Mason City sees big increase in English-learner students
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Communication is a key piece to a student’s success in American schools, but it can be a challenge when English is not your first language.
Mason City’s English-learner program has seen its student population increase rapidly with children who speak many different first languages. With that growth and each child being a different situation, teachers and paraeducators are met with a variety of challenges.
“I grew in one year from half of a percent of the student population to 7% of the student population at the high school,” EL high school teacher Jeremy True told the Mason City Globe Gazette.
An English learner is a student in the process of acquiring English proficiency who has a first language other than English or in addition to English, according to the Iowa Department of Education. True explained a language survey is sent home to determine if another language is spoken by the child outside of school. A screening test is then done on how well a student speaks English and if they need to be in EL.
“If they don’t score certain benchmarks on that test then they’re put into our program. Then we work with them on English and developing English skills based upon what that test says their deficiency areas are,” said True.
EL status remains with a student until they are able to, according to the Iowa Department of Education:
Listen, speak, read, and write in English.
Be successful in the classroom setting where there is language instruction.
Be able to actively participate in their classroom, school, community, and beyond.
EL students are among the fastest-growing populations in Iowa’s schools, according to the Department of Education. EL students make up about 10% of the student population nationwide and over 6% in Iowa.
True says some students...