Non-English-speaking students need equal chance

When I heard about Senate Bill 678 introduced by Sen. Annette Taddeo from South Florida, I immediately got excited for my past students who struggled with the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) solely because of language barriers.

In the seven years I spent working in the Florida public school system, specifically with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students, it blew my mind to learn there weren’t any language acquisition classes or programs offered to students who did not speak English. What’s more, the Florida Department of Education expects students to pass the FSA after only one year of attending school in the state.

I question the knowledge, or rather lack of knowledge, of Florida leaders who are making these legislative decisions. Do they not know it takes six to eight years for students to acquire grade-level language proficiency? Or do they just not care about the facts behind language acquisition?

SB 678 would not change the fact that native students would still learn English in school and take their courses in English. Rather, this bill, would provide equality to students who are not native English speakers by requiring tests be offered in their native language and treated equally. Basing high school graduation on English language competency is discriminatory.

Research shows that students who arrive to the United States between ages 12 and 15 years old have the toughest time acquiring academic and grade-level language skills. The Florida education system is set up for our immigrant students to fail.

Even students coming from Puerto Rico, where the public school system is entirely in Spanish, are being left behind. These are U.S. citizens. The current FSA system does not properly measure the skills of students who are learning English, and our legislative leaders are doing more harm than good to a large part of Florida’s high school student population.

Sofia Vergara’s famous quote says, “Do you know how smart I am in Spanish?” and it is 100% true. Put yourself in the shoes of a 12th grade student coming from Villa Realidad, Río Grande, Puerto Rico. At 17 years old, your family decides to “brincar el charco pa‘lla fuera” or “jump the puddle to the outside” which means move to the United States.

This student might be on the honor roll at their high school in Puerto Rico, achieving straight A’s even in their English classes. That all changes when they move to Florida and are forced to pass high school exit assessments in English; assessments they would have passed if taken in their native language.

If students don’t pass the FSA, they receive a “thanks for your participation” diploma that holds no weight to colleges and universities. Self-esteem is diminished, opportunities are lost and careers and aspirations are oftentimes delayed because Florida has not figured out that students are completely competent in their native language.

SB 678 would provide an opportunity for these students that would change their lives and professional paths. Students will stop feeling as if they are worthless just because they don’t speak English perfectly.

The best moment in a teacher’s life is seeing the face of their student light up when they understand a concept; the “Aha moment!” As I spoke to some students and teachers about this bill, I saw that “Aha moment” for them, as well as a huge sense of relief for hundreds of thousands of students currently being left behind.

I strongly call on our state representatives, senators, and governor to do the right thing and stop leaving our students, the future of this great state, behind. I call on teachers to push their school board members to support this bill. And I call on every parent that has an ESOL student to rise up and demand Florida stop discriminating against their children who have been educated in another language.