English Learner classification in kindergarten negatively impacts teachers' perceptions of students' academic abilities, with a reduced negative effect in bilingual classroom settings¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? EL classification in kindergarten negatively impacts teachers' perceptions of students' academic abilities across subjects and grade levels, though the negative effect is reduced in bilingual classroom settings. → Rolla 2024

Evidence¶

Rolla 2024¶

Rolla, A., & Mottesi, G. (2024). Bilingual Beginnings: Planning Kindergarten Entry Assessments for Spanish–English Speakers. WestEd, Region 15 Comprehensive Center. https://csaa.wested.org/resource/kindergarten-entry-assessments-an-examination-of-best-practices-national-trends-and-recommendations/

q2 · i? · associational · r?

The brief reports, citing Umansky & Dumont (2021), a nationally representative study finding that "EL classification in kindergarten negatively impacts teachers’ perceptions of students’ academic abilities," with the negative effect reduced in bilingual classroom settings. The brief does not describe the study's design beyond this.

"A nationally representative study highlighted that EL classification in kindergarten negatively impacts teachers’ perceptions of students’ academic abilities across various subjects and grade levels, although this negative effect is reduced in bilingual classroom settings (Umansky & Dumont, 2021)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• ELs who received bilingual education services had higher long-run attendance and academic outcomes than kindergartners who refused bilingual services — related
• GPAs were very similar for students who did and did not enter CPS as ELs, with a reading-grade gap that closed by seventh grade and similar Freshman OnTrack rates — related
• Students who began kindergarten as English Learners had similar achievement and growth, and higher attendance, compared to students never classified as ELs — related
• Teaching students in a language they understand benefits both language learning and broader learning — related
• As of 2024, only 10 U.S. states explicitly include Spanish–English bilinguals in their kindergarten entry assessments, while 41 states implicitly include or do not include them — related
• Spanish–English bilinguals performed better on kindergarten mathematics assessments when tested in Spanish — related