ELL Update: Research Briefs

ELLs in Special Education Classes. . .

According to a new report released by Development Associates for the U.S. Department of Education:

• In 2001-2002, an estimated 357,325 special-education ELLs were enrolled in public schools from K-12 (9% of all ELLs).
• 69.7% of these special-education ELLs were assigned limited English proficiency (LEP) status before being assigned disability status.
• 75.7% of special-education coordinators surveyed said that they didn't have specific programs designed for ELLs with learning disabilities.
• 24.4% of all public school teachers had at least one special-education ELL in their classrooms.

For a full copy of The Descriptive Study of Services to LEP Students and LEP Students with Disabilities, visit http://www.devassoc.com/pdfs/lep_st4.pdf (pdf)

Language Learning in California. ..

Based on analysis of California's CELDT (California English Development Language Test), Elizabeth G. Hill of the Legislative Analyst's Office states that:

• It takes about six years before half of ELLs are reclassified as fluent English proficient (FEP). This means that approximately 40% of ELLs who began school in kindergarten will not be FEP by the seventh grade.
• Half of all ELLs who took the CELDT improved by at least one level. However, only 22% of students at level 4 in 2001 improved to level 5 (the highest level) in 2002.
• 9% of ELLs scored at least one level lower on the 2002 CELDT compared to the 2001 CELDT. Almost 37% of ELLs who scored a 5 in 2001 scored at a lower level in 2002.
• Districts that were considered best at educating ELLs reduced the amount of time needed to redesignate ELLs by 1.5 years when compared to the state average.

To read a full copy of A Look at the Progress of English Learner Students, visit http://www.lao.ca.gov/2004/english_learners/021204_english_learners.pdf

The Success of Proposition 227 in Reducing the Achievement Gap. ..

Recent analysis of data from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) by researchers at the University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute (UC LMRI) reveals that:

• "the achievement gap between ELs [English learners] and English-background students in California has remained largely unchanged, while the gap has been noticeably reduced in the rest of the country" (p. 1).
• Because Proposition 227 (an English-only measure that for the most part limits an ELL's time in ELL-only classes) was implemented in 1998, at the same time as California's class size reduction and professional development reforms, it is hard to determine whether gains or losses for ELLs are due to Proposition 227 or to other reforms.
• The state of Texas, also with a large population of ELLs, has made greater progress in closing the achievement gap between native speakers of English and ELLs than has California.

For a full copy of UC LMRI's Fall 2003 newsletter, visit http://www.lmri.ucsb.edu/resdiss/2/lmri_newsletters/volume13/fall_03_newsletter.pdf

More on the Education of ELLs in California. ..

Among the findings of a working paper written by Patricia Gandara and Russell Rumberger of UC LMRI:

• The proportion of ELLs at the secondary level in California is growing at a faster rate than the proportion of ELLs in elementary schools. This is a challenge, especially with the shorter amounts of time these students have for acquiring both English and academic skills.
• Language minority students who are FEP start out on the same educational level as native English speakers, but by the third grade they fall behind and never catch up.
• For ELLs who are redesignated FEP, the same scenario takes place, prompting the authors to wonder whether "such results challenge the belief that if all English learners demonstrated 'proficiency'.. . in elementary school, then their achievement would be at least comparable to that of other students in secondary school" (p. 7).
• ELLs are more likely than any other category of children to be taught by a teacher with emergency credentials.
• While ELLs are "pulled out" for English language development, there is generally no time to make up for work that they miss by being "pulled out."