CNN.com - Report: High school exit exams pressuring limited-English students - Aug 16, 2005

CNN.com - Report: High school exit exams pressuring limited-English students - Aug 16, 2005



It's about time this hit the mainstream media. It's been the talk of graduate seminars for years (at least since I began my studies).



Is it any surprise that English Language Learners (ELL), many of whom receive little support in content area classrooms, cannot pass tests based on content area standards? Of course not. Yet, the status quo at most schools remains the submersion model of ESL instruction. Krashen would approve of the amount of input that these students receive, yet it is far from comprehensible.



Content-based instruction in ESL must become the norm if we have any hope of our ELLs succeeding in school or beyond. This can take many forms from Bilingual instruction to Sheltered Instruction. Any way you look at it, we need to provide adequate support to these students.



It is not about passing state tests. It is about giving students a chance to reach their potential.