Prolonged virtual learning effects on high school English Language Learners

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE73o7cgkuA

Many people might think that learning how to speak English is something that only affects students in elementary school, but many high school students throughout the State of California and country start learning to speak English in high school.

In the State of California 18.63 percent of students in school are classified as English Language Learners. Of that 18.63 percent, the vast majority of students classified as English Language Learners are in the early grades of elementary due to the fact that many students get tested and move to proficient in English every year. Even with testing and curriculum for English Language Learner students to become proficient in English throughout school, 11.3 percent of students who are English Language Learners are still classified as English Language Learners by the time they get to twelfth grade.

Many high school students get trapped being classified as an English Language Learner mostly due to two factors. The first one being that the test is given at the English level the person should be speaking for their grade and age, so if the student is not already at the proficient level early on the test only gets harder throughout their years of school. Another issue high school English Language Learner students face is the lack of curriculum for English Language Learning. In elementary schools many English Language Learners just have to balance their English Language Learning curriculum with their basic language arts curriculum. While high school students have to balance learning English with their already challenging English class curriculum like reading Shakespear.

With prolonged online schooling in the State of California, learning English as a second language for high school students has only become harder. For every student, prolonged online schooling has hurt them but the effects of falling behind have been harder on English Language Learners. With California’s very vague guidelines for teaching English as a second language classes online many have struggled to incorporate the curriculum online. This failure to incorporate the English as a second language curriculum online has affected high school English Language Learner students because the resources that have been released by the state to help English Language Learners online are heavily focused on helping those in elementary school.

Johanna Brokhoff, an English teacher at Sabetha High School said, “The way I try to make my students, not fall behind in school is to teach my English class the same as I would in person and to be very available to those students that might need extra help or more explanation.”

With the little guidance on teaching English as a second language curriculum from the state, much of the responsibility to make sure students do not fall behind has fallen to the teachers. Fully understanding the effects on prolonged online schooling on high school English Language Learner students will not fully be understood or seen until data is published after testing happens.