Students across California who speak another language at home are starting to take tests this month to see how well they are learning English. For many students it will be the first time they’ve been tested in two years.
Due to the pandemic, last year the federal government did not require states to test and report English learners’ language skills. But this year, the federal and state governments are proceeding with the test, even though the pandemic is far from over.
If some students are not tested for the second year in a row, teachers and district officials worry they may not know how much English learner students have progressed over the last two school years. That could affect schools’ ability to give students the classes or other language help they need, and it could affect districts’ ability to evaluate how well different programs teach students English.
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews also says vaccines are key but admits not everything is in the district s control. We re not at [phase] 1-B yet, which is teachers, educational staff being vaccinated, Matthews said. So, the time frame this is what Dr. Fauci has said repeatedly is that we don t set the timeline. The virus sets the timeline.
As for other districts, the Oakland Unified School District says it s waiting for more guidance from the state. San Jose Unified School District says it will start limited learning on campus in late February.
In Marin, there has been limited on-campus learning since September. Officials have recorded only 10 school COVID-19 cases, none of them from students to adults.