Budget for Bilingual Education in Illinois
The current budget proposal reflects a total appropriation of $10 billion.
For Bilingual Education, there is a $7 million increase in Bilingual Education across the state.
The Illinois State Board of Education is proposing an 11% increase, or $7 million in costs of Bilingual Education in Illinois for the fiscal year of 2013.
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/budget/fy13_budget_book.pdf
For Bilingual Education, there is a $7 million increase in Bilingual Education across the state.
The Illinois State Board of Education is proposing an 11% increase, or $7 million in costs of Bilingual Education in Illinois for the fiscal year of 2013.
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/budget/fy13_budget_book.pdf
Funding for Bilingual Education in Illinois
Funding for Bilingual Education in Illinois is available for students receiving five or more class periods of bilingual or ESL instruction per week.
Reimbursements are made quarterly on a current-year basis to schools with approved bilingual programs.
The amount of each district's grant is determined by the size of the student population, amount, and intensity of bilingual/ESL services received by the students, and the grade levels of eligible stude.
Demographics for Illinois show a growing population of English Language Learners (ELL). This proposed increase in funding would help address projected growth in the number of students and the increase in the number of ELL who will be eligible due to new exit criteria
Reimbursements are made quarterly on a current-year basis to schools with approved bilingual programs.
The amount of each district's grant is determined by the size of the student population, amount, and intensity of bilingual/ESL services received by the students, and the grade levels of eligible stude.
Demographics for Illinois show a growing population of English Language Learners (ELL). This proposed increase in funding would help address projected growth in the number of students and the increase in the number of ELL who will be eligible due to new exit criteria
Cost per Pupil Expenditure for Bilingual Education in Chicago
Chicago spends $8,047 per student, according to the state. That is about $564 more than the state average.
With the higher average in the state, the test scores do not correlate with the academic achievement figures. Only about 38 % of Chicago’s elementary and middle school students passed the state tests.
Most of the city's grade schools were put on a state academic warning list due to the high failure rate.
According to Kenneth Gotsch, the district's chief fiscal officer, he stated that Chicago spends much less on costs per student than the state figure implies, because more than $2,000 per student goes into supplemental programs, such as bilingual education.
http://impactvoters.com/html/cost_of_ed.html
With the higher average in the state, the test scores do not correlate with the academic achievement figures. Only about 38 % of Chicago’s elementary and middle school students passed the state tests.
Most of the city's grade schools were put on a state academic warning list due to the high failure rate.
According to Kenneth Gotsch, the district's chief fiscal officer, he stated that Chicago spends much less on costs per student than the state figure implies, because more than $2,000 per student goes into supplemental programs, such as bilingual education.
http://impactvoters.com/html/cost_of_ed.html
How Students are Identified for Placement in a Bilingual Class
Identification of Eligible Students:
a) School districts can administer home language surveys to students in any grade that may seem to be limited English proficient.
b) The survey should be administered as part of the enrollment process and should be completed by the first day of school.
c) The district can screen the English language proficiency of each student identified through the home language survey as having a language background other than English by using the prescribed screening instrument to determining the student’s eligibility for bilingual education services and, if eligible, the appropriate placement for the student.
Prescribed screening instruments used by school districts include:
a) WIDA ACCESS Placement Test for students entering or in the second semester of grade 1 or in grades 2 through 12
b) Measure of Developing English Language for students entering kindergarten or the first semester of grade 1
Program Options and Placement:
a) When a school has 20 or more LEP students of the same language classification the school district must establish a transitional bilingual education (TBE) program for each language classification represented by those students.
b) When an attendance center has an enrollment of 19 or fewer LEP students of any single language classification other than English, the school district needs to establish an individual student language assessment to determine each student’s need for home language instruction.
www.isbe.net/rules/archive/pdfs/228ark.pdf
a) School districts can administer home language surveys to students in any grade that may seem to be limited English proficient.
b) The survey should be administered as part of the enrollment process and should be completed by the first day of school.
c) The district can screen the English language proficiency of each student identified through the home language survey as having a language background other than English by using the prescribed screening instrument to determining the student’s eligibility for bilingual education services and, if eligible, the appropriate placement for the student.
Prescribed screening instruments used by school districts include:
a) WIDA ACCESS Placement Test for students entering or in the second semester of grade 1 or in grades 2 through 12
b) Measure of Developing English Language for students entering kindergarten or the first semester of grade 1
Program Options and Placement:
a) When a school has 20 or more LEP students of the same language classification the school district must establish a transitional bilingual education (TBE) program for each language classification represented by those students.
b) When an attendance center has an enrollment of 19 or fewer LEP students of any single language classification other than English, the school district needs to establish an individual student language assessment to determine each student’s need for home language instruction.
www.isbe.net/rules/archive/pdfs/228ark.pdf
Illinois Measure of Annual Growth Test (IMAGE)
In 1993, the Illinois General Assembly established the Legislative Task Force on Student Alternative Assessment Systems. This group was to establish methods for assessing LEP students.
A proposal was to develop a test to measure the English-language acquisition of students enrolled in bilingual programs.
IMAGE measures the progress of LEP students in attaining the English-language, reading, and writing skills needed to meet the Illinois Learning Standards.
The IMAGE reading and writing portions are administered annually to those LEP students who have been enrolled in Transitional Bilingual Education program for less than three years, and as an alternative for students taking the regular state assessment because of their limited proficiency in English.
IMAGE is administered annually to students in grades 3-11 who do not take the ISAT or PSAE because of their lack of English-language skills.
A proposal was to develop a test to measure the English-language acquisition of students enrolled in bilingual programs.
IMAGE measures the progress of LEP students in attaining the English-language, reading, and writing skills needed to meet the Illinois Learning Standards.
The IMAGE reading and writing portions are administered annually to those LEP students who have been enrolled in Transitional Bilingual Education program for less than three years, and as an alternative for students taking the regular state assessment because of their limited proficiency in English.
IMAGE is administered annually to students in grades 3-11 who do not take the ISAT or PSAE because of their lack of English-language skills.
Teacher Certification and Preparation in Illinois
The requirements needed for Bilingual Teacher Education requires the teachers to complete a teacher training program and obtain the teacher certification.
Teachers who intend to specialize in ESL instruction need to receive a bachelor's or master's degree in bilingual and multilingual education.
Bilingual teachers need to complete a minimum of 100 hours or three months of student teaching in a bilingual program.
They need to pass a language assessment in the non-English language they will be teaching.
A teacher must complete the 6 semester hours of middle grade coursework to receive the middle school bilingual endorsement.
Teachers who plan on obtaining certification in ESL are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours or three months of student teaching with ESL students and complete coursework totaling 18 semester hours in the following: linguistics, theoretical foundations of teaching ESL, assessment of the bilingual student, methods and materials for teaching ESL, and cross-cultural studies for teaching LEP students.
In order for a teacher to obtain English as a New Language Endorsement (ENL), the teacher may be added only at the senior high school level on secondary or special teaching certificates or at grade level of certificate on a Special K-12 certificate. The requirements for this endorsement include, 24 semester hours of coursework in ENL and passing the ENL test.
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/certification/html/webinar_archive.htm#lic101612
Teachers who intend to specialize in ESL instruction need to receive a bachelor's or master's degree in bilingual and multilingual education.
Bilingual teachers need to complete a minimum of 100 hours or three months of student teaching in a bilingual program.
They need to pass a language assessment in the non-English language they will be teaching.
A teacher must complete the 6 semester hours of middle grade coursework to receive the middle school bilingual endorsement.
Teachers who plan on obtaining certification in ESL are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours or three months of student teaching with ESL students and complete coursework totaling 18 semester hours in the following: linguistics, theoretical foundations of teaching ESL, assessment of the bilingual student, methods and materials for teaching ESL, and cross-cultural studies for teaching LEP students.
In order for a teacher to obtain English as a New Language Endorsement (ENL), the teacher may be added only at the senior high school level on secondary or special teaching certificates or at grade level of certificate on a Special K-12 certificate. The requirements for this endorsement include, 24 semester hours of coursework in ENL and passing the ENL test.
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/certification/html/webinar_archive.htm#lic101612
Advantages of Bilingual Education
The growing competition for science, business, education, and politics amongst countries around the world should be an eye opener to incorporate bilingual education programs in the school systems.
Proficiency in only one language is not enough for economic, social, and educational success with major competition around the world.
Global interdependence and mass communication require the ability to communicate in more than one language.
Bilingual education has fundamentals in common sense, experience, and research. Common sense displays that children will not learn material if they cannot understand the language of instruction. Experience demonstrates that students from minority-language backgrounds tend to have a higher dropout rate along with lower achievement scores. The basis for bilingual education draws upon research in language achievement and education.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/26/health/la-he-bilingual-brain-20110227
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/bilingual-education-law-illinois-language-programs_n_1791731.html?
Proficiency in only one language is not enough for economic, social, and educational success with major competition around the world.
Global interdependence and mass communication require the ability to communicate in more than one language.
Bilingual education has fundamentals in common sense, experience, and research. Common sense displays that children will not learn material if they cannot understand the language of instruction. Experience demonstrates that students from minority-language backgrounds tend to have a higher dropout rate along with lower achievement scores. The basis for bilingual education draws upon research in language achievement and education.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/26/health/la-he-bilingual-brain-20110227
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/bilingual-education-law-illinois-language-programs_n_1791731.html?
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