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¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Hispanic/Latino children labeled English Learners who began kindergarten with low literacy scores and received interventions were 20 percent less likely to achieve reading proficiency by grade 3 compared with non-Hispanic/Latino white and socioeconomically advantaged peers with similar initial skills. → 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? · review · r2

The brief reports, citing Herring et al. (2022), Virginia evidence that EL-labeled children with low kindergarten literacy "were 20 percent less likely to achieve reading proficiency by grade 3" than peers with similar initial skills. The comparison is as the brief attributes it.

"In Virginia, for example, Hispanic/Latino children labeled as English Learners who began kindergarten with low literacy scores and received interventions were 20 percent less likely to achieve reading proficiency by grade 3 compared with their non-Hispanic/Latino white and socioeconomically advantaged peers with similar initial skills (Herring et al., 2022)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Race and Ethnicity — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Students who began kindergarten as English Learners had similar achievement and growth, and higher attendance, compared to students never classified as ELs — related
• 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
• Teachers' ratings on 16 English-readiness KEA items at kindergarten entry predicted Hispanic/Latino children's English literacy achievement almost 6 years later — 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
• Publicly reported statistics based only on active ELs give a biased picture of EL performance because proficient students exit the subgroup — related
• Low income, English learner, special education, Black, and Hispanic students were more likely to be classified significantly below benchmark at each time period and more than once — 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