Ysleta ISD researches new ways to teach English-language learners
In the Ysleta School District the number of English-language learners meeting their yearly progress is down. It’s part of the reason trustees met Monday night to discuss what can be done to change the trend.
Two years ago, 60 percent of non-English speaking students were meeting their mark. Last year that number dropped to 51 percent, nearly a 10 percent drop. YISD academics say the goal is to change this by next year.
YISD collected data and found that in every one of seven learning communities in the district, English-language learners failed to meet their yearly standards. To fix that, YISD had to look at the problem. The Academic Language Program found that each campus is choosing how to teach it’s students. Some are choosing bilingual education, which segregates Spanish-speakers from English speakers, and it does not expose them to English.
Others are choosing dual language, which focuses mainly on English speakers by putting Spanish speakers in an English environment.
Letting principals choose the path of their choice is not working. In some cases, Spanish-speaking students are entering high school with an elementary English reading level. So the goal now is to get every school on a single uniform path.
YISD’s Academic Language Program is endorsing the dual language path. Administrators say it would stop the segregation of Spanish and English students. They also want to designate an international school for every learning community. That gives students the option of focusing on just learning English, or other languages such as Chinese and Russian.
YISD will continue to research the best way to get every school on the same path. Administrators estimate they will be done by spring, ready with a new plan by 2015-2016 school year.
