The study was based on eight years of statewide data on a single cohort of grade 1 Hispanic English learner students in Texas public schools. It found that by the end of grade 3, most students in the cohort had passed statewide tests in reading (about 84 percent) and math (about 80 percent).
The study also estimated the probability of attaining these outcomes based on several student characteristics (e.g., initial English language proficiency, receipt of special education services, and being overaged at grade 1 entry) and educational experiences (e.g., the type of English learner program: English as a Second Language or bilingual).
Historical data from the Texas Education Agency was used to construct a cohort of Hispanic students who entered Texas public schools in grade 1 as English learner students in the 2005/06 school year (85,611 students). Students were followed for up to eight years, through the 2012/13 school year, including while classified as English learner students and after exit from English learner status.
Discrete-time survival analyses were used to estimate the probability of attaining outcomes over time. Attainment of English proficiency was examined with 71,140 students from the grade 1 cohort who were not yet proficient by grade 2 entry. Attainment of satisfactory performance was examined with students from the grade 1 cohort who remained in the state records and first took the state assessment in reading (69,216 students) or mathematics (69,014 students) in grade 3.
Half of the students classified as English learner students in grade 1 who were not yet English proficient by grade 2 entry attained English language proficiency within 2.6 years of grade 2 entry (by the end of their expected grade 4 year). By grade 5, 70.6 percent of the students were assessed as English language proficient, and by grade 8, 88.1 percent of the students had attained this outcome.
Most students in the study samples demonstrated at least satisfactory performance in reading (83.9 percent) and mathematics (79.7 percent) when tested in English or Spanish in grade 3, the first year the state assessments were administered to students. Larger majorities of the students had attained at least satisfactory performance by grade 5, including 96.2 percent in reading and 94.9 percent in mathematics.
The findings identified several subgroups of English learner students who were most at risk for not making progress toward the three educational outcomes studied, particularly those who entered grade 1 with a beginning level of English proficiency, received special education services, or entered grade 1 over age.
Summary:
About half of the students attained English language proficiency by the end of grade 4, and about 88 percent were proficient by the end of grade 8.
However, English learner students who started grade 1 with a beginning level of English proficiency, those who participated in a special education program, and those who started grade 1 at age 7 or older were less likely to attain English proficiency and meet math and reading state standards at any given grade.
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