Sergio's+Thoughts

NLP Reflection In comparing both the Charge to the panel and Snow’s Cross Cutting Themes, I cannot help but realize that much is still unknown when the issue of English Language Learners and Second Language Learners arises. A clear distinction needs to be made between the two learners. English Language Learners (ELL’s) are acquiring English as a second language, whereas Second Language Learners can be identified as those individuals that have language backgrounds other than the societal language and do not have the proficiency necessary to benefit from instruction in the second language. Another commonality that was evident in both is that further research is necessary to tackle this enormous ethical dilemma that plagues our educational system. As August and Shanahan have demonstrated, many methodical steps have gone underway in an attempt to tackle this problem and to ensure reliability and validity. Panel member selection, literature review, search procedures, coding instruments to public advice and input have been screened microscopically to insure a valid report. Common findings:
 * Excellent instruction will yield better results than poor instruction (Common sense).
 * Developmentally, certain components of literacy are not static. They may change with age, second language oral proficiency, cognitive abilities and previous learning.
 * Strong primary language proficiency strategies transfer or aid in the acquisition of second language proficiency.
 * Little evidence to support the impact of socio-cultural variables on literacy achievement or development.
 * Focusing on key components like phonemic awareness, decoding, oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary and writing have clear benefits. Benefits increase if the key component instruction is enhanced.
 * Language minority students literate in their primary language will benefit in the acquisition of English literacy.
 * Systematic efforts are important.
 * In most respects, assessments used on language minority students to measure language proficiency, are inadequate.
 * Language minority students should be assessed in both languages.

In my own experience as an educator, second language learners and practices (bilingual education) have been the recipients of much negativity from parents, teachers and as we know, policymakers. My experience has been that the commitment to the long and often difficult process was not given a chance. Parents get frustrated, with the slow process and bumps in the road. Students are taken out of programs and mainstreamed with the hope that English proficiency will be acquired immediately. There are to many variables that come into play when trying to acquire a second language. Unfortunately they are most often over-looked. The end result is often, “My child has not learned anything, I’m taking him/her out of the program.” What also often happens is that you end up with a non bi-literate student who has no proficiency in either language. The extraneous variables are too many to list. One thing is for certain, more research needs to be done in the acquisition of English literacy.