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From http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol13/1317-daniels.aspx

Increasing Rigor in Secondary Language Programs
Adriana Ayala-Hire and Jen Daniels
May 10, 2018

Academic achievement is strongly associated with English language proficiency, yet students who are still developing English skills need to engage in rigorous curriculum long before they are proficient in academic English. As English language learners (ELLs) move into middle and high school and toward graduation, it is crucial that they experience a balance between challenge and support in all their classes.

Each state has its own requirements for students to be reclassified from ELL status, but all states require evidence of proficiency in the academic language needed for school success. Research has shown that it is bad policy to reclassify ELLs as proficient too soon or too late because the students are either pushed into sink-or-swim immersion in mainstream classes or they remain too long in the harbor of sheltered instruction and language support (Hill, Betts, Chavez, Zau, and Bachofer, 2014). It is important to acknowledge that many intersecting factors can result in low academic performance for these students, and asking difficult questions and listening to the voices of students, families, and teachers can lead to finding the best trajectory for ELLs toward graduation and postsecondary studies (Jimènez-Castellanos and García, 2017).

Read the full article at http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol13/1317-daniels.aspx

Read a related article with observations about a school district where novice learners are exposed to rigorous and engaging curriculum: http://salvac.edublogs.org/2018/05/14/bap028-rigor-for-the-beginning-english-learner/