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From http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/feds-relent-in-standoff-over-testing-students-still-learning-english/2211184

Feds relent in standoff over testing students still learning English
by Thomas C. Tobin
December 22, 2014

Federal education officials have backed down in a dispute with Florida over how the state should test thousands of new students who are still learning English in public schools.

The government will allow Florida to wait two years before counting those students' test scores toward a school's grade instead of the federally required one year.

Officials in Washington previously stood by the federal law's intent — to hold schools immediately accountable for educating English-language learners. But state officials pushed back, saying it is harmful and unrealistic to expect those students to show their skills on standardized tests when they can't fully comprehend many of the questions.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, students need five to seven years to develop the language skills of a native English speaker.

Read the full article at http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/feds-relent-in-standoff-over-testing-students-still-learning-english/2211184