Running head: ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
English Language Learners in Bilingual Education
1
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
2
English Language Learners in Bilingual Education
As more and more students with diverse backgrounds attend U.S schools, schools and policymakers are making efforts to make sure students with a diverse background can receive the
proper education. As educators, it is important to understand the current issue and policy
regarding ELLs in bilingual education, so we can better meet diverse students’ needs.
Rights and Responsibilities of Stakeholders
In this section, we will briefly discuss stakeholders’ rights and responsibilities regarding
bilingual education.
English language Learners ‘rights and responsibilities
Ells are protected by both state and federal law. Although Ells have the same right as
other students in school such as the right to attend school and the right to be free from bullying,
they also have rights specific to their English language ability.
1, Ells have the right to learn English. According to the Education Law Center, they state
that English language learners must be tested to determine their English proficiency level and
placed in an appropriate program such as English as a Second Language program (ESL).
Teachers in the program must be qualified ESL/Bilingual teacher. When in the ESL program,
Ells must be evaluated to ensure that they are making progress in English language proficiency.
Schools will apply the same exit criteria not solely on Ells oral language but also on reading,
listening and wiring abilities. Ells have right not only in the ESL program but also in all content
areas. Teachers in all content areas must adapt materials to suit Ells’ needs. What’ more, Ells
will not be retained in the same grade level just because of their English ability. (Education Law
Center, n.d.)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
3
2, Ells have the right to all services offered to other students. Ells have the right to access to all
the services school offer to students such as gifted program, special education, extra curriculum,
and counseling. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Ells with special
needs have the right to a “Free Appropriate Public Education”. (20 U.S.C. § 1400 (2004) This
ensures Ells’ right to obtain evaluations in their native language, translation, and right to deny
service provided.
Families of English Language Leaners’ rights and responsibilities
Families of the English language learners have the right to communicate with schools
using their preferred language. What’s more, families of English learners can ask schools to
provide interpretation services while participating in school activities or conferences.
Parents or guardians of Ells have the right to not provide paperwork that may reveal their
immigration status. They also have the right to enroll Ells in a bilingual program if there are
more than 20 grade-level students that speak the same home language.(New York State
Education Department, n.d.)
School and school district responsibilities.
Ell program must have a basis in sound educational theory, appropriate staff, and
materials to help Ells with their English limitations and a system of periodic evaluation and
revision if necessary.
Laws that Inform Bilingual Education
Meyer v. Nebraska (1923) is the first case that addresses foreign language learners in
America. The court case decided that civic development and the goal of assimilation did not
outweigh the right to educate a child. The Bilingual Education Act (BEA) also called the Title
VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments of 1967 is the first law designed to
help children with limited English proficiency. The amendment provided schools with funds for
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
4
education programs, teacher training, teaching materials, and parents' involvement. Although at
that time, the law didn’t mention the use of the students’ native language, it provides an
opportunity for schools to consider a bilingual program without being afraid of violating other
segregation laws. In 1974, the act was amended, the act defined bilingual education as a program
that provides instruction in English and students’ native language so students can progress
effectively. One of the important cases that influenced the bilingual education is the Lau v.
Nicole lawsuit. Parents of the Chinese students in San Francisco sued the city’s school system
violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After the Lau v. Nichols case, the HEW Office for Civil
Rights (OCF) issued a set of guidelines that lets schools know how to provide an education for
Ells. (Stewner-Manzanares, 2012) The other case that informed bilingual education is the
Castañeda v. Pickard in 1981. The case requires schools to provide qualified staff for the ELL
program. Schools need to develop effective evaluation protocols and pedagogy for ELLs.
(413 U.S. 189)
Types of ESL Programs
There are different types of ESL programs. Below is a brief introduction to current ESL
programs in the U.S. (Jodyhanson, n.d.)
1, ESL pull out. This type of program can be found in general elementary schools.
Students will receive content instruction in a mainstream classroom but are pulled out for a
portion of each day to receive English as second language instruction.
2, The English language instruction program. The language used in the classroom is
100% English. The program’s purpose is to help students adjust to the mainstream classroom as
soon as possible.
3, The content-based ESL program. The strategy used in the classroom is the sheltered
English strategy. The program helps ESLs to learn academic concepts and vocabulary.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
5
4, Bilingual program. Students in this program are taught in two languages: their native
language and English.
`
The main focus of this paper is to examine the bilingual program. Bilingual programs
have three different models. In the Transition Bilingual Program (Early-exit Program), students
receive instruction in their native language and English. The goal of this program is to help
students achieve fluency not only in English but also in their native languages. After students
mastering their native language, they will be transitioned to an English-only program. Schools
adopt this model believes that students’ native language skills will apply to English learning.
The second model of bilingual education is the Maintenance Bilingual Program (Lateexit program). One difference compared to the Early-exit Program is once students made
considerable progress in their native language, they will remain in the program where they
continue to learn their native language for years. The purpose of this kind of model is to help
students be fluent in both the languages.
The last model is the two-way Bilingual Program. Students in this program are taught in
both languages and ELLs serve as role model and work with English speaking students. The idea
of the program is to have a 50/50 balance between native English speakers and ELL students.
(Jodyhanson, n.d.)
Professional and Collaborative Procedures for Inclusion of Students in Bilingual Education
For all kinds of bilingual programs, the school or district need to develop a Three-Year
Plan to the Department for approval. The guidelines below will ensure schools and districts have
the necessary steps to follow when creating ELL programs.
The first step to include students in this program is to determine all students’ native
languages. The district can send a home-language survey to students’ parents. For parents who
don’t speak English, have a different language version of the survey is necessary.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
6
The second step is the screening process. According to the home-language survey,
schools determine ELLs English language proficiency, Test should be conducted by a certified
teacher and the screening must contain the following elements: (1) oral interviews with parents,
students, or guardians (2) students’ previous records, and (3) district entrance assessment to
assess basic skills.
Step 3 is to inform parents or guardians of entrance. The placement decision must be sent
by mail within 30 days of determining and it must be written in the student’s primary language.
The letter should contain information such as the reason why the student was considered as an
ELL, why placing the student in the program can help him/her, the student’s ELP level, method
of how to teach the student, the program exit requirement, and how the program will meet the
student’s IEP need.
The last step of the initial identification process is to identify students who need special
education service. ELLs who need special educations should keep receiving ELL program
services. (Hespe, Martz, & Campbell, 2016)
Implications in classrooms
The research of bilingual education suggests that instruction in both English and students’
native language will help ELLs and native speakers to succeed in school. This kind of program
requires an English teacher and a foreign language teacher to collaborate with each other. The
dual language program is also known as the bilingual education program’s purpose is to teach
common core knowledge in two languages. Some bilingual program switches between the two
languages every 6 weeks. How to utilize the resource to co-teach is really challenging. The
purpose of co-teaching is to create an environment that meets diverse students’ needs. In order to
maximize the benefit of co-teaching, both English-speaking teacher and foreign language should
meet regularly to co-planning unit. Since both of the language teachers should teach common
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
7
core and make sure students are making progress, it is vital for the two teachers to plan units that
some of the knowledge taught in the two languages can be transferable.
In addition to teacher collaboration, prepare teachers to teach common core knowledge is
also necessary. Teachers in bilingual education should provide language-rich content that ensures
academic and interpersonal competencies and make sure materials used are aligned with
common core standards. (Implications for Bilingual Education, 2012) To ensure all students are
making progress, assessment materials should also be provided in both languages.
Most important, since the goals of bilingual education is to help students become fluent
in both languages, schools or district where provide bilingual program can make sure both
English language learners and foreign language learners have opportunities receiving the pull-out
second language instruction. For example, a Spanish bilingual school can offer Spanish language
learners 30 minutes’ pull-out Spanish instruction, while English as a second language learners
receive 30 minutes’ pull-out English instruction every day.
To conclude, as educators of bilingual learners, we want to ensure that English language
learners and foreign language learners in the program will succeed in both of the languages and
receive all the proper support like other students.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Bibliography
Education Law Center. (n.d.). Rights of English Language Learners (ELL) & Families with
Limited English Proficiency. Retrieved 9 11, 2020, from https://www.elc-pa.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/05/Rights-of-ELLs-March-172014-Revised.pdf
Hespe, D. C., Martz, S., & Campbell, K. L. (2016). Implementing English Language Learner
Program Services in New Jersey. PDF, New Jersey Department of Education.
(2012). Implications for Bilingual Education.
Jodyhanson. (n.d.). What Is ELL? The Complete Introduction to ELL Students, Objectives and
Program Types. Retrieved 9 12, 2020, from FluenU:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/what-is-ell/
New York State Education Department. (n.d.). Parents' Bill of Rights for New York State's
English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners & ELL Parent Hotline . Retrieved 9
12, 2020, from http://www.nysed.gov/bilingual-ed/parents-bill-rights-new-york-statesenglish-language-learnersmultilingual-learners-ell
Stewner-Manzanares, G. (2012). Bilingual Education Act: Twenty Years Later. National
Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
8
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
9