Monrovia Schools: Extending Dual Language Program; Lost Money

At its May 10 meeting the Monrovia School Board will ...

~ Hear a report on its dual-language program. The district has implemented a second dual-language program, this one in Mandarin. The staff report on the first program, for Spanish speakers, says: "Beginning in Kindergarten, students learned in 90 percent Spanish 10 percent English, and by 5th grade will be learning 50 percent English and 50 percent Spanish."

Comment: There must be something I'm missing here because it sounds as if non-English speakers have only half learned English after six years in Monrovia schools. If that is the case it is unclear why the district would want to extend this failure to yet another language. 

~ Try to get back some of the money it lost when students stayed home from school because of a threat of violence posted on social media. It will ask the state for a waiver to get it back. 

- Brad Haugaard 

1 comment:

  1. I'm not exactly sure what "students learned in 90 percent Spanish 10 percent English, and by 5th grade will be learning 50 percent English " even means, though I suspect it means 90/10 and 50/50 mean the amount of instruction time, not a measure of the student's proficiency in the language. But that's only a guess.

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