California Fellows Urge Governor Brown to Sign AB 2735

Honorable Edmund G. Brown
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, California 95814

RE: AB 2735 (O’Donnell) – REQUEST FOR SIGNATURE

Dear Governor Brown:

As classroom teachers and Teach Plus teaching policy fellows, we write to request that you sign AB 2735 into law so that we can ensure that students classified as English learners are not denied enrollment in academic courses.

With 1.4 million emergent bilingual students enrolled in California public schools, this bill is critically important. Research shows that these students are less likely to be enrolled in core academic courses including English language arts, mathematics, and science, and, as a result, earn fewer credits than non-English learners. This directly impedes their ability to graduate from high school and achieve postsecondary options.

Limited access to core curriculum can be detrimental to how fast emergent bilingual students can accelerate their English literacy levels. AB 2735 would prohibit middle and high school emergent bilingual students from being denied enrollment in core curriculum courses, and courses required for middle school grade promotion or high school graduation. This bill also prohibits the exclusion of emergent bilingual students from A-G courses and advanced coursework on the sole basis of their classification as English learners.

As teachers, we work daily to provide access and opportunities for all of our students. The structural disadvantages imposed upon emergent bilingual students in California make it difficult for them to achieve success, despite their efforts. We believe that this measure is a first step in enabling more of California’s emergent bilingual students to succeed in school and improve their ability to pursue postsecondary education. For this reason we request that you sign AB 2735. We urge you to consider how this bill could promote equal access and opportunities for English learners in California.

If you have any questions about our position, please do not hesitate to contact us at the email addresses below.

Sincerely,