WASHINGTON – On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Language Acquisition held a day-long forum in which panelists wrestled with a complicated question: How can English language learners (ELLs) overcome barriers to communication in critical science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields?
Patricia Simmons, president of the National Science Teachers Association, noted that the average high school biology course requires students understand 20,000 terms—far more than a typical high school language course.
During the forum, High Quality STEM Education for English Learners: Challenges and Effective Practices, panelists agreed that high-level science courses, already a challenge for native English speakers, can prove daunting for ELLs, who are the fastest-growing student population segment in the United States.
ELLs now comprise 1 in 10 students in five states: Texas, Illinois, California, New York and Florida, said Dr. Rosalinda Barrera, who is the Office of Language Acquisition’s Assistant Deputy Secretary.
“Lack of educational success in the early grades creates a formidable challenge, some of which can’t be overcome,” said Barrera.
For example, during the 2009-2010 school year, less than one percent of English language learners took an AP science course.
ELLs are also slightly more likely to be stuck with inexperienced teachers—schools with at least 50 percent ELLs have a slightly larger percentage (13 percent) of first-year teachers.
