This quarter, the English Language Learners had their annual state assessment for English proficiency. This assessment is lengthy, arduous and tests the students’ abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing in English - at their grade level. This means that the content of the exam is as rigorous as their grade level curriculum and not at all easier than other standardized tests they take alongside their classmates.
Passing the AZELLA into proficiency is a huge achievement of linguistic complexity with students being deemed successfully fluent in two languages! The already long list of benefits from bilingualism grows longer each year as linguists discover and reveal more advantages of being multilingual. Several scientific articles have been released in the last few years detailing how we understand that bilingualism leads to higher cognitive function, increased focus and ability to multitask, and greater academic and behavioral performance. One of the most exciting studies showed that individuals speaking more than one language are at a reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer's. For our English Language Development Program, it is such a privilege to foster the blooming of another language.