Big boost for English learners

After overhauling the district with new textbooks, instructors and teaching programs, half of the English learners at Wheatland Union High School District are now proficient in the language, an official said Thursday.

Two years ago, 23 of the district's 27 English learners received no English-teaching services, according to a report released this week by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and American Civil Liberties Union of California. The percentage of unserved English learners was the highest of any district in the state.

But Vic Ramos, Wheatland Union's superintendent, said those numbers have changed dramatically since 2011. The school now has 15 English learners, all of whom are able to speak at least some of the language and receive the attention they need. Programs and specialized training — including coaching specifically for English learners — are just a few of the contributing factors.

"There's been a lot of work from the staff," he said.

According to the ACLU report, Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary District in East Nicolaus and Gridley Unified District also made the list of top 15 districts with the highest percentages of unserved English learners in 2011 as well. At Marcum-Illinois, 30 percent of English learners received no services. At Gridley, 31 percent remained unserved.

However, at least one school in the Gridley district said things have turned around.

Chris McIntire, principal of Wilson Elementary School, said English-learner test scores are only 36 points below the school's overall score.

"It's pretty phenomenal for that population," he said.

But while test scores are improving throughout the area, many schools are still failing to meet standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. A part of this can be blamed on the legislation, which doesn't consider the time it takes to bring English learners up to a proficient level, said Gay Todd, superintendent of Marysville Joint Unified School District.

For example, Arboga Elementary School continued to increase its test scores last year, yet was unable to meet requirements for English-language arts and mathematics. As a result, the school has been placed in Program Improvement status for failing to make state-ordered improvements for the second year in a row.

Arboga entered Improvement status, in part, because English learners fell short of state goals, Todd said.

"That one subpopulation will get there," she said. "It sometimes just takes a little longer."

More than 10 other schools in the district are in Program Improvement status, including the district itself.

"It's distressing when you work so very hard to get students performing well," she said, "but you get the mark of an underachieving school."

Carlos Vega, a 17-year-old Wheatland High School student, started out as an English learner in first grade when he attended First Street Elementary School in Lincoln, he said.

Vega, born in Mexico, lived in Spanish-speaking communities in Southern California until he moved to Lincoln, he said. At an all-English speaking school, he was pressured to learn the language, but wasn't offered a class that could teach him.

"When you are in a new environment, you have to adopt to it — learn to survive," Vega said.

Vega, who eventually learned how to speak English by talking to his friend, said he is glad to be a part of Wheatland High, a school that caters to his learning.

CONTACT Griffin Rogers at grogers@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4783. Find him on Facebook at /ADgriffinrogers or on Twitter at @ADgriffinrogers.

ACLU warns about English instruction

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of California on Wednesday charged that about a quarter of California school districts are violating state and federal laws by failing to provide English language instruction to all students who need it and demanded state education officials take action.

The ACLU, along with the Asian Pacific Legal Center, sent a letter to Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and state school board members stating that it will file a lawsuit if English classes are not provided to some 20,000 students within 30 days.

"These 20,000 children receive no education services as to the delivery of English instruction," said Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel for ACLU Southern California. "These (state) offices are not asleep at the wheel. They are driving these children into the ditch year after year after year."

State education officials are aware that students who need English instruction are not receiving it because districts report that number to the state, which posts them on the education department website, Rosenbaum said.

ACLU attorney Jessica Price said districts have offered various explanations, including insufficient funding for bilingual teachers.

Numbers range from Los Angeles Unified's 2 percent of English learners not receiving services to 85 percent in Wheatland Union, according to the ACLU.

Fifteen districts reported that 30 percent of their English learners are not receiving appropriate instruction.

The state education department said that 98 percent of California's 1.4 million English learners receive services.

"Despite the enormous financial strains of recent years, California has made dramatic progress in seeing that all English learners receive appropriate instruction and services," said Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, director of the state English learner support division, in a statement.

Cadiero-Kaplan said that although she has not yet reviewed the ACLU's concerns, a recent appellate court decision found that the department was meeting its legal obligations related to on-site monitoring of English learners.

Rosenbaum said that the failure to provide services was affecting too many children's futures.

Some children receive "N/A" instead of grades on their report cards for "not applicable" and then get held back because they have no grades, while others graduate from high school but must take English-language courses in community college because their English is still not up to par, he said.

Districts also frequently fail to communicate with non-English speaking parents, he said.

"We have heard heartbreaking stories of parents ignored or humiliated in trying to secure education for their children," Rosenbaum said.

The ACLU and the Asian Pacific Legal Center additionally announced a public education campaign to urge parents to advocate for their children's rights and a hotline in six languages where parents can lodge complaints against districts.