Andrade offers amendment to exclude English language learners from mandatory retention requirements
On Monday (Feb. 26), Rep. Mike Andrade (D-Munster) offered an amendment to Senate Bill 1, which addresses literacy, to exclude English language learners from the bill's mandatory retention provisions. Andrade's amendment was defeated 34-60.
Andrade offered the following statement in response:
“Reading proficiency is crucial to the success of an individual and is the bedrock of our society. We can hold this to be true while acknowledging that English language learners face unique challenges in the classroom. Holding back students who struggle to learn English will cause irreparable harm to their future success, as forcing children to repeat a grade level for a deficiency in a language they were not raised speaking will not facilitate their proficiency in the language. Federal law states that the retention of English language learners cannot solely be based on the level of their proficiency in the language, and the Indiana Department of Education's guidelines state that retention policies should not be based on one specific piece of data.
“As someone who was raised in a Hispanic household and who only spoke English in a school setting, I can attest to the degree of difficulty that learning a new language can carry. As a child, my family did not have readily available access to English-language music, television shows or even books to help me learn this new language. Children who are held back for not being proficient enough will suffer severe bullying and anxiety, fueling our mental health crisis in our state and country. The difficulty of learning a new language at a young age affects all children, regardless of what country they came from.
“The amendment I introduced yesterday would ensure that opportunities remain plentiful for our English language learners – not diminished. This amendment was ultimately defeated with bipartisan support, and I will continue to fight to represent our English language learners.”