Page 38 - The Edge - Fall 2019

“I bene tted more being in those mainstream classes because I
ENGLISH IMMERSION REPEAL PRIORITY was able to talk to native speakers,” Montoya said.
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Isolated
through both House and Senate unanimously and became one And while they’re stuck in that immersion program, they’re
of the rst bills Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law in 2019. at bill surrounded by other non-English speakers – almost always Spanish
reduced the time English Language Learners, known in schools as speakers.
ELL students, have to spend in an English immersion class from four “I felt isolated, no matter how hard I worked it was never good
hours per day to two. enough,” Montoya said. “It created a lot of stress and anxiety.”
But because the voter-approved initiative mandates some kind Which is part of the reason Fillmore introduced his ballot referral.
of “English immersion” program, that’s about all legislators can do – e e ort from Fillmore would allow schools to mix native English
they can’t kill the policy outright without getting voter approval. speakers with students learning English as an additional language in
For opponents of English immersion, it was a huge step against a the classroom, commonly referred to as bilingual education or dual-
policy they say has failed Arizona children for nearly 20 years. immersion.
But it wasn’t enough to water down the policy Fillmore suggested they take a “military or business” approach to
Marisol Garcia, vice president of the Arizona Education this idea.
Association, said new research and data is what can be attributed “ row them in a room for a couple hours and, believe me, after a
to proponents of Proposition 203 coming around to now support week they’ll both be able to speak a little bit of each other’s language,”
repealing it altogether. he said.
She said when the law was rst introduced in Arizona, people Ho man’s spokesman, Richie Taylor, said the Arizona Department
just didn’t understand how linguistics or learning a second language of Education has not yet broached the idea with lawmakers, who are
worked. Putting students in these immersion classes was “hurting already talking about getting this accomplished.
our kids.” Rep. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa, said she has seen data that would
“Part of being an Arizonan and American is learning from each support the repeal being a good idea.
other,” Garcia said. “Studies are showing more and more that if you can teach students
Nearly two decades later, Arizona’s estimated 83,000 ELL students in both languages simultaneously they can do much better in all
are struggling. State data shows students who are struggling the subjects,” Udall said. Udall chairs the House Education Committee
most on the AzMERIT test are “Limited English Pro cient.” ose and also said the English-only law is not more successful than the
non-native English speakers are only passing at a 4% and 9% rate in previous program.
English and math, respectively. Udall said statewide polling she saw during the last session looked
promising that voters would also support the repeal in 2020.
Stuck Taylor also said there seems to be a “public appetite” for repealing
Prop. 203 calls for ELL students to spend one year in immersion the law, as its deleterious e ects have become more apparent to
classes, then, when they can demonstrate a working knowledge of policymakers and the public in recent years.
the language, they’re supposed to transition into traditional classes. Outside of Udall, Democrats in the Senate have already put
Instead, ELL students often languish in ELL classes for years. repealing Proposition 203 on its list of priorities for the next year in a
A report from the State Board of Education found “signi cant 15-page document titled “A Tale of Two Sessions.”
de ciencies” in Arizona’s Structured English Immersion model, and Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snow ake, who voted for Fillmore’s measure
concluded that Arizona’s model segregates students “both physically last session in committee, said she does not plan to introduce any bill
and academically,” doesn’t allow access to rigorous courses, doesn’t next session on this matter.
provide proper training for teachers, and is unrealistic in its goal of “However, if any other legislator brings forward a bill that has a
transitioning students into mainstream classrooms in one year. good proposition, I will be glad to hear it in my committee,” she said
But Montoya was determined. She said she realized quickly that if via a spokesperson.
she didn’t know English well enough, she wouldn’t be able to access Allen said she didn’t know why the bill never received a full vote
the same opportunities as her peers even if she was succeeding in from the Senate.
her other classes. On the nal day of the legislative session, Senate President Karen
“I learned [the language] pretty fast and was fortunate to test out Fann introduced a oor amendment to remove two words and add a
after a year [or so],” she said. comma, thus e ectively killing the bill because it would have had to
Because they’re stuck in extended English classes, those ELL go back to the House for a nal read.
students often fall behind in other required classes and can’t graduate “It’s a tricky inside baseball move, but obviously someone was
on time. against [the bill] and wanted to slow it down to give it an excuse for
e most recent data from the Department of Education shows it not to go through,” said Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Glendale. “ e
the 2017 graduation rate of Limited English Pro cient students is excuse was that there wasn’t enough time.”
roughly 40%. Sen. Kate Brophy-McGee, R-Phoenix, who also sits on the Senate
Montoya, who is from Mexico, said she fell behind in her other Education Committee, said she’s hopeful this referral will get done
classes because of the time commitment she had to learn English in next session.
a class with just three other students from di erent countries. “Everybody, even my most conservative colleagues are for the
She said it was very di cult because it was a requirement to be in repeal and that has been the case both times legislation has been
a four-hour bloc where she would then have to go to her other classes o ered,” she said. “ ere are still some hurdles to overcome, but I
that only were in English and she didn’t speak the language yet. So am absolutely certain we will get there next session.”
she fell behind. Email: drosenblatt@azcapitoltimes.com

38 THE EDGE | FALL 2019