There are also large differences that can be seen regarding the standards of vocational training as part of the public school system. The British Columbia site provides seven different sets of vocational standards. There is only one set on the California site and there are none on the New Jersey site. Both B.C. and CA have extensive sub-categories spanning every conceivable area of vocational training available. B.C. goes so far as to provide public forums about the relevance of this subset of standards.

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My district’s standards are basically non- existent. In fact I’m not sure if we really have any. I know for a fact that most everything is based on the California state standards simply because everything we do is about the standardized state tests. My department is foreign language so we direct our attention more to the California framework for Spanish which in itself is very much aligned with the national foreign language standards. My instructional patterns are pretty closely aligned with the national standards although that wasn’t my plan at first, over the years it has been apparent that I am aligning myself more and more with all the standards. For example my class goal is based on speaking Spanish and I mean conversational Spanish at a basic level through comprehensible input and authentic situations. This consists of reading of stories, listening to stories and authentic situations that would happen in a real world setting and then practicing those situations through question asking in the target language and role playing. The students are always covering standards 1 and 2 which are communication and Culture. They learn to write better and speak better from reading this is also in Standard 1. They learn songs which they never forget which covers standard 6 which is being life long learners. All in all I don’t think by any means that I am done planning and designing, on the contrary I am always looking for ways to improve and get better and of course align myself more with the standards.

New York

“I am very aware and follow the standards of my school.  We have a mission statement which clearly states the objectives, accountability, and expectations to meet the needs of the students, parents, and all interested parties involved with our district. I adjust my curriculum to meet any changes in the standards from my district, which change from time to time based on New York State Education Department.  New York State follows a standards-based curriculum; in fact, NYS standards surpass many of the other standard based curriculums throughout the country.  I can easily change my instructional practices to meet the needs of the students to pass the state assessment.”

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Reporting tools can include student input as well as provincial standard assessments, teacher observation, and parent input, to give the most accurate evaluation of student achievement. The report card then becomes the recording of a collective agreement to the individual strengths and achievements of the students and of each child’s success at achieving the provincial standards or overall educational goals.

As we involve the students more and more in the educational process it is a positive thing that allows each student to be held more accountable for their own education.  In most cases, a student who is involved in some of the decision making they are more likely to be productive and excited about learning.

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All children born in the United States are indeed English language learners.  Along with those naturally born in the US, children who immigrate to the United States will become English language learners.  So it is safe to say that all children in the United States are indeed English language learners.  Their individual acquisition/grasp of said language is based upon exposure either in the home, or from some other exposure and must be supplemented and supported thereafter until fluency and proficiency is achieved.

Although a recent article published by the NEA titled, “Meet Giovanni” the NEA focused its attention on Spanish speaking immigrants, it goes beyond the Latino community.  There is another seemingly overlooked segment of American society: The Urban Black population.

About twenty years ago there was much discussion regarding the identifiable second language in some parts of the United States called Ebonics. Ebonics if you recall is a language that is indigenous to the African American community.  It is the language as pointed out in the link that is spoken over and to children of African Americans.  It is indeed a recognized language and therefore, for the child that is raised with this language spoken around them exclusively during the period of initial language acquisition, then it is a reality to say that the Standard English language is a second language for these children.  Much like a Latino child coming from homes where the predominate language spoken during the time when they first acquire spoken language is that of Spanish, so it is that a child whose parents speak Ebonics is also going to be learning a new language upon entering elementary school.  Could this possibly explain why since 1972 reading scores amongst the black population have only grown from a reading score of 222 to 245, while white children’s NAEP scores went from 251 to 272? (Information gathered from NEA, article “Is NCLB Working?”) This study clearly identifies a racial/ethnic gap in NAEP reading scores amongst the nation’s eighth grade students.

Now we can go even further and really look at this situation.  Research indicates that the majority of a child’s language acquisition comes in the first 5 years of life, (80%) then it is safe to assume that a child coming from a home with limited communication, little parental contact, etc., is also at an English language deficit.  Even the child that is coming from a home with rich language opportunities is indeed an English language learner. 

So now let’s take this to the main point:  The primary responsibility of schools is to teach children how to function in society.  We teach children how to fully function in a society based on language, by teaching them that language.  So, with all of that said, we must fully train all educators first and foremost how to be teachers of the language, in the United States it is the official language, English, American English to be exact.  We are teaching children, children who must be literate.  Children who will be proficient, fluent English speakers, readers, writers before they reach a certain age that age is to be determined by education specialist.  A child who is literate can ultimately make their own meaning.   A literate child is one who can speak the language, read the language and write the language. 

Although we must identify that teaching a person a second language is a little different then acquisition of the first language, it must become the primary objective of all education systems to first and foremost to create a literate society.  So, it is agreed then that children who are coming from homes devoid of the English language are at a great disadvantage.  As more and more children are raised by alternative caregivers outside of the home, and there is an acknowledgement of ethno-linguistic influences, then it indeed supports the contention that all educators be well trained first in literacy and the teaching of English Language Learners, and secondly other areas of content.

I encourage all who read this to become knowledgeable in the way in which teachers are educated, the expectations of State Boards of Education, and begin to get involved with the powers that be, as they are spending excessive amounts of taxpayer money to justify reinventing the wheel, when the primary responsibility of education is to create a literate society rich in a fundamental basic education for all.