Publicly reported statistics based only on active ELs give a biased picture of EL performance because proficient students exit the subgroup¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In 2018 CPS eighth-grade ELA PARCC data, only 1.3 percent of active ELs met expectations while 31.5 percent of former ELs did, and former ELs outperformed students never classified as ELs (25.9 percent). → de la Torre 2019 q2 i? Active EL metrics are biased because the group is defined by low achievement on the ACCESS and changes composition every year as proficient students are reclassified as non-ELs. → de la Torre 2019 (2)

Evidence¶

de la Torre 2019¶

de la Torre, M., Blanchard, A., Allensworth, E.M., & Freire, S. (2019). English Learners in CPS: A new perspective. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Analysis of 2017-18 CPS eighth-grade ELA PARCC results (23,414 test-takers) regrouped by EL history. Under current public reporting, active ELs' pass rate was 1.3 percent versus 27.5 percent for non-ELs; separating former ELs reverses the picture. Percentages are descriptive; no effect size is printed.

"the ELA PARCC pass rate for students never classified as ELs goes down to 25.9 percent, while 31.5 percent of former ELs did pass the ELA PARCC"

de la Torre 2019 (2)¶

de la Torre, M., Blanchard, A., Allensworth, E.M., & Freire, S. (2019). English Learners in CPS: A new perspective. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu

q2 · i? · associational · r?

The report's analytical argument about subgroup composition: active ELs are selected on low ACCESS achievement, former ELs on high achievement, so metrics on either grouping are biased. It notes even a successful school can look like it poorly supports ELs under active-EL reporting.

"Active ELs, defined by low achievement on the ACCESS, tend to have low average achievement on other assessments, and the reverse is true for former ELs—so any resulting metrics about the academic achievement of these two groups together will be biased."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• ELs lag behind peers in achievement and attainment partly due to limited exposure to academic content — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Students who began as ELs and demonstrated proficiency by eighth grade had academic outcomes similar to or higher than students never classified as ELs — related
• ELs who did not reach proficiency by eighth grade showed continued growth but started first grade with much lower ACCESS scores, and rising grade-level thresholds meant they never met the proficiency cut — related
• Students who began kindergarten as English Learners had similar achievement and growth, and higher attendance, compared to students never classified as ELs — related
• More than half of students who began as ELs passed the ACCESS proficiency exam by third grade and three-fourths by fifth grade; students who had not passed by fifth grade were unlikely to pass before high school — related
• Standardized test proficiency provides biased information about school quality, indicating a need for alternative metrics — related
• Students who began as English Learners graduated from high school at a slightly higher rate than never-classified EL students and enrolled in college at about the same rate, with more two-year enrollment — related
• Former English Learners graduated from CPS high school at a higher rate than never-English Learners, while active English Learners graduated at a slightly lower rate — related
• In Virginia, Hispanic/Latino children labeled English Learners with low kindergarten literacy were 20 percent less likely to achieve grade-3 reading proficiency than similar peers — related
• AI/AN students perform lower than other student subpopulations on common academic measures, per statistics the report cites from the Education Trust — related
• Longitudinal growth observed for current ELs likely underestimates total-cohort growth because students who reach English proficiency exit and are no longer assessed — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Attending higher-rated schools (CPS School Quality Rating Policy) is associated with better math, reading, and English proficiency test outcomes for ELs — related
• Even districts with consistent curriculum use encountered persistent equity access gaps for multilingual learners and students with learning differences — related