Spanish-speaking students in DeKalb schools scored almost two grades below standards on tests given in November 2003, according to a report released by the DeKalb School District in January.

Students were tested in the Supera standardized test. Supera is a Spanish-language version of the Terra Nova test, which is given to every DeKalb elementary and junior high school student, said Suzanne Lambrecht, school board vice president.

Supera tests bilingual students in reading, language arts and math and is specifically geared toward Spanish speaking students, said Sue Orem, coordinator for the English Language Learning program. The test is not a literal translation of the Terra Nova, but it is modified to include cultural references from Central and South America.

Terra Nova replaced the Illinois Standard Achievement Test for students in second through eighth grades.

On average, students scored 1.8 grade levels below what test designers set as the standard for Spanish-speaking students at each grade level. The sixth grade class scored at second grade levels in both reading and language arts in the 2003 test.

However, the test scores may not reflect accurately how individual students are performing, Orem said. Some ESL students enter later grades and have not yet received individual instruction to adjust for classes taught in English.

The transitional bilingual education program is designed to teach students competency in core classes like math and science, Orem said.

“Our program is really in its infancy,” said Linell Lasswell, assistant superintendent of curriculum. The program began three years ago.

The problem is that ESL students do not have the same resources across the district, Lasswell said. Little John Elementary School has the most bilingual students. Tyler, Lincoln and Cortland elementary schools have only five to 10 bilingual students each.

Students may only receive instruction from an ESL teacher once a week if they attend a school that has a smaller number of ESL students, Orem said.

Based on each student’s performance on the tests, teachers will work to improve the students’ weaker areas.

“[The test] takes into account the way of life for them,” Orem said. “It’s important to find what their achievement levels are.”

Students then can receive specialized instruction to ensure they don’t fall behind, she said.

The tests also are useful for determining how the students will do in other areas.

“It’s a very good indicator of how they will do in the English language,” Orem said.

Currently, there are 346 ESL students in the DeKalb school district, 90 percent of whom speak Spanish. Eighteen separate languages are represented in the ESL program.