ELL education. The process of raising bilingual learners take more than a language a school and a language learned at home. The transition must have a purpose and a goal.
The primary goal of any school district’s English Language Learner policy should be to ensure that all students receive equitable access to the curriculum. The Office of Civil Rights memorandum (May 25, 1970) requires school districts to take affirmative steps to provide equal access to instructional program for students with limited English proficiency. The Illinois Constitution guarantees every child from kindergarten through grade 12, access to a free public education; which means, regardless of a child’s home language, he/she deserves a free and appropriate education (Illinois State Board of Education, 1998).
The fact that ELL student’s are given the exact same educational services provided to native English speaker, seem to be very unfair for the ELL student’s and instead of helping the ELL students to succeed academically we are preventing them from succeeding in their classes. When I was reading this section I couldn’t stop thinking about the video that we saw in class, the student was very smart but the fact that he couldn’t understand the material being taught, this was preventing him from showing how brilliant and smart he is. Just imagine how many brilliant ELL students can’t succeed in class because they don’t understand the language of the instruction.
English learners are currently the fastest developing student population in schools today. This makes it extremely important to provide these students with the programs and services they deserve. Providing a strong education for ELL students is what I personally believe to be an asset in America’s future. Today there are many challenges I believe teachers and students face when it comes to instruction and assessments.
Educators care more about if the student is learning English than academic training as a whole. This prevents ELL students from getting access to challenging academic materials or/and to academic preparation necessary for higher education. Ell students are enrolled into other
When it comes to students that have not officially mastered the English Language, schools should give students the opportunity to learn it. Schools are supposed to arrange services for students who are not familiar with the English Language. All students should be treated with the same respect and all students should receive some type of education no matter what their background comes from. English is a language that is very popular today in this world. When it comes to legal obligations for students that are English language learners, every student is supposed to have equal access to their education. It was mentioned that in the year of 1970 the Federal Office for Civil Rights, distributed a letter to all school’s districts mentioning that
School board members across the country want to better serve the students who are English language learners. Because countless English language learner students spend part of their academic day in a regular classroom, the general education teachers need to be trained to understand instructional strategies and techniques to aid in advancing this population of students (Stover, 2015). Consequently, it would also be beneficial for school board members to support the bilingual and English Language Learner Specialist in training all teachers in the district on ways to better serve this population.
It is essential to understand English language learners’ needs because ELL students face the combined challenge of learning all the academic content as other students, while also learning the language of instruction. With the rapid growth in the size of the ELL student population in the U.S., teachers who are effective recognizes ELL students unique academic needs, unique background experience, culture, language, personality, interests and attitudes toward learning for the purpose to adjust, or differentiate, their instruction to meet students’ needs.
Florida is a state composed of diverse cultures and languages. Prior to 1990 there were not any modifications or accommodations in the classroom for English Language Learners (ELL), which had become an increasing issue. During this decade Florida was the third largest state with residents that were not native-born. Historically, Florida has become the home for many individuals who migrated from Central and Latin America (MacDonald, 2004). According to the Consent Decree (n.d.), the Florida English speakers of other languages (ESOL) Consent Decree was a result of the case, LULAC et. al v. State Board of Education, August 14, 1990. This case addresses the civil rights of English Language Learners (ELLs). The plaintiffs in this case were LULAC and Multicultural Education, Training and Advocacy (META) and the defendant were Florida Board of Education. LULAC and META came together to bring justice to students whose native language was not English. The plaintiffs’ sought to implement policies to protect students whose native language was not English in order to create an equal learning environment. For example, English was the only means of communication in the classrooms and students who did not speak or understand the language would find themselves at a disadvantage. Due to the lack of modifications in place, students would eventually fall through the cracks of the school system. This case brought
The authors of the article explained how important it is to meet the needs of the students with limited English ability in the education system. One of the main point expresses about how frustrating it could be for these students, especially if they were never expose to this sort of environment or language before. Another point that was made in the article, explains how the educational system was not prepared for changes in this sort of population. In most cases, some of the curriculum that is being offered in school cannot be changed to accommodate English Limited Learners, also known as ELLs. Budget is also another issue, as schools are limited to hiring more ELL teachers.
Over the last decade or so, important legislation has been implemented to positively ensure fair and equal access to a quality education for English Language Learners (ELL). Change did not happen without there being obstacles to overcome. There were many overturned cases that initially sought to strip English Language Learners of their basic rights to an education. Yet, there would eventually be legislation instituted to help alter the course.
When it comes to legal obligations for students that are English language learners, every student violated supposed to have equal access to their education. It was mentioned that in the year of 1970 the federal Office for Civil Rights, distributed a letter to all school’s districts mentioning that all school districts must offer services to students who are English language learners (Office for Civil Rights ,2006). After the ruling of Lau v. Nichols was pass, the congress passed an act called Equal Educational Opportunity Act (EEOA). The act is based upon that all children must have equivalent educational opportunities. This is important for the reason that each student should be treated equal and it does not matter if they are familiar with the English language. Every student should have the right to a proper education and nobody should be discriminated upon.
This assignment will seek to help you answer this and other questions regarding the rights of LEP students and their families. As the number of LEP students grows and language diversity increases, districts around the country have tried to implement effective academic approaches to meet the needs of students who lack the English language skills necessary to succeed in English-only classrooms. Often, attempts to provide services are surrounded by controversy,prompting us to ask: What services, if any, are school districts required to provide for LEP students?Please provide short answers to the following questions regarding LEP Policies