State Tests Challenges Spanish Speaking Students
As school districts in Lamar and Forrest counties see a growing Spanish-speaking student population, officials are challenged with helping those students pass more rigorous state tests administered in English. Peggy Williams, assistant superintendent for Lamar County schools, oversees the district’s English as a Second Language Program – a federal program teaching students who are called English language learners, meaning they predominantly speak another language.
The number of students in the district’s program has more than quadrupled since 2003, increasing from 41 to 200 students over five years. “We see our ELL population growing each year and now in other areas outside Oak Grove,” said Williams, who attributes the growth to booming economic development. Williams said the district’s ESL program has students who speak Vietnamese, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, French, Italian and many other languages.
