KIDS DO BETTER IN ENGLISH SIMI VALLEY, MOORPARK STUDENTS SHOW MORE PROFICIENCY.

Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - Moorpark and Simi Valley school district students learning English as a second language made steady progress on the state's English-fluency exams, according to results released recently.

In the Simi Valley Unified School District, where 1,576 students took the California English Language Development Test, 51 percent scored in the top two proficiency levels, compared to 46 percent last year.

In the Moorpark Unified School District, where 1,272 students were tested, 41 percent of the students scored in the top two levels, up from 34 percent last year, according to results released on Tuesday.

In Ventura County as a whole, 25,118 students were tested and 42 percent were in the top two levels of the exam, compared to 37 percent last year. When the test was first given in 2001-02, only 23 percent of the Ventura County students were considered proficient.

Officials said new English-immersion programs - which have been introduced over the last six years under a state law requiring schools to abandon most of their bilingual programs - seem to be paying off.

Under voter-approved Proposition 227 six years ago, school districts in California were required to switch from bilingual education to English-only instruction.

Different school districts use different systems, with some offering bilingual instruction to younger students and varying types of translation assistance.

Bob Rizzardi, testing coordinator for the Simi Valley Unified School District, said his district uses only English instruction at all grade levels.

Simi Valley uses a new High Point curriculum program that covers reading, writing, grammar, spelling and vocabulary building for students in grades four through 12.

``It's completely English. We have bilingual aides in our classrooms to assist with minor translation. We do not have primary language or bilingual programs.

``We have to get these kids proficient in English within five years. That requires intense support,'' he said.

Rizzardi said the federal and state governments are making it a priority to see that students become proficient in English as soon as possible.

``Simi Valley is making it a priority,'' he said. ``We're working very hard to have as many kids reclassified as possible. We are allocating much more time on a daily basis for English acquisition.

But he said more support is needed from the state to keep classroom sizes down.

``One thing I think is critical for gains to continue is for the state to assist us in the funding of staff so that we can keep class size low for these kids so they receive individual attention and instruction.''

He said about 83 percent of the Simi Valley students whose primary language is not English speak Spanish.

In the Moorpark Unified School District students who come from foreign language backgrounds are 95.4 percent Spanish speakers.

Unlike Simi Valley students, the Moorpark students receive bilingual instruction in kindergarten and the first grade.

Marilyn Green, coordinator of special projects for the Moorpark Unified School District, said the improvement shown by the test scores this year reflects focused classroom instruction, and not English-only immersion.

In a classroom setting ``you can't learn English just by sitting around and listening to it. You can't just get it by osmosis,'' she said. ``We're focusing on the vocabulary they need to go from one level to the next.''

``To me (improvement in test results) is directly related to how hard my teachers are working with English learners, who are also an incredibly hard-working group of students,'' Green said.

``One of the good things about the state and federal accountability measurers is that it has made all of us look deeper at different groups of students - English-language learners, low-income groups, those with special education needs. It's important to look at all of these groups,'' Green said. ``The attention paid to English learners is a good thing.''

Charles Weis, Ventura County's superintendent of schools, called the California English Language Development Test results released last week ``great news,'' and said it means more Ventura County students are getting access to high-quality instruction in English and many are reaching a point where they can deal with all academic instruction in English.

``That's definitely our objective. It looks like we're getting closer and closer to what we are seeking to do,'' he said.

Weis said he saw no evidence that instruction in English only was responsible for the improvement in Ventura County schools, which use a variety of approaches that include English and children's primary languages.

``The improvement (in test scores) is likely the result of a focus on good English language development instruction, a structured approach,'' he said. ``I think that is making a difference.''

Eric Leach, [phone]

eric.leach(at)dailynews.com