Schools finding ways to cope with English immersion law

El Distrito Escolar Unificado de Sunnyside está impartiendo cursos de verano de inglés para disminuir las dificultades de comunicación que se esperan en agosto, cuando entre en vigor una nueva ley estatal que sacará a mas de dos tercios de estudiantes de la educación bilingüe.

Can't read that?

Now you know how Spanish-speaking students will feel when voter-mandated English immersion classes begin in two months.

They won't get any translations in class, but for you, here's what the first paragraph says: The Sunnyside Unified School District is using summer school to help close the communication gap expected in August when a new state law pushes up to two-thirds of its English learners out of bilingual classes.

About 70 pupils are at a special summer school session this month to learn enough English to either qualify for bilingual education or to help them survive in an English-immersion classroom.

Jeannie Favela, Sunnyside's bilingual education director, said the summer school programs won't solve all of the communication woes this fall, but making students and teachers pick up limited skills in each other's language will make the start of school smother.

So far, 1,200 pupils - about one-third as many bilingual education students as the district had last year - have been granted waivers to stay in bilingual education.

The Tucson Unified School District, the city's largest, expects between one-third to one-half of the 12,000 students it had in bilingual education last year to remain in the program. About 1,500 waivers have been granted in TUSD so far, but that number is expected to climb to at least 4,000 by the time school starts.

Favela said the high number of students expected to remain in bilingual education shows the popularity of the program, rather than any effort to thwart the wishes of voters.

But Maria Mendoza, co-chair of English for the Children, the group that asked voters to restrict bilingual education, said the rate of waivers shows that Sunnyside and TUSD don't intend to comply.

"They want to retain the status quo," Mendoza said. "They don't want to let go of bilingual education."

Mendoza said the placement test being used requires children to learn too little English.

A lawsuit might be needed to force more schoolchildren out of bilingual education, she said.

Favela counters that waivers are included in the law that voters approved.

By a 2-to-1 margin, Arizona voters passed Proposition 203 last November, replacing bilingual education with English immersion for most students learning the language.

The law says parents may request a bilingual education waiver if the child already speaks English, or is 10 years old or older, or has spent at least 30 days in an English language classroom and is found to have special physical or psychological needs above and beyond a lack of English proficiency.

Favela said testers will be available at schools 10 days before classes start to help place children in either bilingual or English-only classes.

About 50 Sunnyside teachers spent last week learning techniques that will help them teach in a classroom filled with children who don't speak their language.

Jo Gusman, a Sacramento, Calif.-based consultant who led one of the classes, relied on a popular cartoon character to help illustrate what a six-hour classroom day feels like to a pupil who doesn't speak the language.

For 30 seconds, the teachers closed their eyes and loudly imitated Charlie Brown's incomprehensible teacher.

Gusman said she hoped the irritation and annoyance teachers described after the half-minute exercise helps develop empathy for students who will find themselves in the same situation when school starts.

Sunnyside officials say it's too soon to forecast the full impact Proposition 203 will have in the next school year. But it won't be business as usual.

"There are too many people who didn't think about the practical concerns for implementing 203," said Gilbert Larribas, a first-grade teacher at Craycroft Elementary. "There will be a lot of rude awakenings."

Larribas was one of the teachers who spent four days learning techniques to help educate students with little or no English ability. Though Larribas has taught bilingual classes during his 16-year career, he said he appreciated finding new ways to make sure pupils with limited English skills don't feel like outsiders.

In her class, Gusman told teachers to get to know the students' cultural background and use props and body language to help non-English-speakers understand when something important is happening in class.

She told teachers it's OK for kids to point to objects if they can't find the words and to use signs that say "Sí/Yes" or "No."

Tammy Bauschka, a first- grade teacher at Summit View, said she worries about effectively explaining rules, fire drills and other day-to-day functions. "I just can't tell them where the bathroom is; I have to go take them and show them."

Favela said the district anticipates having at least one immersion class in every grade at each school. In most cases, those classes would be led by teachers certified in teaching English as a second language.

She said test results will be fast-tracked so pupils are placed in the appropriate class right away.

"We're not just going to let these kids fly all over the place," she said. "We're trying to offset any chaos."

Consuelo Hernandez said she filed paperwork to keep her children in bilingual education.

She said her son, Daniel Jr., 11, has been in bilingual classes since kindergarten and is now proficient in both English and Spanish. Her two daughters, Alma Clarisa, 8, and Consuelo, 9, also will stay in bilingual classes.

"It's very important for us that they be able to read and write in both languages," she said. "That will give them more opportunities in the future."

Voters, however, sided with Proposition 203 backers who said students were being kept in bilingual classes too long without fully learning English.

Daniel Hernandez said his bilingual classes were conducted mostly in Spanish until third grade, when he switched to reading and writing in English. He said he worries for some of the pupils who will find themselves in English-only classes.

"Some of them don't know English, and suddenly they're going to be expected to know it," Daniel said. "It's going to be tough on some of them."

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