Some Children Left Behind September 7, 2007 Shelly Spiegel-Coleman Bravo to the new leadership of Supt. Brewer at the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Board members Garcia and Flores Aguilar of the Board of Education. They clearly understand that giving a test in English about science, reading and math to students who do not speak English is just a test OF English and not what students know about those subjects. It seems simple, but the district is asking that the state and federal government recognize that these students need some time to learn English and during that period should be tested using valid and reliable assessments. For some students who can demonstrate their knowledge in their primary language that makes sense and for others who are not literate in their home language (the majority of English learners) they need to be assessed with other options or tests that use English that is easier to understand without watering down the demand of the test. These results must be used when calculating the growth schools and students make and whether they meet the benchmarks set for them by Washington and California. Let’s hope the voices of our leaders in Los Angeles are heard in our state and federal capitols.
