Should academic criteria be used in the process of reclassifying multilingual/English learners (ML-ELs) as English proficient?
The answer is not straightforward, according to research released Sept. 18 by the Brookings Institution. The study examined what happens to secondary school ML-ELs when a state brings academic content knowledge into the reclassification process.
“Academic criteria were a barrier to reclassification for some students who could have succeeded in more advanced classes,” the report states. “At the same time, passing the ELA [English language arts] test was insufficient to ensure that all students were ready to succeed in mainstream courses without additional support.”
While federal law requires states to assess English language proficiency (ELP) in speaking, listening, reading and writing to make reclassification decisions, states may choose to include additional criteria, such as grades, teacher evaluations or academic content knowledge as measured by standardized tests.
How and when students are reclassified, as well as what — if any — supports they receive after can have significant implications for their academic achievement.
“Reclassifying students inappropriately carries real risks. Criteria that result in ML-ELs reclassifying too early can cut students off from critical supports they still need to be successful in the classroom, leading to poorer outcomes over time,” researchers determined. “But holding students in EL status for too long can prevent students from accessing opportunities provided to mainstream students including core academic classes, advanced and upper-level content, and career and college readiness courses like career and technical education, especially in high school.”
As of 2023, 18 states include non-ELP assessments in the reclassification process, including California, Texas, Florida and New York — four of the states serving the largest number of ML-ELs — which require students to meet minimum scores on ELA content exams in addition to ELP criteria to reclassify. Researchers noted that California lawmakers had introduced legislation — Assembly Bill 2555, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 1 — to simplify the reclassification process in part by allowing districts to immediately reclassify students based on a level 4 score on the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California..
The bill will also require local educational agencies monitor a student’s progress after they’ve been reclassified to ensure that English proficiency is not a barrier to their academic success.
That provision is in line with Brookings’ recommendation that policymakers thing beyond the binary English learner classification system in which many students abruptly lose access to services once they are reclassified as proficient in English.
The report recommends:
- Increasing access to mainstream courses for ML-ELs who demonstrate high proficiency on academic content exams while simultaneously continuing to offer some supports, such as access to ESL-certified educators
- Providing more training for content teachers about how to meet the needs of ML-ELs
- Clearly defining monitoring benchmarks and providing concrete guidance for how LEAs can take action if students appear to be struggling
“Implementing such changes at scale would require change at multiple levels of education governance,” according to researchers. “Yet aligning accountability systems, funding, and instructional supports around students’ changing needs may better position multilingual learners for long-term success even after they shed the EL label.”
