Students at Rudsdale Newcomer High School in Oakland, California.
Credit: Anne Wernikoff for Edsource
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High school senior Martha Hernandez was born in Baja California, Mexico, and came to the U.S. when she was 10 years old, in fifth grade. She was still considered an English learner when she entered high school, based on California’s test of English proficiency.
When students are classified as English learners, they must take English language development classes to improve their language skills, in addition to English language arts and all other academic classes.
But at Hernandez’s high school, Mountain Empire High School in the mountains of rural San Diego County, English learners enroll in English as a second language classes through the local community college. They earn college credit while learning English.
Researchers and advocates say that dual…
