Blanca Contreras’ son has been learning English since he was in the first grade — and it’s been a struggle.

As her son prepares for middle school in Fresno, she worries his academic difficulties will soon cause his school to classify him as a Long-term English Learning student.

Research suggests that students designated as long-term English learners are less likely to graduate on time or to seek other higher-learning opportunities.

According to the California Department of Education, the overall graduation rate for Fresno Unified students in 2018-19 was 85.8%. But, for the district’s long-term English-learning students, that rate was 68.1%, according to district officials.

Researchers say it becomes more difficult for students to succeed in school if a student doesn’t transition to fluency before the end of elementary school.

Contreras worries that her son - at least statistically speaking - is running out of time.

“I’ve been this entire year since my son began (sixth grade) at the edge of the cliff, waiting for the teacher to give my son some help because his grades are very low, and he still hasn’t received any help,” Contreras said.

She said she asked for tutoring and other kinds of help from her son’s school without success.

But many Fresno-area parents say Contreras’ story is not unique.

Parent groups who spoke with The Bee said many students are lost in an English-learning program that parents described as ineffective, bureaucratic and inequitable.

According to Sandra Toscano, the assistant superintendent of English Learner Services, Fresno Unified has about 13,000 English Learner students in a district with more than 73,000 students.

Parents like Contreras are now working to push the district for more equitable learning opportunities and a better understanding of Fresno Unified’s programs’ operations.

Biggest risk? ‘They drop out’

Toscano said research shows, on average, it takes EL students anywhere from three to six years to reclassify as fluent speakers.

“After that, if they have not met the criteria, they are classified as long-term EL,” she said in a recent interview with The Bee.

But reclassification rates in Fresno — and the state — are low. During the 2019-2020 school year, just 10% of Fresno’s EL students reclassified to Fluent English Proficient, according to data from the California Department of Education.

Toscano said students can reclassify as fluent English speakers any time before graduating high school.

But research shows that if a student doesn’t reclassify before leaving elementary school, it’s unlikely they will ever reclassify, according to Elizabeth Burr, a senior research associate in education at WestEd.

“I think the biggest risk is that they drop out,” said Burr.

Not reclassifying can also result in a “warehousing” of EL students into special education programs, she said.

“For English learners who still have EL status in the upper grades, teachers refer them often to special education because that’s the only thing left,” Burr said. “You have this warehousing of EL students in special education who are receiving special education services that they don’t really need.”

‘Falling through the cracks’

Burr says it’s essential for teachers to know the difference between an English learner who is struggling to learn the language and an English learner with a disability.

Another problem, according to Fresno Unified Trustee Terry Slatic, is that the district doesn’t have a uniform system to track the progress of English-learners and special education students.

Slatic said schools need to do more to track those student populations.

“This is kiddos falling through the cracks on a grand scale,” Slatic told The Bee. “Yet, everybody is also in agreement, the way to address this is data tracking.”

Slatic said he wants the district to implement a dashboard that would track students’ progress in English-learning and special education programs. He said he plans to raise the issue at the June 10 board meeting.

Tailored programs

The reclassification process in California is “very difficult,” according to Angela Johnson, an academic researcher for NWEA, a research-based not-for-profit organization.

One of the significant challenges, according to parents, is that while Fresno Unified has a district-wide standard for how students can reclassify, they don’t have a standardized approach to teaching English learners. Programs vary from school to school within the district.

The most successful program, according to Toscano, is a Dual-Language Immersion approach, which involves teaching subjects in both English and Spanish.

“Ideally, we would love to have more DLI programs and every year we do increase the amount of schools that have the program, but there is a very intensive assessment that has to be done to determine if a site is able to manage and implement that program,” Toscano said.

Parents can’t choose which schools or programs their EL child can participate in - and Fresno parents say that’s a problem they want to fix.

“For me, I would like for the district to give us the opportunity to take our children to the school that has the resources our child needs,” said Alis Aleman, the leader of Familias Empoderadas.

Burr said an important point when considering English Learner education is that English learners are a diverse group.

“Some have special needs. Some have recently arrived in this country as refugees or immigrants. Some have experienced trauma. There is not just a single educational intervention or support system that can meet all the needs of these groups,” said Burr.

She said researchers suggest programs should be tailored to individual student needs.

‘Our children need a good education’

Parent groups feel their efforts are starting to pick up momentum. On May 12, Familias Empoderadas and almost a dozen other family organizations signed a letter with the ACLU requesting the district “do more” for their students.

Still, parents who spoke with The Bee also said they fear district officials will ignore their demands.

“Our children need a good education where teachers and directors prepared themselves to give your child that education,” Contreras said.

Toscano said school leaders have not ignored parents and said the district is “working on improving communication every day.”

“We also outsource to help us reach the languages that are unique that we don’t have represented in our district that require organizing and planning,” Toscano said. “I encourage parents to approach us.”

Parents said they want to play a role in helping Fresno Unified shape its budget priorities and implement more effective use of resources for English-learning students.

That effort could prove critical in the coming weeks as the coronavirus pandemic continues to punch holes in school budgets. Fresno Unified is bracing for a nearly $80 million shortfall. Parents said English-learning students already struggle to graduate at the same rate as other students, and cuts to those programs would likely make the situation worse.

Aleman says their community group is uniting with other parent groups around California to advocate on this issue.

“It’s time to put on our superhero capes and continue to advocate for our kids,” Aleman said.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published June 6, 2020 at 9:50 AM.