English-only test for teaching license frustrates efforts by dual-language schools to find...

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."They're Not Meek'

Language immersion directors have also shared how the programs help build up Spanish-speakers, because it allows them to take on leadership roles in an environment that they couldn’t have done in an English-only school.

Noelia Espinal has seen this firsthand in students as young as four. She is an early childhood educator at the Muskie Early Learning Center in Muscatine. Its dual-language program started in 2021.

“My native Spanish speakers, they're not nervous, they're not meek. They're leaders. They're not afraid to say what they need to say,” Espinal said.

The dual-language preschool Espinal teaches has 20 students enrolled with a long waiting list. Next year, Espinal hopes to add more sections.

The district — Muscatine Community School District — recently added a dual-language kindergarten to account for its preschool dual-language learners. Luckily Espinal said there was already a bilingual teacher within the school to hire in-house, so there was no additional testing, Praxis or non, required.

Although the situation worked out well for one dual-language program, Gomez said it would be great if all the state’s programs came together to share the challenges they experience.

“I think if enough of us protest and voice this concern, then maybe the organization that writes the Praxis test will start offering them in a different language,” she said.

Dual-language immersion programs mean a lot to the students who participate in them. Pella 13-year-olds Ellie Dykstra and Nora Lamb are both completely fluent in Spanish and English. Dykstra wants to be a veterinarian and Lamb wants to be a physical therapist. They plan to use both of their languages to help people. Whether it’s helping translate directions or helping future people and pets."...