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ERIC Number: ED445542
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2000-Aug
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Two Years of Success: An Analysis of California Test Scores after Proposition 227. READ Abstract: Teaching English Wins.
Amselle, Jorge; Allison, Amy C.
This report summarizes the results of California Proposition 227 so far based on standardized test scores (the Stanford 9) of Limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in reading, math, and language. It also analyzes the redesignation rates of students by district. California Proposition 227, also known as the "English for the Children" initiative, passed in 1998 with 61% of the vote and reversed 20 years of state-mandated bilingual education for LEP children. Based on 3 years' test scores, this report concludes that California's LEP students were not only not harmed by English immersion, but they made significant gains in reading and writing in English as well as math. The greatest gains were made in school districts that chose the strictest interpretation of the initiative and implemented the most intensive English immersion programs. Scores in bilingual programs that remained were largely stagnant. Most interesting is that the youngest students as measured by test scores benefited the most from English immersion while older students, who had already spent years in bilingual education programs, benefited least. This report contains a wealth of detailed data on the test scores of several school districts covering every area of California. Overall, it is argued that hard evidence exists that the law has been a huge success, not the catastrophe that critics predicted. (KFT)
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: READ: Research in English Acquisition and Development Inst., Inc., Washington, DC.
Identifiers - Location: California
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Proposition 227 (California 1998)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A