Korean students 2nd in Calif. English proficiency
By Jin Hyun-joo
THE KOREA HERALD
February 12, 2005, Saturday
Korean students finished second behind Chinese counterparts in
an English proficiency test among 1.3 million foreign students in
California State, a report by U.S. education authorities said.
In the 2004 test known as CELDT, or California English Development
Test, Korean students had 63 percent in the top and second top brackets
among five levels of English proficiency. Chinese students had 64
percent. Armenian students ranked third and Russian and Vietnamese
fourth and fifth. The CELDT assesses listening and speaking skills
for kindergarten and first grade, and listening, speaking, reading and
writing skills for grades two through 12. The state requires English
learners to take an English proficiency test annually until they are
reclassified to being fluent English proficient.
California has the greatest number of students whose primary language
is not English, according to a report by the education department.
The average score of English learners has increased by 22 percent in
four years – from 25 percent in 2001 to 47 percent in 2004.
“These results are a clear indication that statewide efforts to
help all students learn English as quickly as possible are working,”
said Jack O’Connell, the state’s superintendent of public instruction.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress