Last month at the LSC meeting there was talk of raising the maximum age for School Admission. At issue is the fact that we are getting more and more new students high school age who don't know English, There is just not enough time for them to become fluent enough in English before they graduate.
It is easy to take a conservative hard line. This is America, it's not our problem if they can't speak English. It's not our problem if they can't meet our standards. Love it or Leave It.
I don't know about you but I live in the real world. We have to live with the consequences of our decisions. Education does not have age limits. We need solutions not rhetoric. After all, there are only so many fast food jobs. Being uneducated makes one ripe for exploitation.
I cannot give to agree that the age limit should be raised. I agree with freedom. In freedom of choice, one chooses to learn or not, but to rule on the population based on a selected few, gives no reason to me.
ReplyDeleteMany in my culture, first language was not English. Our parents were learning English at the same time. Most learned English at 4 and began 'American' preschool at this time. Most continued to speak and learn their native tongue in Greek school during the evenings (after 'American school'). St. Jean's Elementary taught their students French... I was trilingual. Washington School used to have bilingual programs for 3 different languages. It is typical in Europe for elementary students to learn at least 2 languages.
If the English scores are low, it does not mean the intelligence is. I consider knowing another language a gift. It's a technicality, a way to view structures and solutions from different perspectives. Eventually the English will improve throughout life. Should we also require adults who do not know English to repeat the schooling process? Eventually everybody learns, and there are many successful people with college degrees.
The State of Massachusetts has to be more understanding, and lay off.
p.s. I lost my French
ReplyDeleteI know someone whose English scores were low, but was pulled out of class after taking some kind of National Exam. The guidance councilor revealed info that was not allowed to be given out. Their other scores to reason with the English language, and scores based on mathematics and mechanics fell off the chart (over 100%). They were told they should work for NASA.
ReplyDeleteNow only if there were better programs in place to recognize intelligence.
I know another person whose general scores were all around low. A pep talk with the guidance councilor convinced them to take an IQ test, and they tested to be a genius.
ReplyDeleteThey comprehended their studies fully, but simply did not test well.
I don't think they found a solution, but after the test they gained the confidence to test better. But i'm sure the opposite would happen if someone's IQ tests came back low- the risky part? I've never been tested, and don't want to know.
I don't know the answer. I agree test scores don't reflect an accurate picture of intelligence. I have scored high in all the different sub-components of these national tests and I've also scored lower in the same areas on different tests. They are all supposed to be standardized, I don't understand. Our educational system is too test driven.
ReplyDeleteyeah- I know you don't have all the answers. great post
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