Exam measures readiness for college

[nativesmith]

This is a good step. Now, to get the non-college bound kids ready for their next step.

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Let me give you an example of a California school that is located in an agricultural area. There are hundreds of agricultural areas in California but I can only give you the facts first hand on the agricultural town where I live.

The middle school which is grades 6-8 has 830 students: (2) American Indian/Alaskan Native, (3) Asian, (2) Black, (91) White, (732) Hispanic. Breaking that down to percentages it's 88% Hispanic and 11% White. The languages spoken in their homes are: English 343 (41%), Spanish 482 (58%).

The language proficiency is: English only 340 (41%), English learners, basically can't speak English and have extra teachers, 199 (24%), Initially Fluent English Proficient, can speak English enough to get by, 97 (12%), Reclassified Fluent English Proficient, students who've had extra teachers to teach them English, 193 (23%).

What this means is that 47% of the middle school students required special education teachers, which are very costly. Something else that should be pointed out is that this is not an elementary school where kids have first entered and had little contact with English speakers, these are students who are 11-14 yrs. Yet 24% can not speak English.

Basically the same percentages are seen throughout the district.

Yes, your tax dollars are paying for this and it's costing millions just in this one school district. All the while you're being told that if you don't agree with the "demands" of the openborders crowd and the growers, your lettuce will be $5 a head and that growers can't get enough labor.

Not too long ago, migrants came and stayed the season and went back to their home country; basically it was men, not the women who pop out an anchor baby every year and expect the taxpayer to educate, feed, provide medical, childcare and educate, plus what every else they demand.

This town is broke because millions of City's money was spent building migrant housing and low income housing to cater to the state and invaders demands. They've saturated the town and now the town is crumbling.

But the schools get their money from the State, that same State that now demands illegal aliens get financial aid!!!! Yes, those same students who can't speak English and have cost $140,000 to get them through school are now demanding the taxpayer pay another $40,000 to $100,000 because they're "so valuable" and their parents won't pick the lettuce if you don't.

[Twoller]

Here's how we could blow the whole mess out of the water: Start insisting on testing for literacy in Spanish. If they are teaching them Spanish, or teaching them in Spanish, they should at least be increasing their literacy in Spanish. If they aren't than they are out of arguments, the whole idea can be nothing but completely derelict.