Unlike some of the other approaches for teaching English as a second language, English immersion has no set qualifications for enrollment in the program("Frequently"2002). Public school districts up and down the state of California open enrollment in immersion programs to any child in need of the assistance, However, once an immersion program is established and thriving in a community, there may be more of a demand then there is room in the immersion program. As a result, the school districts may have to develop systems or policies of sifting out the students ("Frequently"2002). Lottery systems, or placement tests maybe used, as well as, giving preference to the siblings of currently enrolled students. In addition, after first grade, many programs will not accept children who do not have the language proficiency to allow them to stay at the same fluency as the rest of the class ("Frequently" 2002). This is only to ensure the success of the rest of the students. However, keep in mind that these procedures or policies vary from district to district ("Frequently" 2002).
Teachers of the Program
As the demand for English immersion programs throughout California continues to grow, so does the need for immersion teachers(Education 2002). Teachers in the English immersion program must have different characteristics and qualities than single language teachers (Education 2002). Teachers in the English language programs must have a teaching license for the lever that they are teaching. In addition, they must also have native, or near-native fluency in the Spanish language (Education 2002). These teachers must also have the patience to deal with the children, especially because the immersion environment can become very stressful (Education 2002). However, the selection of the students, each district has a different set of guidelines and standards for hiring the immersion educators.
A Fallacy of the Immersion Program
Although the majority of the parents who have children in the immersion program are strong supporters, some feel that learning the English language will impair their child's ability to speak, read and write in Spanish ("Frequently" 2002). However, in the past thirty years, research has consistently shown that children who are involved in the English immersion programs are not handicapped in any way when it comes to performing adequately in their native language ("Frequently" 2002). In fact, due to the fact that the students in immersion classes have such an enriched language experience, they usually perform above average on the required standardized tests ("Frequently" 2002). Therefore, learning the second language, English, does not impair one's ability to comprehend the Spanish language.
Success of English Immersion Programs
One of the most important factors of the program's success is, contrary to other methods of teaching English as a second language, the immersion programs were originally designed for students with no history of the language ("Frequently" 2002). Therefore, the student does not need to have any background in the language of instruction. Although it is common for bilingual families to enroll their children in the immersion program to help develop what was already started in the home, the majority of children in these immersion programs come in at the kindergarten level with little or no experience so the English language ("Frequently" 2002).
Kenneth Noonan, superintendent of the Oceanside Unified School district in California has been working with English immersion students for several years. The first year after implementing the English immersion program in his district, all students, grades 2 through 11 had to take the state-mandated SAT-9 exam (Noonan 2002) . An important issue of this exam was that they were all given the exam in English (Noonan 2002).
"Their test scores were dramatically different from those of the prior year, when second-grade English learners in bilingual classes scored at the 13th percentile. But after a year in the immersion program, a similar group of second-grade English learners scored at the 23rd percentile (Noonan 2002). The following year, after experiencing English immersion in both first and second grades, the second graders' reading scores jumped to the 32nd percentile (Noonan 2002). In math, their scores went from the 27th percentile to the 44th percentile. Best of all, in the 2000-2001 school year we were able to declare nearly 1,000 former English learners to be "Fluent English Proficient." (Noonan 2002)
While the success of the program continues to prosper, alterations are being made to the program each year, allowing for a higher effectiveness of the English immersion program
Mientra que no hay ni una solucion a las problemas lenguajes de California, las clases de "English immersion" son un elemento vital al principio de la tema. (While there is no one definite solution to Californis's language problem, English immersion classes are a vital element to the commencement of the issue.) Through different teaching methods and refined techniques, English immersion programs are sure to help the Spanish speaking students in California have a smooth transition to an English-speaking way of life.