Saratoga News
News
High school students will get help with English proficiency next year
By Michele Tjin
High school students at Saratoga and Los Gatos who are not proficient in the English language are stuck. They don't have any courses available to help them improve. Administrators say their language problems can get in the way of understanding class material.
But change is on the way. The district is creating an English language development class next year at Saratoga as a way to ensure that students become proficient as quickly as possible.
"I feel good about this," said Kevin Mount, the district's coordinator of educational services.
At the March 6 board meeting for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, Mount presented to trustees an overview of some of the changes he is recommending. He is proposing a new class for English learners and a new coordinator position. The English language learner coordinator will administer tests that measure proficiency and monitor students. The district currently falls short of state and federal requirements as they relate to English learners, and Mount said adding the course and the coordinator position would be a step in the right direction.
"It's not free. It's a cost to the district, but this is the right thing to do," Mount said.
The class will operate out of Saratoga since the majority of the English learners attend that school and Redwood Middle School. Any student who qualifies for this instruction, including those from Los Gatos High School, will have the option of being enrolled in this class. Qualification is based on students' performance on the California English Language Development Test and a low proficiency score. Mount said he expects about 20 students enrolled next year.
The district has already informed families with English language learner students in the district and the feeder schools about the creation of the new class. Mount said that while historically, there has been some stigma associated with enrolling in these kinds of courses, he said he hopes to change the perception.
"We have to be committed to this program, and we have got to be ready that this population in this area might grow," he said.
