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Rose Elementary’s Byrd points to a lesson on a board during ESL lessons with her students last week.
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ESL teacher Christina Byrd works with Antony Brown, 9, left, and Luis Estrada, 9, with their class assignment Thursday at Rose Elementary School in Roseburg.
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School was difficult for Luis Estrada during his first year at Rose Elementary.
Even though he was a third-grader, he didn't know what was going on. Like many students across Douglas County, Luis' first language isn't English.
Most of the students come knowing some English, teachers say, but Luis didn't speak much at all.
It was complicated, he said.
"It was like if you were in another world. You were a different person that didn't know anything about that world," he said.
Now, after a year and a few months, it's not so complicated.
His favorite subject is reading, and the hardest is math.
"Because maybe you don't understand the words, and you go like, 'What?' And you don't get the instructions and you have to look around to see what's happening," he said.
Luis is one of 21 students who get 30 minutes of English as a Second Language instruction every day at the Roseburg grade school. The rest of the day is spent in their regular classes, and all of Rose's teachers have had training on how to help English language learners.
Bringing the children to one location is a new practice this school year. The Roseburg School District buses children from all of the elementary schools to Rose. The program isn't mandatory, and 17 elementary English language learners stayed at their neighborhood schools.
Even though he was a third-grader, he didn't know what was going on. Like many students across Douglas County, Luis' first language isn't English.
Most of the students come knowing some English, teachers say, but Luis didn't speak much at all.
It was complicated, he said.
"It was like if you were in another world. You were a different person that didn't know anything about that world," he said.
Now, after a year and a few months, it's not so complicated.
His favorite subject is reading, and the hardest is math.
"Because maybe you don't understand the words, and you go like, 'What?' And you don't get the instructions and you have to look around to see what's happening," he said.
Luis is one of 21 students who get 30 minutes of English as a Second Language instruction every day at the Roseburg grade school. The rest of the day is spent in their regular classes, and all of Rose's teachers have had training on how to help English language learners.
Bringing the children to one location is a new practice this school year. The Roseburg School District buses children from all of the elementary schools to Rose. The program isn't mandatory, and 17 elementary English language learners stayed at their neighborhood schools.
Teacher Christina Byrd said the advantage is that students get more interaction with other children who are learning English.
"Small group instruction is always more beneficial than one on one," Byrd said. "The students are happier. They speak more, which is the goal."
The goal is also that the students won't need the program after 12 to 18 months, and they'll return to their neighborhood schools unless they choose to stay through open enrollment, Principal Tim Wilson said.
<b>SURGING POPULATION</b>
In the United States, 19.7 percent of people 5 years old and over speak a language other than English at home, according to 2006 census data. Douglas County didn't have enough samples for accurate data.
In the decade from the 1994-95 school year to the 2004-05 school year, the number of students who needed extra help in English rose from 25,701 to 59,908 in Oregon. During that same period, total enrollment saw a slight decline.
The number of Douglas County students who are in English as a Second Language programs has fluctuated. Roseburg has seen declines in recent years, while smaller districts are identifying more students who need help. Glide, Oakland and Riddle didn't have any English language learners last school year, but this year all three have identified students who need extra help, said Ana Ramirez, the Douglas Education Service District's curriculum coordinator.
She believes part of the growth is because schools are getting better at identifying English language learners. Schools are required by federal law to provide service for those students, but there's no set way to identify who needs help.
The ESD has come up with a home language survey, taking the best of several schools' forms, that asks about the student's language background. The form is available in English and Spanish, but many Douglas County students have other first languages, and some speak more than one language at home. So schools have to find other ways to identify children whose parents can't read English or Spanish.
Once students are identified, they take a test to determine their proficiency in English. Then parents have to approve for them to be given extra help.
<b>PLAYING CATCH-UP</b>
The federal government provides funds to school districts for teaching English language learners, and the government expects those students to be taught by teachers who have specific training.
That can be difficult for small schools or for those who are identifying students for the first time.
Joanne Couch is teaching 21 English language learners in the Winston-Dillard School District. She'd been an elementary teacher for many years before she got training in English as a Second Language because the district needed a specialist.
"When I was in college, these types of issues were not even addressed," she said.
While her students can learn to communicate quickly, academics are harder.
"Most kids take five to seven years in an educational setting to catch up with their peers," Couch said.
Vocabulary is one of the reasons for the gap. Researcher Jim Cummings makes a distinction between words people use in conversation and words they need to know in school, Ramirez said.
People say words like "lift," "build," "story" and "breathing," she said. But in school, they might hear "hoist," "construct," "composition" or "respiration."
"Small group instruction is always more beneficial than one on one," Byrd said. "The students are happier. They speak more, which is the goal."
The goal is also that the students won't need the program after 12 to 18 months, and they'll return to their neighborhood schools unless they choose to stay through open enrollment, Principal Tim Wilson said.
<b>SURGING POPULATION</b>
In the United States, 19.7 percent of people 5 years old and over speak a language other than English at home, according to 2006 census data. Douglas County didn't have enough samples for accurate data.
In the decade from the 1994-95 school year to the 2004-05 school year, the number of students who needed extra help in English rose from 25,701 to 59,908 in Oregon. During that same period, total enrollment saw a slight decline.
The number of Douglas County students who are in English as a Second Language programs has fluctuated. Roseburg has seen declines in recent years, while smaller districts are identifying more students who need help. Glide, Oakland and Riddle didn't have any English language learners last school year, but this year all three have identified students who need extra help, said Ana Ramirez, the Douglas Education Service District's curriculum coordinator.
She believes part of the growth is because schools are getting better at identifying English language learners. Schools are required by federal law to provide service for those students, but there's no set way to identify who needs help.
The ESD has come up with a home language survey, taking the best of several schools' forms, that asks about the student's language background. The form is available in English and Spanish, but many Douglas County students have other first languages, and some speak more than one language at home. So schools have to find other ways to identify children whose parents can't read English or Spanish.
Once students are identified, they take a test to determine their proficiency in English. Then parents have to approve for them to be given extra help.
<b>PLAYING CATCH-UP</b>
The federal government provides funds to school districts for teaching English language learners, and the government expects those students to be taught by teachers who have specific training.
That can be difficult for small schools or for those who are identifying students for the first time.
Joanne Couch is teaching 21 English language learners in the Winston-Dillard School District. She'd been an elementary teacher for many years before she got training in English as a Second Language because the district needed a specialist.
"When I was in college, these types of issues were not even addressed," she said.
While her students can learn to communicate quickly, academics are harder.
"Most kids take five to seven years in an educational setting to catch up with their peers," Couch said.
Vocabulary is one of the reasons for the gap. Researcher Jim Cummings makes a distinction between words people use in conversation and words they need to know in school, Ramirez said.
People say words like "lift," "build," "story" and "breathing," she said. But in school, they might hear "hoist," "construct," "composition" or "respiration."
Legislation and Court Rulings Affecting English Language Learners
<b>1923 Meyer v. Nebraska</b> — Overturned a 1919 Nebraska law that classes in any school, public or private, had to be taught in English; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the law violated the Fourteenth Amendment
<b>1954 Brown v. Board of Education</b> — Overturned an 1896 Supreme Court case which allowed schools to be “separate but equal” with regard to race <b>1964 Civil Rights Act, Title VI</b> — Congressional law that prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin <b>1968 Bilingual Education Act</b> — Established federal policy recognizing bilingual education as a viable method for low-income students whose first language isn’t English and recognized the unique education disadvantages faced by non-English speaking students <b>1974 Lau v. Nichols</b> — U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school districts must take “affirmative steps” to overcome educational barriers faced by non-English speakers <b>1974 Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1974</b> — Mandated that no state deny equal education opportunity to any individual and mandated that states “take appropriate action to overcome language barriers” <b>1974 Amendments to Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act</b> — Required states to include instruction in a student’s native language and culture and to train bilingual teachers; said any student of “limited English-speaking ability” could participate in federally funded programs <b>1978 Amendments to Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act</b> — Emphasized the transitional nature of native language instruction, expanded eligibility and permitted enrollment of English-speaking students in bilingual education programs <b>1982 Plyler v. Doe</b> — U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that excluded children without proof of legal residency or full tuition from attending public schools; set precedent that children could not be denied an education based on immigration status <b>1988 Amendments to Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act</b> — Increased funding to states, expanded special English-only programs, limited participation to three years for most programs and created fellowships for professional training <b>1994 Amendments to Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act</b> — Supplied additional funds for immigrant education and allowed participation of some private school students <b>2000 Executive Order 13155 “Improving Access to Services for Persons With Limited English Proficiency”</b> — Presidential order requiring all federal programs to ensure that they are accessible to people with limited English and that they do not discriminate on the basis of national origin <b>2002 No Child Left Behind Act</b> — Provided grants and held school districts accountable for English language learners’ and immigrant students’ academic progress and English attainment; supported professional development programs <i>SOURCE: National Clearinghouse for Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs</i> |
"The task is daunting for them," Couch said, "and what has made it difficult is many of our parents don't speak English, so they don't have the homework support when they take things home."
Kyra Whitford is a fourth-grade teacher in Yoncalla. The elementary school has just two English language learners, so Whitford leaves her class for 35 minutes a day to spend time with those two first-graders. They have reached the fourth of five levels they need to complete the English program.
But even for young students who speak English well, the extra help is important, Whitford said.
"Even though it sounds like they know English very well, they're still processing," she said.
Being bilingual means they can speak, read and write, Whitford said, and it takes time for that to become automatic.
Byrd said working in small groups helps students build confidence, too. She works on the state standards with the students, but she simplifies the vocabulary so they don't get stuck figuring out words instead of learning their subjects.
"It's not dumbed down," she said.
Kyra Whitford is a fourth-grade teacher in Yoncalla. The elementary school has just two English language learners, so Whitford leaves her class for 35 minutes a day to spend time with those two first-graders. They have reached the fourth of five levels they need to complete the English program.
But even for young students who speak English well, the extra help is important, Whitford said.
"Even though it sounds like they know English very well, they're still processing," she said.
Being bilingual means they can speak, read and write, Whitford said, and it takes time for that to become automatic.
Byrd said working in small groups helps students build confidence, too. She works on the state standards with the students, but she simplifies the vocabulary so they don't get stuck figuring out words instead of learning their subjects.
"It's not dumbed down," she said.
Programs for English language learners:
• Serve kids whose first language isn’t English
• Are federally funded and are required by the federal government • Test students’ English language proficiency. • Have classes or pull students out of regular classes to meet their language needs. • Provide assistance to classroom teachers to help students understand the curriculum better. • Are not permanent. Students leave the program when they become fluent in English. • Are taught in English in Douglas County. They are not bilingual programs. <i>SOURCE: Douglas Education Service District; Individual English language learner programs</i> |
<b>EQUAL EXPECTATIONS</b>
Couch believes giving support to English language learners benefits everyone.
"My feeling is if they are not trained to speak, to listen, to read, to write in English, they are not going to be a productive citizen here," she said. "They've got to learn the language ... They will struggle in this country if they do not know English."
While programs in Douglas County are taught in English only, Couch encourages parents to help children retain their first language, too.
"What a benefit for an employer to have a person who is truly bilingual," she said.
Programs for English language learners also help the school, Byrd said.
"With the No Child Left Behind laws, they are expected to perform right alongside the same peer who was born and raised in Oregon and who have English-speaking parents and who have a very well-rounded background," Byrd said. "They are given no break whatsoever when it comes to federal and state testing.
"For us," she said, "it benefits our test scores, it benefits the school in getting them up to snuff, so to say, as quickly as possible. And if it means providing some additional instruction for them, so be it."
<b>ENHANCED PROGRAM</b>
Couch believes giving support to English language learners benefits everyone.
"My feeling is if they are not trained to speak, to listen, to read, to write in English, they are not going to be a productive citizen here," she said. "They've got to learn the language ... They will struggle in this country if they do not know English."
While programs in Douglas County are taught in English only, Couch encourages parents to help children retain their first language, too.
"What a benefit for an employer to have a person who is truly bilingual," she said.
Programs for English language learners also help the school, Byrd said.
"With the No Child Left Behind laws, they are expected to perform right alongside the same peer who was born and raised in Oregon and who have English-speaking parents and who have a very well-rounded background," Byrd said. "They are given no break whatsoever when it comes to federal and state testing.
"For us," she said, "it benefits our test scores, it benefits the school in getting them up to snuff, so to say, as quickly as possible. And if it means providing some additional instruction for them, so be it."
<b>ENHANCED PROGRAM</b>
Byrd had some reservations about the new program at Rose Elementary School, she said, but she's been pleasantly surprised by how it's working.
Rose was chosen because the school had room, Wilson said.
Byrd said the program is "enhanced" because all of Rose's teachers have extra training, and the school has a full-time instructional assistant who helps the English language learners.
She said parents, students and teachers seem to be pleased with the program.
Turnout is good for parent nights, Byrd said.
Rose was chosen because the school had room, Wilson said.
Byrd said the program is "enhanced" because all of Rose's teachers have extra training, and the school has a full-time instructional assistant who helps the English language learners.
She said parents, students and teachers seem to be pleased with the program.
Turnout is good for parent nights, Byrd said.
"They recognize the importance of school," Wilson added, "not just the importance of English, but the importance of school."
Wilson said the children have been a good addition to Rose, and he hopes to create a family center on the campus, too. He'd also like to see the students bring more of their culture into the school.
• You can reach reporter Teresa Williams at 957-4230 or via e-mail at twilliams@newsreview.info.
Wilson said the children have been a good addition to Rose, and he hopes to create a family center on the campus, too. He'd also like to see the students bring more of their culture into the school.
• You can reach reporter Teresa Williams at 957-4230 or via e-mail at twilliams@newsreview.info.
