View Content #19931

From http://languagemagazine.com/?p=124255

A new Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northwest study, prepared in partnership with seven Washington school districts, found that English language learners (ELLs) took 3.8 years on average to gain English proficiency.

… The study found that ELLs entering school in grades three and four took more than a year longer to be reclassified as English proficient than those entering kindergarten. This suggests that additional attention and interventions should be given to students who are arriving later in elementary school. Additionally, nearly a fifth of the students had not reached English proficiency by the end of the eight years studied.

… Contrary to national trends, ELLs in Road Map districts who entered in grades two through five with the highest levels of English proficiency took longer to be reclassified as non-ELLs than those with the lowest proficiency. Also, students in schools with higher percentages of free or reduced-price lunch (FRL) eligibility were reclassified faster than students in schools with lower FRL eligibility rate.

Read the full article and download the full study at http://languagemagazine.com/?p=124255