CONTACT

Californians Together

Championing the Success of English Learners

Long Term English learners

Support SB 750 (Mendoza) for accurate identification of LTELs for appropriate instructional services

by

Senate Bill 750 (Mendoza) English Language Education is finally on Governor Brown’s desk! He will determine the fate of SB 750 (Mendoza), to sign (and make law) or to veto.

Your continued support and advocacy is needed NOW to show Governor Brown how much support there is for this bill. Click on the link below to send the letter to the Governor.

SB 750 (Mendoza) revises current law specific to the definitions of a Long Term English Learner and pupils At Risk of becoming a Long Term English Learner in order for the California Department of Education to more accurately identify these pupils for the purpose of providing appropriate instructional services to these students by their school districts.

Please forward this Action Alert to other interested persons or entities. Our challenge is to get as many letters as possible to Governor Brown!! Governor Brown has until October 11, 2015 to decide.
Please click below to email a letter of support to the governor with a copy to the author of our bill Senator Tony Mendoza.

Mil gracias for your continued support of SB 750 (Mendoza) English Language Instruction!!

 

SB 750 Sample letter

Meeting the Unique Needs of Long Term English Language Learners

by

Meeting the Unique Needs of Long Term English Language Learners
A Guide for Educators
by Laurie Olsen, Ph.D.
A National Education Association (NEA) Publication
March 2014
Written for educators, administrators, and policymakers, this booklet provides a research-based overview on the large number of Long Term English Learner students, who despite having been enrolled in United States schools for more then six years, are not progressing towards English proficiency but are continuing to struggle without the English skills needed.

Webinar: Long Term English Learners: New Directions for Policy, Programs, and Practice

by

By Laurie Olsen

Produced by SchoolsMovingUp at WestEd

Laurie Olsen, Executive Board Member of Californians Together, discusses the results of recently released research on long-term English learners (LTELs) using data from 40 school districts and pilot efforts in dozens of schools.

In this archived webinar, find out:

  • Who the LTELs are and why they have become LTELs
  • An overview of LTELs’ needs
  • Tools to explore your LTEL population
  • Effective, research-based approaches and guidelines for schools and districts
  • Systemwide and policy recommendations 

http://www.wested.org/resources/long-term-english-learners-new-directions-for-policy-programs-and-practice/

AB 2193 – Long Term English Learners (Lara)

by

AB 2193 (Lara) Long Term English Learners, went into effect on January, 2013. This sponsored bill would define “long-term English learner” and “English learner at risk of becoming a long-term English learner” and would require the department to annually ascertain and provide to school districts and schools the number of pupils in each school district and school, as specified, who are, or are at risk of becoming, long-term English learners. Click to download the legislation.

AB 2193 Long Term English Learners Legislation

LA Times: California Schools Step Up Efforts to Help ‘Long Term English Learners’”

by

 

Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2014

After more than 11 years in Los Angeles public schools, Dasha Cifuentes still isn’t speaking or writing English at grade level. The U.S. native, whose parents are Mexican immigrants, was raised in a Spanish-speaking household and she acknowledges that the two languages get confused in her mind.

“I should be more confident in English because I was born here, but I’m embarrassed that I haven’t improved myself,” said Dasha, a junior at Fairfax High.

Now, however, she and other students like her are receiving more attention under a new state law and initiatives by L.A. Unified and other school districts. The law requires the state to define and identify a “long-term English learner,” the first effort in the nation to do so. Click here to read more.

California is the First State in the Nation to Define and Identify English Learners who After Many Years are Struggling to Succeed

by

Sacramento:  Three out of four (74%) English Learner students in grades 6 -12 have been in California schools for 7 years or more and are still without the English skills they need to succeed academically.  Because this is longer than it should take to attain English proficiency, they are called “Long Term English Learners” (LTELs).  The numbers compiled by the California Department of Education for the first time by any state in the nation, is part of an effort to ensure these students get the educational support they need.   [Read more…] about California is the First State in the Nation to Define and Identify English Learners who After Many Years are Struggling to Succeed