Attorneys representing three San Diego County school districts say they have the evidence to prove California is violating the federal No Child Left Behind Act. At issues is how non-native English speakers are tested. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
San Diego attorney Mary Hernandez represents Chula Vista, San Ysidro and Sweetwater Union High school districts in a lawsuit against California. She says the state is violating the federal law by choosing to test non-native English speakers in English. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states are supposed to offer valid and reliable ways to measure a student’s performance. Hernandez says state tests don’t accurately measure how much an English learner knows.
Hernandez: When Albert Einstein first came to America, he may not have been able to express his knowledge of physics, if you gave him a test in English. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t know physics.
The districts want Spanish-speaking students to take tests in Spanish. State education officials are expected to respond to the lawsuit later this week. Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
