Judge tells California to teach English learners

A Los Angeles judge has ordered the state of California to figure out how to educate all students who don’t speak English.

Judge James Chalfant ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties on Tuesday in their case that relied on state data to show a quarter of school districts failed to educate some 20,000 English learners.

Three Spanish-speaking Compton students brought the case in Superior Court that claimed lack of instruction held students back a grade or led to low test scores because of language barriers.

The state attorney general’s office argued that the state Department of Education survey the ACLU relied on didn’t provide an accurate picture of English language instruction.

The state said it adequately educates 98 percent of its 1.4 million English learners.