|
Article 14 C of Illinois School Code contains regulations
that govern bilingual education.
Approximately 3800 students are served in the Waukegan
Public School's bilingual education system.
The students are clustered by language performance levels
in 9 elementary schools and 4 middle schools, as well as the ninth grade
center and the high school.
A home language survey is conducted at the time a student
is enrolled. Student proficiency in English is also assessed.
Students whose home language is other than English and
other than Spanish and number 19 or fewer of a particular language group
are placed in the district's TPI (English as a Second Language) Program,
which is housed at John Clark School. Roughly 30 other languages are represented
in the district. These students receive their core content subject instruction
in English and have one class a day where they receive ESL support.
Students whose home language is Spanish and are limited
English proficient at the time of assessment are placed in the district's
bilingual education program, where they receive their core content subject
instruction primarily in Spanish for the first 3 years of their enrollment
in the Waukegan Public Schools. English is introduced gradually, and annual
assessments for proficiency are given.
Some teachers and parents are reluctant to have their children
exited from the bilingual program after 3 years; they can exercise the
option of keeping the student in the bilingual program longer if they
feel the need is there. District 60 maintains that it is making a concerted
effort to exit students from the program after 3 years. (It is worth noting
that students in the TPI program are English proficient and are performing
at grade level with their native English-speaking peers within two years;
according to Sister MaryAnn Patrick, principal of Lake Shore Catholic
Academy in Waukegan, their non-English speaking students are proficient
in English in about 6 months and academically are performing at grade
level in a fraction of the time spent by their peers in the public schools.)
A critical issue facing the bilingual program in Waukegan
is the shortage of qualified teachers. Currently, about 75% of District
60's bilingual education teachers hold a type 29 certificate. This means
they are not fully certified in either subject area or teaching methods.
They have, however, demonstrated proficiency in their ability to speak
Spanish, are willing to learn on the job, and have agreed to complete
the necessary course work for full certification obtaining either a type
3 elementary certificate or type 9 content specific certificate within
6 years under Illinois law. In contrast, virtually all regular education
teachers in District 60 hold either type 3 or type 9 certificates.
Regarding recruiting its bilingual education teaching staff,
District 60 has sometimes found it necessary to fill positions with people
from Spanish-speaking countries. This has been the case for at least the
past 2 years, with recruiters being sent to Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
The District as the sponsoring entity pays a $500.00 per applicant visa
processing fee; over the past two years 36 teachers were recruited from
Spain, with 3 having since returned. The total number of teachers from
Mexico and Puerto Rico is less certain. No visa application fees were
necessary for the recruits from Puerto Rico, as they are U.S. citizens.
The applicants paid for relocation fees and costs.
A recurring question was, 'How does District 60 believe
its bilingual education program upholds Brown vs. Board of Education?'
Several elementary school principals and one middle school principal,
David Mackey, Robert Moran and Eugene Head commented that by having regular
education and bilingual education classrooms in the same hallways, having
joint field trips and lunch together keeps them in compliance with the
law. Core academic content is presented separately.
Regarding funding, District 60 allocates between 6.5 -
6.75 million dollars of its budget toward bilingual education. That translates
into roughly $2,000.00 more per student compared to regular education.
The Summer Bridges Program, which provides additional academic
assistance for students who are at risk of failing, is funded by a grant
from the state and includes bilingual students.
To view the video of the forum on bilingual education in
its entirety, please call the TOWN office at 847-599-1531.
Those who wish to learn more about issues concerning bilingual
education can visit www.onenation.org.
Return to Top
|
