THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2008
Area Schools Struggle With New Standards
By TODD RUDOLF
Journal Reporter
A recent amendment to the federal "No Child Left Behind" program is just the latest hurdle school districts all over the Northwest suburbs will attempt to clear in their battle with keeping their students on track.
The amendment now demands all students to be tested in all subjects, regardless of their level of English. Before, school districts were allowed to give their students an alternative test called IMAGE.
Now every student who has been enrolled in school since last May will be asked to take the ISAT standardized test.
With a vast population of non-English speaking students, school districts like Prospect Heights Elementary Dist. 23 are trying their best to prepare students for these assessment exams.
"It is going to be difficult," Dist. 23 Supt. Dr. Greg Guarrine said. "Testing is a big challenge we must address. It's hard because now we cannot test our kids appropriately until the state comes up with some alternatives for testing."
Dist. 23 currently has 669 students from different ethnic backgrounds-roughly 46% of the student body, with 142 of those kids having a low level of English proficiency.
East Maine Elementary School Dist. 63 is dealing with the same problems with 85% of the student body speaking English as a second language. Seven-hundred and sixteen students are enrolled in the district's English as Second-Language Learners program.
Dist. 63 Supt. Dr. Kathleen Williams voiced her concerns with the new testing, saying g her students will not be given a fair chance to succeed.
"The tests are supposed to measure the growth of the students," Williams said. "But it is insane to presume a student just learning how to speak English will be able to score as well as a student who grew up speaking the language. It doesn't mean our students are not learning. It is not a good reflection on growth."
But testing is just one of the many issues that these school districts and their faculty face with a highly ethnic student body.
One problem, according to Millie Bravo, director of second language for Des Plaines Elementary School Dist. 62, is the different levels of English each student speaks.
"One of the biggest challenges are the abilities of each student to speak English," Bravo said. "Kids who can speak at a higher level tend to pick up things faster, but some don't speak English well as their primary language and there can be gaps in education. It normally takes someone five to seven years to be aware and communicate a second language. So if a student enters our school in fourth grade it can take years to catch up."
A total of 31.6% of Dist. 62 students speak English as a secondary language, with students speaking 52 different languages in total.
Students from Dist. 63 speak 51 different languages.
"We have students who speak so many different languages," said director of curriculum for Dist. 63, Kathy Ruh. "The state provides the accommodation to dictate testing to students and offer bilingual programs, but it is very hard to find certified teachers who can speak all the different languages we have."
An issue that both the schools and the students themselves are faced with is the adaptation of foreign students to a new school system, and a new culture all together.
"Obviously getting youngsters acclimated to a culture and trying to teach them a new language is a challenge," Guarrine said. "The students must learn our school system and learn to get along with other people. Someone new to our country has to learn how about our culture and our students have to learn about theirs."
"We try to incorporate them in all activities. We want to make these children part of our school and environment. The goal is to make them comfortable."
Over the years, schools in Dist. 23 have held culture fairs where students have the chance to learn about their classmates' backgrounds including art, food and music.
"We all try very hard to learn about their history," said Bravo. "We meet their parents and try to find their interests and skills. Then we try to use those to help them come along."
And while each district has their own issues and problems to address, each one embraces the challenges for one simple reason.
"The positives far outweigh the negatives," Ruh said. "It is a great opportunity for our students to grow up and interact with different cultures. It is more what the real world is like."
According to Guarrine, the chance to learn in a diverse environment is special, not only for the foreign students, but the American students as well.
"It is a two-way street," Guarrine said. "It is important for us to learn their cultures as well. We have many students from a variety of different backgrounds. Those cultures are important and a strength. We see it as great benefit to live a pluralistic society. You learn so many things with everyone living together."