Four hours a day of English classes appears to be working as nearly 40,000 Arizona students prepare to enter regular classes this coming school year.
A report to be released June 23 by the Arizona Department of Education comes just days before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on whether the state adequately funds its English learning classes.
State schools chief Tom Horne said the rise in the number of students testing out of English-learner courses is the direct result of the four-hour-a-day course that focuses on English grammar, reading and writing.
The state mandated it for every language learner this past year.
Students are required to pass a state exam that tests their ability to speak, read and write English before they can move to regular grade-level classes.