The results of a letter exchange project involving bilingual and English-as-a-Second Language students in grades one through nine are reported. Classroom activities that can be generated from letter writing are described. These activities relate to language arts, social studies, math, science, art, music, cooking, and dramatics. (LB)

Many immigrant children encounter many difficulties and challenges in the public school. As a result, countless bilingual and limited-English-proficient students are lagging behind their peers. Minority students are labeled and treated differently from their classmates. Although equally capable, they are receiving a second-class education. The…

This book introduces the issues involved in the education of bilingual students and the role that classroom assessment plays in their school experiences. After summarizing what research tells educators, the book provides case studies of a group of highly skilled teachers assessing bilingual children. These stories capture the intricacies of…

Standardized achievement and aptitude tests may be of very limited value in making placement or instructional decisions about bilingual students. The practice of categorizing standardized test scores by ethnic groups obscures the difficulties of administering and interpreting tests taken by bilinguals. Individuals who are bilingual have two…

A guide to designing programs in English language arts for limited English proficient (LEP) students is intended for school districts to use in developing their own program manuals based on locally relevant needs. An introductory section gives background for LEP program development, and subsequent sections outline (1) identification procedures for…

Ways in which an evaluation of bilingual programs could be appropriately conducted were studied, using two transitional bilingual education programs. In Program A, the first language (Spanish) is the initial medium for all instruction with a gradual phasing in of English. Program A is located in a large suburban school system in central…

To further investigate the relationship between divergent thinking and bilingualism, 23 Anglos and 108 Mexican Americans from a semi-rural West Texas community and 24 Mexican Americans from San Antonio, enrolled in the fourth grade, of low socioeconomic status, and with an average age of 10 years 6 months, were divided into 5 experimental groups,…

This report presents information on limited English proficient (LEP) students, staff, and programs in Delaware schools during the 1999-2000 school year. It focuses on data collected from a spring 2000 survey distributed to the district LEP contact person in each of Delaware's school districts and charter schools. Results indicated an increase of…

A study of the language proficiency assessment practices of 859 school psychologists, when working with bilingual or limited English proficient students, found that 62 percent of school psychologists conducted their own assessments and most often used the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised or the Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes Peabody.…

Discusses use of computer-generated images in primary schools for teaching English and other subjects to bilingual pupils, including a description of the Partnership Education Project that was set up to train and encourage teachers to use this educational aid more effectively. Experiences from five schools are discussed which reveal increased…

Demonstrates how science instruction can only be effective when teachers are aware of differences in children's language and their culture. The author argues that it is important to recognize when linguistic or cultural understandings lead children to wrong answers that to them seem totally logical. (GR)

Describes linguistically and culturally diverse children who speak languages other than English, and the special challenges they present early-care and education specialists. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) suggests educators can best help such children by acknowledging and responding to the importance of the…

Contains questions raised about the National Association for the Education of Young Children's position paper on linguistic and cultural diversity, and answers prepared by the association's staff liaison to the Multicultural/Bilingual Panel. (ET)

This study found that 17 preschool children with limited communication skills [specific language impairment, speech impairment, and English as a Second Language (ESL)] were more likely than normal peers to initiate with adults, shorten their responses, and use nonverbal responses. ESL children were least likely to initiate interactions.…

This article presents the case study of a child who was classified as communication disabled but seemed to have suffered from language loss or arrested development of the primary language (Spanish) before attaining full competence in English. The child experienced a temporary delay of development in both languages but eventually mastered English.…