Must Be Competent in English to Graduate in Colorado
The hearings were emotional as both sides seemed to have good points but when it came down to a decision the bill passed. It seems that there are a huge amount of high school students in the state who do not know the English language by the time they graduate. They somehow squeak by and are not often given the education they need, yet they end up with a diploma and can go on to get jobs or apply for college.
The Bill requires individual school districts to come up with a plan and require testing to prove English comprehension before passing out diplomas to high school students. They will have the next 5 years to figure out what to do and implement it so that every young adult knows at least enough of our country's spoken language, to do more than get by.
A Senate Representative, Shawn Mitchel from Broomfield stated today at the hearing, "It's education fraud not to have English competency"
Proponents argued that the new requirement would mean that hundreds of Colorado students will fail and not be allowed to graduate from high school.
As soon as final approval is given by the Senate the new bill will head to the white house, something that could occur as early as the end of this week.
While non-english speaking students should be allowed the same opportunities as those who are fluent in our language, it is clear that the majority of the public is seeking a change in adults who are functioning members of society.
It is frustrating to go somewhere and order food when the person on the receiving end does not seem to comprehend or speak a bit of English, this is America after all. Of course this and other examples will still occur even once high school graduates are required to be competent in the English language, but the thought is that educators will give the students more options as adults living in our state.
Maybe this push for high school graduates will help those who may not have intended to ever fully learn English. If they are truly bilingual as adults entering the workforce, their opportunities will be much higher and as a result they will be more successful in their careers.
Sources:
Jennifer Brown. "Senate: Grads Need English" Denver Post.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5479966
Published by Katherine M.
mama, wife, student View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentGood article.
Sophie
Another great article!