Abstract

The basis of this essay is to bring light to the fact that the academic and affective needs of emergent bilinguals, as it relates to bilingual/bicultural education, teaching methods, and assessment of student’s literacy development in public education in the United States and more specifically, New York City’s department of education, is neither being adequately addressed nor found to be congruent with academic and social demands and expectations of a world-class education. That caliber of education consists of knowledge, information, learning, and skilled intelligence for all its students. Moreover, the author explores the role and function of acculturative stress and other affective dimensions, as well as education policies and practices that have impinged upon educational decision making, as a result of high-stakes testing of English language learners (Ells). The recommendations are designed to ameliorate these pressing concerns and are presented for continued discussion.