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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Chris Norby: Too many kids stuck with label of English Language Learner | english, language, ell - Opinion - The Orange County Register

Chris Norby: Too many kids stuck with label of English Language Learner | english, language, ell - Opinion - The Orange County Register:


By CHRIS NORBY / Republican Assemblyman representing Fullerton
California kindergartners are being routinely designated as "Limited English" and placed into costly and ineffective programs for years before they're able to get out. Classified as English Language Learners, such kids are regularly pulled from class and extensively tested for nonexistent deficiencies.
Contrary to popular stereotypes, the vast majority of these students are U.S.-born citizens who quickly learn English at home, in the classroom and on the playground.
Article Tab: image1-Chris Norby: Too many kids stuck with label of English Language Learner
MCT ILLUSTRATION
My Assembly Bill 1767 will foster quicker reclassification of ELL students as "English Proficient." Anyone with a 3.0 GPA and scoring "proficient" on the annual STAR test will be reclassified. It will help better allocate school resources from pointless programs toward focusing real needs.
I'm working with my Senate colleague Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, whose Senate Bill 754 changes the language survey. Currently, parents must complete a "Home Language Survey" upon