ELL numbers balloon

GRAND FORKS, ND–Amera Issa excitedly raises her hand to answer almost every question her teacher asks. Amazing, considering the 8-year-old second-grader at Century Elementary in Grand Forks is new to the English language. Issa is a Somali English Language Learner full story

States with Alternative Tests for ELLs

LEARNING THE LANGUAGE–Staff members of the U.S. Department of Education have provided me with a factual statement about states that have alternative tests for English-language learners for calculating adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act—and full story

Strong grasp of mother tongue boosts students

CALGARY, CANADA–A cacophony of sounds emerges from the St. Mark School library as parents and children create multi-coloured advent wreaths. Intermingling conversations in Spanish, Asirian and Tagalog are encouraged in this specialized preschool for students full story

Programs aimed at helping students adjust to language

NASHUA, CT–Although America is a land of immigrants, throughout history, many Americans have hesitated to welcome newcomers. Even today, many want immigrants and refugees to assimilate quickly and are ambivalent about accommodations they believe might slow full story

Study rebuts perceptions of migrants’ English use

PHOENIX, AZ–Phoenix resident Guadalupe Garcia has lived in the United States for nearly 35 years, but she still doesn’t speak English well. The 65-year-old seamstress from Mexico spoke only Spanish at home to her children and held jobs where she didn’t need much English. full story  related story

What is ELL?

GRAND FORKS, ND–The English Language Learner program includes six levels. Level 1 contains students with no English background, and students become more proficient closer to Level 6. Students can be taken out of the program when they reach 4.5, according to state law, but staff full story

Integrating immigrants into the workplace takes time

CALGARY, CANADA–Thousands of studies and practical experience have demonstrated that culture-sensitive HR management practices improve performance in the modern, diverse workplace. Due to cultural differences, management methods that work well in Calgary will not full story

Chamber hopes teaching workers English pays off

SANTA ROSA, CA–You don’t want Roberto Delgaldo in your class — he messes up the curve in a big way. The employee of the Filtration Group tripled his English comprehension score in after-work English classes, and on Wednesday, received a diploma for finishing his first semester full story

Oregon Suspends Use of Aprenda–a Spanish-Language Test

LEARNING THE LANGAUGE–Oregon has become the latest state to stop using an alternative test for English-language learners because federal education officials have questioned its comparability with the state’s regular test. A number of states have already dropped alternative tests for English-language learners for the same reason. full story

Despite testimony, immigration bill looks to pass session intact

SALT LAKE CITY, UT–After more than two dozen hours of testimony about illegal immigration from Utahns across the state, it looks as if a comprehensive immigration reform bill will survive with only a couple of minor tweaks. SB81 attempts to tighten immigration full story