NJTESOL/NJBE, Inc.
NJ Teachers of
English to Speakers of Other Languages/NJ Bilingual Educators
Public Testimony to the Members of the
As president of the NJTESOL-NJBE, I am here to speak on behalf of the 61,828 English Language Learners (ELLs) and 471 districts that provide services to these students in the state. There are three issues that are of concern to those of us who work in the field: 1) the assessment and accountability system of the NCLB Act; 2) the redesign of the high school experience with the elimination of the SRA process; 3) the use of Title III and district funds to pay for the state-mandated ACCESS for ELLs English language proficiency test.
Our most pressing concern is the current assessment and accountability system for ELLs. Research has demonstrated that it is invalid and unreliable to test students who are in the process of learning English with the same assessments designed for English speakers. Our students, who need the most direct instructional time, are subjected to double testing since they must take the state mandated tests (with the exception of first year students who are exempt from the Language portion of the NJASK, etc.) in addition to the ACCESS for ELLs (an English language proficiency test mandated by Title III). Our students and teachers are involved in testing from March through May. Our students are taking tests which are not appropriate for them and losing valuable instructional time.
At the same time, the accountability system is very unfair
to the diverse districts in
Our second major concern is the elimination of the SRA process. Last year, 2,603 ELLs took the HSPA in 11th grade. Two thousand thirty students (78%) did not pass the Language Arts Literacy section while 1,744 (67%) students scored partial proficient on the Mathematics sections. Without an alternate pathway to demonstrate their knowledge, we are relegating these students to second class citizenship. We all know how crucial a high school diploma is in the world of employment. We strongly urge the Department of education to consider the special needs of our students when redesigning the high school experience. We respectfully request that an expert in the field of bilingual/ESL education be a part of the decision-making process to ensure that we do not automatically deny a high school diploma to over two thousand students based on a single criterion.
Our last concern is the fact that districts are expected to use local and/or Title III funds to pay for the ACCESS for ELLs assessment. We find this practice to be unfair. The state finances the NJASK, GEPA and HSPA assessments. Since ACCESS for ELLs is a secure, state mandated test administered to fulfill requirements of the NCLB Act, we feel that the same procedures, process and regulations should apply. Local and Title III funds should be used to deliver instruction, provide for extended day and extended year programs, and offer needed services to families and parents. Using these funds to pay for tests depletes the money necessary to afford direct services to our students.
I thank you for your time and consideration of these issues.
On another note, I want to extend an invitation to all Members of the State Board of Education to our Legislative Conference at our Spring Convention in May. Your official invitation is forthcoming. Again, I thank you for this opportunity to share our concerns.
Respectfully, submitted,
Elizabeth J. Franks
President