Gavin Newsom : California Exempts Transitional Kindergarten Students from English Test

See How to lose belly fat in a week?

Transitional kindergarten students in the state of California who speak a different language at home will no longer be required to take an English proficiency assessment. This change comes after Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation exempting 4-year-olds from the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).

Under state and federal law, school districts are mandated to administer the ELPAC to students whose primary language is not English within 30 days of enrollment. The assessments vary for different grade levels, from kindergarten through 12th grade. However, as transitional kindergarten (TK) is considered the first year of a two-year kindergarten program in California, TK students were previously being tested using an exam designed for kindergartners, which requires knowledge of reading and writing letters.

Check out this Rice Hack for Losing Weight

The Argument for Change

The state is in the process of expanding transitional kindergarten to include all 4-year-olds by 2025, leading to a greater number of young students taking assessments intended for older children.

Related Post : Try not to Marvel When You see Barron Trump's Girlfriend.

---

Carolyne Crolotte, the director of dual language learner programs at Early Edge California, a co-sponsor of the legislation, raised concerns about the developmental appropriateness of the test for young children. She noted that 4-year-olds are typically not yet proficient in reading and writing, leading to lower scores on the assessments and more frequent identification as English learners.

A study by the Public Policy Institute of California found that nearly 40% of students in TK were identified as English learners, compared to under 30% for kindergartners who did not attend TK.

Parental Concerns

Elizabeth Rossi, a TK teacher in Glendale, shared that parents have expressed unease about their children being intimidated by the test. She highlighted the focus of TK on social-emotional skills and development, as opposed to the more academic-centered approach of kindergarten.

Rossi emphasized that her goal for her TK classroom is for children to know the sounds of 13 out of 26 letters by the end of the year, highlighting the early stages of literacy development in TK.

Future of English Assessments

Martha Hernandez, the executive director of Californians Together, emphasized the need for a developmentally appropriate way to identify English learner students following the exemption of young students from EPLAC. While celebrating the change, she stressed the importance of providing necessary support to students who may still require English learning assistance.

The California State Board of Education is set to discuss the issue further at an upcoming meeting on July 10, following the immediate implementation of the legislation. School districts can utilize the home language survey to identify students in need of English learning support in the meantime.

Despite potential impacts on grading, TK teacher Rossi remains committed to providing additional support to students in need, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience in the classroom.