Ed Trust–NY submits public comment in support of the New York State Education Department’s proposed regulation to require study in language acquisition and literacy development of English Language Learners

Jun 24, 2019 | Public Comment

June 24, 2019

NYS Education Department
Office of Higher Education
89 Washington Avenue, Room 975 EBA
Albany, NY 12234
Submitted via email

To whom it may concern:

We write in strong support of the New York State Education Department’s (NYSED’s) proposed regulation to require study in language acquisition and literacy development of English Language Learners (EDU-17-19-00008-P).

The proposed regulation requires that prospective teachers complete “at least three semester hours of study in language acquisition and literacy development of English language learners.” In so doing, the Department is ensuring that newly certified teachers will enter the profession more fully prepared to serve New York’s Multilingual Learner/English Language Learner (MLL/ELL) population.

This regulation, which reflects significant input from the field and includes a generous implementation timeline, is important to fulfilling NSYED’s principle that “all teachers are teachers of ELLs and need to develop instruction accordingly to serve them.” MLLs/ELLs represent approximately 240,000 students in our public education system – nearly 10% of all students. Data from the most recent high school graduation cohort indicates that more than one in four MLLs/ELLs drop out of high school – the highest dropout rate of any group of students. We believe that greater urgency, resources, and supports – including those embodied in this proposed regulation as well as other steps already taken by NYSED – are essential to ensuring that MLLs/ELLs receive the high-quality education that all New York students
deserve.

Thank you for the opportunity to share our support for this proposed regulation.

Sincerely,

Ian Rosenblum
Executive Director
The Education Trust–New York