Ensuring reading difficulties screeners are equitable for multilingual learners

By June 30, local educational agencies across the state will need to adopt one of four approved reading difficulties screeners for implementation in 2025–26. A May report from Californians Together and Teach Plus, Considerations and Suggestions When Adopting a Reading Difficulties Screener for Multilingual Learners, includes guiding questions for LEA leaders for adoption and implementation and other resources.

California can look to Texas to improve opportunities for English learner students

Though California and Texas serve similarly sized populations of English learners (ELs) in K-12, the states have their own educational approaches that lead to substantially different outcomes in how students grow both linguistically and academically, according to data.

Expert panel details strategies to help LEAs support undocumented students

Californians Together hosted a Nov. 7 webinar featuring lawyers and school practitioners discussing undocumented youth, partnership models for local educational agencies and legal service providers, and what’s next for federal and state policy. “In supporting our immigrant students and communities, we are facing extraordinary uncertainty […]

Growing rates of dual enrollment participation have stagnated since the pandemic

Statewide efforts to increase rates of dual enrollment participation among high school students were paying off prior to the pandemic, but have stalled since students returned to in-person instruction, according to a recent breakdown from Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). Focused on dual enrollment […]

New toolkit details how LEAs can align preschool/TK with California English Learner Roadmap

Californians Together released a toolkit on Aug. 7 to support coherent and aligned implementation of the California English Learner Roadmap for preschool and transitional kindergarten students. The California Master Plan for Early Learning and Care and the principles of the English Learner Roadmap work together […]

Improving equity by overhauling the reclassification process for English learners

Reclassification is an important part of the academic journey for English learners (ELs), as English fluency is critical to so many aspects of daily life. Like many local educational agencies, Menlo Park City School District found that too many of its EL students were not […]

New report provides snapshot of the state of English learners in California

Californians Together released an inaugural The State of English Learners in California Public Schools report on June 12 that summarizes key demographic and outcome data for English learners using a variety of data sources to examine how they are being served in the education system […]

New report examines how K-12 teachers engage students in foundational reading skills

Significant portions of English language arts (ELA) teachers across grade spans — including at the secondary level — reported frequently engaging their students in foundational reading skills, according to a RAND report released April 30. Foundational reading skills involve how students learn to associate sounds […]

New briefs detail best and worst practices in serving English learners and immigrant-origin students

Two recently updated briefs from Results for America and the Annenberg Institute at Brown University highlight proven practices local educational agencies can use to engage English learners and immigrant-origin students — a term that encompasses both the first- and second-generation youth — to help them […]