Thread: 59,000 Illegal Alien Children Left Behind (Sob)

BY ESTHER J. CEPEDA Sun-Times Columnist


59,000 children left behind

When I was a high school math teacher, I remember learning about a standardized test the state would soon be giving all students to measure their yearly academic growth in reading and math. A teacher known for teaching her bilingual classes strictly in Spanish raised her hand and asked, with a tone of horror, "In English? There's no Spanish?"

Nope.

Fast forward six months to the day I -- Satan incarnate for having insisted on speaking and teaching in English all year -- administered a similar English-only standardized test to students who preferred their Spanish-only-speaking teachers. The look of defeat, shame and in some cases complete incomprehension on their faces at not being able to answer grade-level questions was incredibly sad.

So now that the feds are enforcing the No Child Left Behind statute that says non-English speakers have to take the same tests as everyone else -- and not the English-only but far more simplistic one they take now -- school districts across the state are wondering how the sure-to-be-abominable scores from this spring's Illinois Standards Achievement Test will hurt their adequate yearly progress and the funding that comes with it.

On the face of it, yes, the new testing situation is bad because if a kid can't read and write English, they'll come off like idiots, even if they're Einstein in Polish, Urdu or Korean.

But this could have a positive long-term effect if -- in the name of blunting the hit from this sudden shift -- every district superintendent and school principal in the state insists that from now on, bilingual teachers teach in English for the time mandated by the state by grade-level.

It may be a little painful at first for Illinois' 59,000 students in special classes because they don't speak English -- though clearly not so much for the non-Spanish speakers because they rarely have native-language classes -- but way better overall.

Less all-Spanish, all-day instruction will surely translate into fewer English-learning children left behind.


http://www.suntimes.com/news/cepeda/745 ... 17.article

Stop bringing children illegally into the us-charge the parents with child abuse-what about the children of us citizens who fall behind because teachers spend more time with non english speaking kids and futher confuse kids by making us kids learn spanish or what ever -my son fortunatly has opposite effect the teacher makes work easier for forgien kids my son is not challenged and even makes 110s on his test because teacher has installed huge curves in grades-this my saem fine now but my son is going to fall behind other classes requiring more of thier students he will have to compete with later.

When I worked in the schools and it was time for state tests an interpeter who in most cases was NOT a teacher would read the questions and answers to the child. The child would then mark the answer he or she thought was right. The kids also didn't have a time limit on the tests like an english speaking child would.

A teacher known for teaching her bilingual classes strictly in Spanish raised her hand and asked, with a tone of horror, "In English? There's no Spanish

The horror is children in America learning in Spanish and not English.

It may be a little painful at first for Illinois' 59,000 students in special classes because they don't speak English

Wow, almost a half billion to school illegal alien kids. This madness has to stop..

Oh darn, I thought this was a story about their parents leaving them behind in Mexico. Well I can always dream.

If they can't function in school now, how in the world will they function as adults?

If any of these kids are anchor babies, the parents AND schools should be charged with child abuse, for not making them learn ENGLISH!!

If instruction is offered in Spanish, then ILL better make sure it's offered in EVERY language of EVERY non-English speaking student. If they can't or won't do it, then ENGLISH ONLY in EVERY class.

Originally Posted by Bowman

Oh darn, I thought this was a story about their parents leaving them behind in Mexico. Well I can always dream.

To my horror I thought it was about illegals leaving their children behind in Americas

At least we still have a chance of the parents being deported and taking their kids with them and taking some of the pressure off our schools!

Not that I don't think these children should be educated I just think they should be educated in their home countrys