Posted on 02/27/2006 7:40:02 AM PST by SmithL
For a 16-year-old, Iris Padilla's resume looks pretty good: Not only is she already a senior close to completing all the credits needed to graduate from Richmond High, she's president of a Latin American culture club and is active in political and religious clubs at school. Next year, Iris wants to go to college and study psychology.
But Richmond High might not let her graduate this spring.
That's because Iris hasn't passed the exit exam, and she has only one more chance before graduation day to tackle the two-day test, on March 21-22.
Iris is one of 73,270 California high school seniors in the same pickle -- unable to fulfill a new state law requiring students to pass a test of basic English, math and algebra to graduate. That's 1 in 5 members of the state's Class of 2006, says the state Department of Education.
More than half of those who still need to pass -- 40,002 students -- are like Iris: They don't speak much English.
The question of whether to deny diplomas to otherwise qualified students is divisive, with passions high on both sides. Critics sued state educators earlier this month, challenging the legality of the exam, while the same state educators say they are acting in the best interests of students.
"I need a diploma," said Iris, a chestnut-haired girl who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Mexican state of Jalisco. "I want it. I deserve it.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
How was she able to complete these credits without basic English and math skills?
she's president of a Latin American culture club and is active in political and religious clubs at school.
Perhaps her time would have been better used studying and preparing for this exam.
I wonder how she expects to study psychology in college, if she can't pass a basic reading exam???
If she is illiterate, how did she pass her normal classes. Liberalism at its finest.
No le entiendo... ¿que?
As Ricky Ricardo would say....
She wants to become a "Fee-a-sa-kee-a-trist".
This test is based on a 10 grade skills level.....
Ya gotta pass a 10 grade test to graduate from the 12 grade.
See somethimg odd here?????
Uhhhh.....a state college?
When I was in college, if you wanted a class in Spanish, you had to take a class in the Spanish department. And most people only took enough classes to get their language requirement out of the way, unless they were a language major. Primary language of instruction outside the language departments-English.
If you aren't qualified to go to a college, you shouldn't be there. There are plenty of people who have the English skills and the grades. College shouldn't be made an entitlement or a right.
In-freakin'-credible.
Because a lot of teachers grade subjectively. A student they like will often times be graded above their actual capabilities. Then, along comes a competency exam that is graded objectively, and BAM, reality hits home and they are shown they don't KNOW what they have been told they do.
She said the students are bright -- one is doing well in chemistry, and others are taking college-level Spanish
I'm sure some of them are bright but exactly how is the fact that native Spanish speakers are taking college-level Spanish indicative of that brightness? They already speak the language!
Oops, didn't mean to direct my post directly to you. You were just the last post on the thread when I replied. :-)
And somehow, she was able to do this without being able to speak English at a 4th-grade level? Hard to believe.
Apparently, given the fact that the article admits she speaks very little English, she must have been taught in ESL classes. How does she expect to study Psychology in college? Does she think they will coddle her like her high school did and teach the classes in Spanish for her? (Then again, this is California. Maybe they do.)
I have seen Iris Padilla on video, and was flabbergasted. A KGO-TV News reporter asked her about the tentative ruling earlier this week, and tilted his microphone into her face for her answer. I was floored when she answered completely in Spanish and a Hispanic interpreter's voice was dubbed over hers!
Everywhere you will see the skeletal MoFo (Morrison & Foerster) lawyer Arturo Gonzalez lying about how this is about uncredentialed teachers and inequality of education in low income districts. It's pure unadulterated compost, as any intelligent person could tell by listening to the "plaintiff," Liliana Valenzuela, who is barely functional in English. No teacher in good conscience could give a high school diploma to someone who couldn't pass a test on a lower grade level, English speaker or not. But, then again, we are talking about California teachers, who have a longstanding record of shamelessness!
I'm having serious computer problems now, but I will, as soon as I can, post video of the report, which is unavailable on the KGO site.
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