ACTION ALERT

[Peter Farruggio <pfarr@cal.berkeley.edu>]

> ACTION ALERT! ACTION ALERT!
>
>   STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
>   Monday, April 17, 2006, 1:30 pm
>   1430 N Street, Room 1101
>   Sacramento CA 95816
>
>   AGENDA ITEM: ADOPTION OF READING/LANGUAGE ARTS FRAMEWORK & 
> EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR K-8 GRADES INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
>
>   The State Board of Education will take action on Monday, April 
> 17, 2006 on the proposed Reading/Language Arts Framework & 
> Evaluation Criteria, which will guide the teaching and learning of 
> English language Arts to the year 2014. As proposed, the Evaluation 
> Criteria DOES NOT include criteria instructing publishers to 
> develop textbooks that are aligned to the English Language Arts AND 
> the English Language Development standards. As a result, English 
> learners will continue to be given textbooks and instruction in the 
> language arts designed for native English speakers.  Your input is 
> critical in order to impress upon the SBE the need for an 
> evaluation criteria that would result in textbooks for English 
> learners which will support their accelerated learning on speaking 
> and writing in English.  Publishers have 30 months to write to 
> these criteria and to produce textbooks for approval by the SBE in 2008.
>
>   Your attendance and testimony at the SBE meeting on April 17, 
> 2006 is strongly encouraged. Please respond to 
> voicesforchange@hotmail.com by Saturday, April 15, 2006, 12 noons, 
> if you plan to attend and testify at the State Board meeting. Some 
> assistance with transportation needs will be available.
>
>   Email or fax letters to members of the State Board of Education 
> NOW and up to the morning of April 17, 2006!! Please include your 
> name, title, and school (if appropriate) on the letter and forward 
> a copy to voicesforchange@hotmail.com. Below is a sample letter you 
> can work from.
>
>   Glee Johnson, President                                    Alan 
> Bersin, Member
>   Yvonne Chan, Member                                    kheinrich@ose.ca.gov
>   Paul Garner, Member
>   Don Fisher, Member                                        Ruth 
> Bloom, Member
>   Emails not 
> available                                           rbloom@aol.com
>   Fax to SBE 
> Office: 
>
>   916-319-0175
>   Ruth Green, Vice 
> President                               Johnathan Williams, Member
>   ruthgreen@cox.net 
> jwilliams@accelerated.org
>
>   Ken Noonan, Member                                     Joe Nunez, Member
>   knoonan@oside.k12.ca.us                                jnunez@cta.org
>   SAMPLE LETTER
>
>   Date
>
>   Glee Johnson, President & Members
>   State Board of 
> Education 
>
>   1430 N Street, Room 5111
>   Sacramento CA 95814
>
>   Dear President Johnson and Members of the Board:
>
>   On April 17, 2006 you will have a most important decision to 
> make; to provide textbooks that address the teaching and learning 
> needs of all students in our public schools. You will be taking 
> action on the English Language Arts Framework and Evaluation 
> Criteria submitted by the Curriculum Commission. I request your 
> "no" vote on the document as submitted by the Curriculum Commission 
> and instead request your approval to: 1) include in the evaluation 
> criteria an additional program option for districts, schools and 
> classrooms with high numbers of English learners, and 2) strengthen 
> Programs 1 and 2 by utilizing the English language development 
> standards (ELD) in the specified support ELD component.
>
>   I would like to commend the Commission in attempting to address 
> the language arts needs of English learners. For example, the 
> evaluation criteria does provide for additional English language 
> development outside of the basic program of instruction. However, 
> as a (classroom teacher/administrator/principal) I see the need for 
> English language development within the basic program. In so doing, 
> the literacy and language needs of our English learners can be 
> addressed from the start and not as a support/supplemental 
> component to the basic program.  In so doing, the language and 
> literacy needs of English learners are fully addressed and their 
> acquisition of English is accelerated. Additionally and just as 
> important, school districts impacted by high numbers of English 
> learners will be given an additional program that best meets the 
> needs of their English learners.
>
>   This can only happen if the State Board approves including in the 
> criteria a basic comprehensive Reading/Language Arts program for 
> English learners at the lowest proficiency levels in K-grade 8. 
> Program elements would include full alignment of the ELD standards 
> to the ELA grade level content standards as well as providing a 
> bridge program for English learners to move (transition) from this 
> program to program 1 or 2.
>
>   Last but not least, the English language development component in 
> Programs 1 and 2 must be strengthened by utilizing the ELD 
> standards as an "on ramp" to access the ELA standards so that 
> teachers can teach English learners at the various language 
> proficiency levels  necessary to master the ELA standards.
>
>   By inserting these additions to the evaluation criteria can we be 
> assured that publishers will produce textbooks that address the 
> literacy AND language needs of our English learners. I urge your 
> approval and action to make this happen.
>
>   Sincerely
>
>   Name
>   Title (if appropriate)