U.S.ENGLISH Urges Florida To Keep Standardized "FCAT" Test in English

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. believes that the results of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) should send a wake up call to Florida’s political and education establishment about the importance of teaching English in schools. About 20 percent of the students at Miami Senior High School, where 88 percent of the students speak English as a second language, failed the annual exam, which is required for graduation.

Unfortunately, the poor results prompted protests and demands for the test to be given in Spanish as well as English. Over 200 students and teachers gathered outside the school waving signs and chanting “No FCAT.” Jessica Duran, a Miami Senior High student who failed the test, said “I’m scared. My dreams are [over]. I want to be a doctor and because of that I can’t do it.”

Gus Barrera, a teacher in Miami, supports the call for bilingual tests. “How can you tell somebody who’s been in school for 12 years, who’s met all the requirements and because they haven’t passed a test that they can’t get their diploma?” The protest has spurred State Rep. Ralph Arza, who is also a Miami High teacher, to introduce legislation to make the FCAT available in Spanish.

U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. believes it is a terrible idea to give the test in other languages. English is the language spoken by 97 percent of the country and in order to succeed in America, immigrants need to learn it. Giving the FCAT in Spanish will take away an important incentive for these students to learn English. In addition, there are 153 languages spoken in Florida. Making the test available in Spanish will open the door to giving the test in all these languages.

“Florida should be embarrassed that a great number of students are completing high school without a working knowledge of English,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. “Instead of catering to immigrants who have not learned the language of their new nation, we should be increasing the amount of English language instruction in schools with high immigrant populations.”

Mr. Mujica believes much of the blame lies with politicians in the state. “English has been the official language of Florida since 1988 and polls show that about three-quarters of Florida residents want English as the official language. Hopefully, politicians in the state will get serious about enforcing the law and helping new residents learn English."

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.