OPINION > MAS DE MARIO

"You are now bilingual," Don Moody, president of the Board of Education, announced to a group of students at the English Learner Reclassification ceremony this past Monday night. The theme of the event was "Catch Your Dream," and the Britton Middle School auditorium was filled with parents, teachers, administrators and volunteers all there to show their support to the 173 students who represented more than 18 different languages.

These students were honored for becoming reclassified from English Learners to Fluent English Proficient in this first-ever event in Morgan Hill Unified School District. To be reclassified means that the students had demonstrated through annual state testing and other criteria that they were proficient in reading, writing and speaking the English language.

Learning another language can be difficult, especially if you're trying to learn other subject matters in that language at the same time. When I started first grade at the age of 6, the only words I knew in English were "yes" and "hello." My father dropped me off on the first day of school, reassuring me everything would be fine, and said "adios."

Because of my lack of English, I quickly learned to imitate other students. If they took out a book or a pencil, I would do the same. I didn't have a clue what the teacher was saying, but my strategy of copying what the other students did worked for a while. I soon matched the name on crayons with the words that I knew in my own language. I finished first grade with many more words in my vocabulary. Academically, however, I had fallen behind my classmates.

Early during my second-grade year, the teacher called me up to her desk and told me I was being moved to room 3. As I walked down the hallway, I felt a sense of jubilation. Did being reassigned to room 3 mean I had been advanced to the third grade? The farther I walked, however, reality set in. When I opened the door to room 3, I found myself back in the first grade.

I was held back one year because of my English language deficiencies. However, the extra year of reading simple sentences like "See Spot run" helped. Despite the challenges I encountered in school, I was fortunate - I started school in the U.S.A. at an early age. Later, I met students with very limited English skills who entered school at an older age and were overwhelmed. Imagine reading a chemistry book in a brand new language. It's one thing to learn colors in a new language - it's another thing to read and comprehend advanced subject matter in a new language.

Over the years, educators have tried different strategies to assist English Learners. One of the more controversial methods is bilingual education where students are taught subjects in their native language before gradually transitioning to English.

Proponents cite studies that show that students who have high literacy in their own language first are able to rapidly transfer that literacy to another language. Opponents of bilingual education say that using one's native language delays the acquisition of the second language.

Here in the Morgan Hill Unified School District, English Learner reclassification is a five-step process.

The first two steps involve using the results of annual tests. In the fall, all English Learners take the California English Language Development Test to assess their level of English comprehension. Students who score at least a level 4 out of 5 are eligible to be considered for reclassification.

In the spring, all students take standards-based STAR tests. Scoring Proficient in math and English on these is the second step toward reclassification. The third step is to have at least a 2.0 GPA (C average in core subjects). The fourth step is a teacher observation of classroom behavior, and the final step is to score proficient on a writing sample.

Once English Learners pass all five steps, they are reclassified as fluent English Proficient. These targets are set high. Many native English speakers do not achieve this level of overall proficiency.

The day after the reclassification ceremony was Cesar E. Chavez's birthday. In the mid 1980s, I had the privilege to meet him as he spoke to a group of college students. After his talk on the status of the United Farm Workers Union, a fellow student asked him, "Mr. Chavez, what is your position on bilingual education?"

He told the group that when he traveled to Europe, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that most Europeans spoke two or three languages. But here at home, we promote and encourage only one. Why limit our children?

I think he would have been very proud of all those students assembled in the Britton auditorium.

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Mario Bañuelos

Mario Bañuelos Mario Bañuelos has lived in Morgan Hill for 19 years. He has served on the South Valley Dayworker Committee and is a member of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation. He is married and has four children. Reach him at mbanuelos@charter.net.

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