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From http://edsource.org/2015/preschool-programs-face-challenge-of-preparing-staff-to-teach-english-learners/91816

Preschool programs face challenge of preparing staff to teach English learners
By Sarah Tully
December 10, 2015

About half of the children in the two largest public preschool programs in California – Head Start and the California State Preschool Program – speak a language other than English at home, but there is a good chance they will not be in classrooms with teachers and teacher assistants who are bilingual or trained specifically in instructing English learners.

This reality has broad implications for the ability of California’s public education system to promote successful outcomes for students who are learning English. Two-thirds of English learners did not meet the standards on the Smarter Balanced tests aligned with the Common Core standards, which were administered last spring for the first time. The results underscored the importance of early education programs in getting younger children who are not proficient in English better prepared before they get to kindergarten.

Read the full article at http://edsource.org/2015/preschool-programs-face-challenge-of-preparing-staff-to-teach-english-learners/91816