Cars zoom by on nearby streets, creating a noisy distraction. In Flores' grade book, Oklahoma gets low scores for not adopting a strong curriculum for bilingual education and English as a second language programs, she said. Most bilingual education programs teach core academic subjects in the native language while also teaching English-speaking skills. English as a second language programs give students intensive instruction in English. In Oklahoma, most non-English speaking students are placed in a regular classroom where teachers often speak only English, a method commonly called immersion.
Some schools have bilingual assistants who can help students individually.
Nationwide, nearly 30 percent of students classified LEP receive no extra help, according to the federal office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs. They are not taught how to speak English, nor are they given additional assistance in core academic subjects like math and science. Eighty percent of schools looking for certified bilingual teachers fail. Fewer than 20 percent of the teachers working with LEP students are certified in that area, according to the agency. Columbus, using federal grant money, tests all students.