By Journal Times staff | Posted: Monday, February 16, 2009 12:00 am
RACINE - The State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has announced that students from Racine Unified's Limited English Proficient, also known as English Language Learner, programs have met the Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives for the 2007-08 school year.
The federal Elementary and Secondary Act, No Child Left Behind, requires districts to meet Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives under three target areas in Limited English Proficient and English Language Learner. Target one is to have students progressing in English language acquisition. Target two is to have students exiting or reaching English language proficiency and the third target is to reach English Language Learner-Adequate Yearly Progress or annual Adequate Yearly Progress targets under Title I for the English Language Learner subgroup in the reading and mathematics grade-level academic achievement assessments.
The following are results based on the ACCESS test that was completed from December through February of the 2007-08 school year:
AMAO 1: Seventy-three percent of Racine Unified English Language Learner students are making level progress. The NCLB target is 50 percent.
AMAO 2: Twenty-nine percent of Racine Unified English Language Learner students met the exit rate. The NCLB target is 20 percent.
AMAO 3: Racine Unified English Language Learner students made adequate yearly progress.
The student's progress is a reflection of the instruction by our bilingual and ESL teachers, said Dr. Jose Martinez, interim director of English Language Learner programs. I want to commend these teachers for the dedicated and passionate work they do day in and day out for our students, he continued. Racine Unified School District currently has English Language Learner programs at Janes Year-Round, Dr. Jones, Julian Thomas, Fratt, Mitchell and Wadewitz Elementary schools as well as Gilmore and Mitchell Middle schools. Case, Horlick and Park High schools also host the program.
The ACCESS test is a large-scale test that first and foremost addresses the English language development standards that form the core of Wisconsin's approach to instructing and testing English Language Learner students. This incorporates model performance indicators which details what educators expect of English Language Learner students at five different grade levels and in five different content areas.