In a move that could prompt major changes in the way states measure the achievement of English-language learners, the U.S. Department of Education is planning to tell states they must each use a consistent yardstick in determining when a child is fluent in English and when that child no longer needs special ELL services. A proposed…

Despite academic progress, standardized tests have been a handicap in school's quest to meet the yardstick for adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The law requires that students be tested annually in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once during high school. Schools must show sufficient gains in performance…

This article discusses the efforts made by urban schools in upgrading their translation services. The New York City school system is setting up, for the first time, a centralized office to routinely translate school information into eight different languages. Factors fueling the attention include a rising number of students with limited English…