English Immersion and Proficiency

* Re “Bilingual Education,” Ventura County letters, July 30.

In this letter Denis O’Leary asserts that “one year of intensive English immersion in California has failed.” But he fails to back up this assertion, and the facts are otherwise.

After one year of English immersion, statewide English learners’ test scores have increased in every area, in every grade level. Some school districts saw increases of up to 18% in some areas for English learners.

There is other evidence of progress since 1998. In 1998, before Proposition 227, English learners in California ranked in the 19th percentile in reading and language. In 1999, one year after the initiative, the students ranked in the 23rd percentile in reading and language.

Finally, the state redesignation rates increased from 7% to 7.6% after the implementation of Proposition 227. That is hardly evidence of failure.

O’Leary states that with bilingual programs “we are making students competitive with academic-quality English.” But we cannot expect schools to teach academic-quality English if students receive only one hour of English instruction a day. These students end up in high school still not proficient in English after five years of bilingual instruction.

English immersion is the most effective method for teaching English learners. Proposition 227 is working.

AMY ALLISON

Center for Equal Opportunity

Washington, D.C.