Memorandum of 1970
According to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 it is a violation to keep children from attending school because they can’t understand English. Also, the Office for Civil Rights in 1970 stated that is the responsibility of the school district to provide an equal education opportunity to English Language Learners. The memo states:
Where the inability to speak and understand the English language excludes national origin minority group children from effective participation in the educational program offered by a school district, the district must take affirmative steps to rectify the language deficiency in order to open its instructional program to these students.
Following the court case Lau v. Nichols in 1974, Congress passed the Equal Education Opportunity Act. The act defined what it meant to deny students equal education by stating, "by the failure by an educational agency to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by students in an instructional program." Even though it is the responsibility of the public and charter schools to provide ELL programs to the students, the services that are to be provided are not specified by federal or state law. These guidelines have been set for the programs.
Where the inability to speak and understand the English language excludes national origin minority group children from effective participation in the educational program offered by a school district, the district must take affirmative steps to rectify the language deficiency in order to open its instructional program to these students.
Following the court case Lau v. Nichols in 1974, Congress passed the Equal Education Opportunity Act. The act defined what it meant to deny students equal education by stating, "by the failure by an educational agency to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by students in an instructional program." Even though it is the responsibility of the public and charter schools to provide ELL programs to the students, the services that are to be provided are not specified by federal or state law. These guidelines have been set for the programs.
- Identify students as potential ELLs;
- Assess student's need for ELL services
- Develop a program which, in the view of experts in the field, has a reasonable chance for success;
- Ensure that necessary staff, curricular materials, and facilities are in place and used properly;
- Develop appropriate evaluation standards, including program exit criteria, for measuring the progress of students; and
- Assess the success of the program and modify it where needed.