Thread: Tests unfair to non-English speaking students

Inching ever closer to trying to eliminate English from our schools. If they don't want to speak English they should leave now.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f ... 003&sc=611

Tests unfair to non-English speaking students, lawsuit claims
- By JENNIFER COLEMAN, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, June 1, 2005


(06-01) 13:52 PDT SACRAMENTO, (AP) --


Ten school districts filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the state, claiming students who are learning to speak English should be tested in their native language as mandated by federal law.


The school districts, joined by two bilingual-education advocacy groups, say the 1.6 million students and their schools are penalized because tests given in English do not accurately measure how well English-learners understand academic subjects.


The federal No Child Left Behind Act, signed by President Bush in 2002, requires schools to show academic improvement among their students each year, with a goal of having every child proficient in reading and math by 2014.


Schools that don't show adequate yearly progress toward that goal are penalized, said attorney Marc Coleman, one of the attorneys representing the districts and the two interest groups â€â€

Are you kidding me? There are 1,600,000 children who do not speak English in California's School System?

The existence of this condition within our educational system just demonstrates how low the "think tanks" of our school system have sunk.

How in the world can American children learn in this foreign environment?

Get Troops to the Borders Now and Stop this Third Turd Nonsense Now!!

This has been going on in CA for decades. There are so many bleeding hearts there who welcome all these foreigners with open arms from all over the world that even the stores in some areas are run by people who speak only Arabic, only chinese, only Hindi, only Spanish, etc.

I believe that this multiple language scheme of teaching not only holds our own kids back, it is also a detriment to the foreign children who shouldn't be in our schools to start with. And, if these kids are American citizens, they should be forced to use English and only English. Testing kids in their foreign tongues doesn't help them, it only serves to make them more isolated. Special privilege breeds victims! Don't we have enough victims in this country?

Looking back, I went to school with the children of Polish and Italian immigrants. Those kids spoke English and weren't even allowed by their own parents to speak any language but English. Most never learned their parents' native tounge because their parents wanted to be AMERICANS and the language of America was/is English. Most didn't even have a hint of a foreign accent once they got to high school.

That is the way it should be.

Last night for me totally defined the difference between illegal aliens and legal immigrants. Let me example. Last night I was hanging out with a few of my neighbors here in Northern Virginia. I spoke to three legal immigrants in the bunch. One was a man from Ghana (West Africa), another from New Zealand and another from Australia, both were women. All three speak perfect english despite the fact that they all migrated here when they were young adults. Their children speak perfect english. They were talking to me about the differences in where they came from and America and talked about the school systems in general. They talked about how hard it was to adjust, but they sucked it up and got use to it. Let me tell you that all three of these immigrants are happy to be here, they are truly hard workers and are living the American dream. They aren't whining about having to speak english, they aren't whining about how America isn't like the country from which they came from, they aren't tossing a tantrum about not receiving special treatment, they aren't demanding free entitlements. These immigrants I speak of are just as American as I am. I'm more then happy to call them my neighbors.

Then I read this trash about these illegals whining about how the schools tests for their children aren't in their foreign tongue. Are you kidding me? Let me remind you illegal and legal folks that you are in America. America is an english speaking country and it has been for centuries. I don't understand how the hell you people can have the audacity to migrate to my country and tell us how it's unfair that we don't speak in your foreign tongue. Hello, if I went to your country of origin and demanded they speak english only and give educational test to my kids in english I probably would be beaten and shot afterwards and that would happen just minutes after some extreme laughter coming from that countries leaders. Wake up America. Stop caving in to the demands of these sorry a--es and make english the only official language of this country period. No more press 1 for English, press 2 for Spanish. No more multilingual education. Aren't we in enough debt as it is to try to appease these pathetic excuse for human beings who refuse to learn our language or assimulate into our society? I'm so sick of this garbage. It's like I walk around every day in DC and I can't even communicate with half of the population anymore.

STOP THE INVASION, STOP THIS INSANITY, STOP THIS MULTICULTURAL/MULTILINGUAL NONSENSE, STOP IMPORTING POVERTY AND FAILURE. LEARN ENGLISH NOW OR GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY.

You immigrants want to not see your kids grow up to be failures, then get with the program and teach your damn kids some english, be a real mother and father to your kids and learn to use some freaking birth control too while your at it.

they're using OUR TAX MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS CRAP!

There's only ONE WAY TO STOP THEM QUICKLY..........No MONEY = NO PROGRAMS

MASSIVE TAX STRIKE!

Looking back, I went to school with the children of Polish and Italian immigrants. Those kids spoke English and weren't even allowed by their own parents to speak any language but English. Most never learned their parents' native tounge because their parents wanted to be AMERICANS and the language of America was/is English. Most didn't even have a hint of a foreign accent once they got to high school.

That is the way it should be.

I did to,and the only way you could tell where they or their parents were from was to go home with em. Even the last names did not mean anything to me, at least at 10 years old, even though that was just five years ago

Originally Posted by 2ndamendsis

they're using OUR TAX MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS CRAP!

There's only ONE WAY TO STOP THEM QUICKLY..........No MONEY = NO PROGRAMS

MASSIVE TAX STRIKE!

Good, no, GREAT IDEA 2ndamendsis!!!!!! Even if we all waited right up the last day to file, that would send a message. Keep me up on your thoughts. I like the way this sounds. Beats "no justice, no peace"

If we could gain the support of a "Pro-Us" legal team it would BE VERY DOABLE!

Remember.........only OUR MONEY is making ALL THESE PROGRAMS POSSIBLE!!

Originally Posted by JuniusJnr

I believe that this multiple language scheme of teaching not only holds our own kids back, it is also a detriment to the foreign children who shouldn't be in our schools to start with. And, if these kids are American citizens, they should be forced to use English and only English. Testing kids in their foreign tongues doesn't help them, it only serves to make them more isolated. Special privilege breeds victims! Don't we have enough victims in this country?

Guys,
It seems that we all agree English is the goal here. However, there are merits to this lawsuit I think we're missing. The reason the lawsuit has come forth is not to just allow immigrants to be tested in their native tongues and let them off the hook. The problem is that these children are guaranteed 3 years of EL (English Learner) status during which they are immersed in English but are still struggling. They are also concurrently learning science, math, history, etc. The big problem is that we test them and they can't show us what they know with word problems in math or science as well as English natives. The big problem is that when they fail these tests the schools with the most ELs get the lowest results and under No Child Left Behind they get less funding. What you have is a downward spiral where schools with more non-native English speakers get less funding and face being shut down or privatized.

In fact, if you read the lawsuit (www.californianstogether.org) they even quote verbatim the Bush No Child Left Behind language which specifically outlines that states are required to "test children in the language that will yield accurate results for content" (NCLB) while they are EL status. This lawsuit has a very good chance of winning in my opinion if the state is in violation of a federal mandated program and they are simply choosing to ignore it.

The bottom line is that funding is involved and that English is the goal. We can't penalize school districts for doing what they are supposed to. If your goal is to get rid of immigrants as some of you have indicated on this thread, ok, then disregard my posting because it seems like testing only in English and giving the schools who do better money will indeed give the money to school with the white kids and native-speakers. If we really are "Americans for Legal Immigration" we should have a way that immigrants catch up with our language without being forced to take a hit while they are learning.

Originally Posted by responsibility05

Originally Posted by JuniusJnr

... we should have a way that immigrants catch up with our language without being forced to take a hit while they are learning.

I agree.
Let's just qualify it one step further: "legal immigrants".

Illegals should not be allowed NEAR the school.

They are destroying our school system, they are sucking the system dry, our children are afraid to go to school because of the gangs, and they get in the way of the education and learning process.

Where did this ENTITLEMENT come from?
Why do OUR children have to lose out?
Don't OUR children deserve EQUAL PROTECTION?