English learner students were more often identified at risk overall, but those with low English proficiency on ACCESS were not necessarily below benchmark; a little over one third of English learners meeting benchmark scored at the two lowest ACCESS proficiency levels¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? English learners at early stages of English proficiency achieved benchmarks, with over one third of benchmark-meting English learners scoring at the two lowest ACCESS composite proficiency levels. → Mariann Lemke 2023

Evidence¶

Mariann Lemke 2023¶

Mariann Lemke, Dan Murphy, Aaron Soo Ping Chow, Hayley Spencer, and Angela Zhang. (2023). A First Look at Early Literacy Performance in Massachusetts: Results of Initial Analysis Based on State Grantee Literacy Screening Assessments. WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED638580

q2 · i? · associational · r1

Analysis relating ACCESS for ELLs composite proficiency levels to screening benchmark attainment for English learner students in the grantee sample; the report finds "a little over one third of English learner students who met benchmark scored at the two lowest English proficiency levels on ACCESS."

"A little over one third of English learner students who met benchmark scored at the two lowest English proficiency levels on ACCESS."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Reading and Language — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• English-Learner Status — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Students from low income, English learner, special education, and several racial/ethnic groups are more likely to be repeatedly identified as significantly below benchmark, with low income students 2.5 times as likely — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• 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
• Low English proficiency screener scores in pre-k relate to lower academic performance but not to attendance — 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
• On 2022 NAEP 8th- and 12th-grade reading and math exams, students who were both English learners and from low-income backgrounds scored lowest among four student groups, with less than one third scoring basic or above in reading and less than one quarter in math — related