French Immersion and Students with Learning Disabilities (continued)

Research also have told us that a student successful in French Immersion will imitate well, love to talk, experiment without fear of making mistakes, be exposed to good modeling, show strength in languages, have good auditory discrimination, and a good memory. Professionals tell us that children with learning disabilities – certain subtypes of dyslexia – will struggle in an intensive program such as it proposed. The lack of Resource Room support in the present pilot model of 5- month French portion of the Intensive French is an issue. Typically in the USA and parts of Canada, students experiencing these difficulties are recommended for exemptions with the time being spent with a SLP or Resource teacher in increasing skills in their mother tongue. We are encouraged that PA training has been taking place in some school districts for their teachers to acquire this teaching method. Will all our districts be require to do the same? If so, this could go a long way towards having our young children be able to read in their first language by Grade 2. Screening at kindergarten entry level to assess learning skills is also happening. This is taking place as a pilot project. This also offers our youngsters additional resource to put interventions in place earlier on. But then again, we have been told by the developers of this tool that it doesn’t always pick up children with specific learning disabilities.

We encourage you to make known your experiences and suggestions as to the necessary improvements to the present system of teaching French to students with learning disabilities. To submit your views as a brief or by email: http://www.gnb.ca/include/0000/include/engsubmit-e.asp.

The deadline is Friday July 25, 2008.

According to the Department of Education Discussion Paper (see source below) the following has been done:

• curricula have been changed;
• more money has been added to the system;
• new textbooks have been provided;
• pilot programs have been put in place;
• many more teachers and teacher assistants have been added to our classrooms, and
• school personnel have undergone additional training.

How well do think they were done? Were there some critical things omitted? What is required to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities?

These were the government’s planned changes (see Discussion Paper):

• Begin all FSL programming in the Anglophone sector at Grade 5 with a universal Intensive French program and, by September 2010, make it mandatory for all students in the Anglophone sector. In other words, Early French Immersion would cease to be an available option;
• Keep Grade 6 as the sole entry point for Immersion, following the Grade 5 Intensive French program;
• Eliminate the Grade 1 entry point for Immersion (Early Immersion) starting in September 2008, but grandfather in all those children currently enrolled in grades 1-12;
• Eliminate Core French for grades 1-4 starting in September 2008;
• Require all students, beginning with those enrolled in either Grade 6 program in 2009-10, to continue FSL instruction through Grade 12;
• Use the gained instructional time from elimination of Core French in grades 1-4 for increased literacy, art, music, physical education and enrichment;
• Develop a new policy on “Bilingual Learning Environments” to integrate conversational French opportunities into elementary school life for all students;
• Set the Grade 10 proficiency target at Intermediate for Intensive French students and at Intermediate Plus for Immersion students.

Sources:

Putting Our Kids’ Achievement First - Discussion paper http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/promos/edu/FSLDiscussionpaper-e.pdf

The Croll/Lee Report: A Comprehensive Review of French Second Language Programs and Services Within the Anglophone Sector of the New Brunswick Department of Education http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/comm/FSL%20Report.pdf

Report of the Ombudsman into the Minister of Education’s decision to modify the French Second Language Curriculum from the Office of the Ombudsman and Child Advocate http://www.gnb.ca/Ombudsman/PDF/FSLReport-e.pdf