Florida Board of Education Approves English Learner Rules

From http://www2.tbo.com/news/education-news/2011/sep/20/1/board-of-education-to-discuss-english-learners-pre-ar-259118

Board of Education approves English learner, pre-K rules
September 20, 2011

The Florida Board of Education approved rules Tuesday granting parents of students classified as English language learners the authority to opt out of services, a decision opponents said would put students at risk of being denied language instruction they are federally entitled to.

The meeting at Valencia College in Orlando brought several changes to how students who speak English as a second language are classified and assessed. The changes give parents more authority in deciding whether students should be in English language services and require a committee to annually evaluate a student's needs after three years in the program.

Parents will have the authority to immediately withdraw their child from an English learner program, even if they are determined not to be proficient in the language. Students would then be placed in regular classes with a teacher who is qualified, or working toward qualification, to teach English learners.

There were 243,078 students classified as English language learners in Florida last year.

Several organizations, including Florida's statewide teacher union and several immigrant and Latino advocacy groups, voiced their opposition, citing a 1990 consent decree which states all English language learners are entitled to English language instruction. Under federal law, all English learners are entitled to an equal quality education and language instruction services.

Read the full article at http://www2.tbo.com/news/education-news/2011/sep/20/1/board-of-education-to-discuss-english-learners-pre-ar-259118