Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/556394
A 2014 report by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), "Path- ways to Fluency: Examining the Link Between Language Reclassification Policies and Student Success," notes districts have "great latitude" in setting their own reclassification policies within the guidelines, and some have more rigorous requirements than others. In the absence of the CSTs (California Standards Tests) during California's transition to the Smarter Balanced Assessments, districts must select another measure for the fourth criterion, says the state. Some are using off-the-shelf tests, while others have created their own. Los Angeles Unified School District has crafted its own assessment to determine if students are ready for reclassifi- cation. In San Francisco, EL students can demonstrate proficiency by taking the Fountas & Pinnell reading assessment, the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI), or the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Big changes are coming. New ELD standards adopted by the State Board of Education in 2012 will be implemented, in line with the new state standards. A new English Language Arts/ELD framework was adopted by the state last year. A different, computer-based test will replace CELDT in 2017. After CELDT is given to students in the fall, the new English Language Profi- ciency Assessment for California (ELPAC) will be administered in the spring, allowing more instructional time and coinciding with Smarter Balanced Assessments testing in core subjects. SHOULD CONTENT KNOWLEDGE DETERMINE FLUENCY? Some question whether passing math and English content tests — demon- strating the same basic skills as English proficient students of the same age — should determine fluency. "They can pass the CELDT, but if they have haven't met the criteria on the standardized test, they won't be classified as English proficient," comments Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, chair of English learner education at San Diego State University. "So they could be fluent, but are not reclas- sified because they have failed math or English." A s a r e s u l t , s h e s a y s , t h e y m a y n o t h a ve t h e same access to a full curriculum and electives as English-speaking peers. It also puts them at higher risk of dropping out, not meeting A-G requirements for University of California admission, or failing the California High School Exit Exam. Cadiero-Kaplan, California Faculty Association, San Diego State University, also believes that many districts don't have a "clear policy" on reclassification, even though it's mandated by the state. "You can go to one district and get three different answers on how students are reclassified," she says. The Local Control Funding Formula, which provides extra money to school districts for English learners, could be a "disincentive" for reclassifi- cation, some worry. "Anything is possible when funds are involved," says Cadiero-Kalan. "If a district has a clear policy about reclassification, that shouldn't be an issue. But without a clear policy, things may happen that aren't in the best interest of students." WHEN TO RECLASSIFY? Cheryl Ortega, chair of CTA's Language Acquisition Committee, believes some guidelines used to reclassify students can be subjective — espe- cially parent consultation. "If a school says to a parent, 'Your child is doing well, we want to reclassify him as an English speaker,' what parent is going to say 'He's not ready yet'?" asks Ortega, director of bilingual education for United Teachers Los Angeles. "Parents consider it an honor to have their child reclassified, and sometimes, frankly, don't know what it takes to be reclas- sified. They may say 'My child speaks English all the time' but not understand that it's the academic component that's being measured, not speech." There are steps toward reclassification — promoting students to higher levels of ELD — and often there's "pres- sure" to move children before they are ready, says Ortega. "There's a big push to reclassify. Let's say you have a second-grader who leaves in the summer, and he is labeled an ELD 3. That student comes back in the fall, and to everyone's surprise, that child is now an ELD 4 and the teacher knew nothing about it. I've had a signifi- cant number of teachers tell me this magically happened over the summer and was determined by someone else, Source: California Department of Education; illustrator: Kathleen Kowal 46 cta.org Cheryl Ortega Vietnamese 2.3% Filipino/Tagalog 1.4% Cantonese 1.3% Mandarin 1.2% Arabic 1.1% Hmong 0.9% Korean 0.9% Punjabi 0.6% Russian 0.5% Languages Spoken by English Learners While 84.24 percent of English learners in California speak Spanish, there are also: An excellent resource from NEA: "Meeting the Unique Needs of Long-term English Learners: A Guide for Educators." Learning Karen Cadiero-Kaplan