Essay On Proposition 227

637 Words2 Pages

The implementation of Proposition 227 in 1998 made California an English-only state and mandated English-immersion language instruction for all ELs. The available evidence on the impact of this policy shows that this approach to instruction of ELs did little to close achievement gaps, caused a sharp reduction in the number of bilingual educators in the state, and further segregated ELs students into the poorest and lowest performing schools.

However, some programs, such as the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) program, are showing success with ELs. SEAL is a research-based pre-K-3rd grade program designed to develop the language and literacy skills of ELs and to close the achievement gap between ELs and their native-English speaking peers by 4th grade. The program has been implemented in 31 Silicon Valley schools, and evaluation results suggest that SEAL students are showing growth in Language, Literacy, Cognition, Learning, Social, Self, and Self Regulation as measured by the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP).

Demographics
Total state pre-K enrollment: 132,397
Total state pre-K EL enrollment: unknown

The top languages spoken by ELs in California are Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Arabic.

Policies …show more content…

Since 2008, the state has been issuing Bilingual Authorizations to qualifying schools which allow the holders to provide special instruction to ELs. In 2013, the California Department of Education adopted new standards for K-12 English language development and issued new guidebooks for teachers that describe best practices for teaching ELs. Additionally,the Local Control Funding Formula allocated to districts supplemental grants to support instruction for

Open Document