District Administration - October 2010 - (Page 56)

DiviDing Arizona Separation of ELLs Under House Bill 2064, first implemented in 2008, ELL students are tested each spring and labeled as basic, pre-emergent, emergent or intermediate. Those in the first three categories are pulled out of class for four hours daily, while those labeled intermediate are mainstreamed but given extra support. Some see the pullout strategy as sound pedagogy; others say it’s driven by a political imperative for state leaders to show they’re pushing new residents to the state to assimilate, using methods not in line with educational best practices. Several school superintendents have expressed a variety of concerns about this measure. Carlos Garcia, president of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, could see pulling out students for an hour or two to learn specific skills, but he also sees the value in ELLs spending more time with Englishspeaking students who speak the language more skillfully. “The four-hour thing—I think that’s ridiculous,” says Garcia, who is also the superintendent of San Francisco (Calif.) Unified School District. “Segregating kids is never a good thing.” Another concern superintendents have expressed is over how the four-hour requirement crowds out the rest of the day. “With four hours of ELL [instruction], how many minutes does that leave you for the rest—math, science, PE, music? Time is always something educators struggle with,” says Myriam Roa, superintendent of Phoenix Elementary School District. Students in the Phoenix Union High School District are beginning to find it difficult to take all the other classes they need to graduate, says Superintendent Kent Scribner. “Many are forced to miss elective class opportunities or are required to take summer school,” he says. Dugan, who’s running for state superintendent of schools this year, notes that districts can integrate English language instruction with other subjects like social studies or science. She adds, “If they don’t 56 October 2010 Above, students mill about Betty H. Fairfax High School in Phoenix on the first day of school, Aug. 2. Under the state classification system, only 9 percent of students are considered ELLs in the Phoenix Union High School District; To left, students listen during science class at Bioscience High School in Phoenix. have a good command of the English language, they’re not going to be able to pick up social studies or science, or any of these other disciplines.” She says she sees no reason why high school students cannot still graduate on time. The Tucson Unified School District would prefer more integration of students, says Rob Ross, lead legal counsel. “Our position is that there shouldn’t be one, mandated system,” he says. “If having a pullout session is helpful for one kid, it might not be for another, who’s better off learning with the rest of the Englishspeaking kids. We’re looking for flexibility. Don’t force a particular pedagogy on us.” Manuel Isquierdo, superintendent in Sunnyside Unified School District, sees the new curriculum as based more on politics than pedagogy, and driven by state leaders who feel the need to show the public they’re promoting English first. Nevertheless, the district, like all others, has moved forward. “We’re going to try to make the best of it,” he says. “They think if you immerse kids for one year, they’re going to learn English. It hasn’t worked.” The state has also reclassified how it determines whether the program works in a way that some superintendents say unfortunately exaggerates the numbers of those who no longer need English language instruction. In Phoenix Union, for example, under the state classification system, 20 percent of students were English-language learners in 2005; now, it’s only 9 percent. But 60 percent come from homes where Spanish is the primary language, Scribner says. “Students are exhibiting oral proficiency but not a deep academic understanding of vocabulary that would ensure that they can function at the high school level,” he says. “It’s conversational English as opposed to academic English. … Many of our teachers have expressed their criticism of this District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2010

District Administration - October 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
The Price of a Good Education
Dividing Arizona
Making Your School Future-Proof
Connecting Curriculum with Community
A Small District’s Big Innovator
New Books
New Products
Product Focus
Tech Disruptions
Superintendent’s Insights
Online Edge
Professional Opinion

District Administration - October 2010