English-only screening is the norm for English learners in Massachusetts: 90 percent were assessed only in English across all three screening periods in 2023/24¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2030: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Ninety percent of English learners in the analytic sample were screened only in English at beginning, middle, and end of year, with 8 percent screened in both languages each period. → Soo Ping Chow 2025

Evidence¶

Soo Ping Chow 2025¶

Soo Ping Chow, A., Faulkner-Bond, M., Lemke, M., LeBeau, B., & Quesen, S. (2025). How English learners are screened for risk of reading difficulty: Use of English- and Spanish-language screeners in the 2023/24 school year. WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED677598

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Descriptive analysis of 2023/24 screening assessment data for an analytic sample of 23,955 English learners with BOY, MOY, and EOY scores. The brief reports "Ninety percent of English learners were assessed only in English," with 8 percent screened in both languages and 2 percent in other patterns.

"Ninety percent of English learners were assessed only in English, 8 percent were screened in English and Spanish at each time period, and 2 percent were either screened alternately between English and Spanish or consistently screened in one language"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Schools serving students in the Spanish-dominant screening clusters appeared out of compliance with the Massachusetts requirement to screen with an approved (English-only) assessment at least twice per year — related
• English learners' progress beyond the significant risk level differed by test language: 21 percent stayed above threshold in English and 19 percent improved to it, versus 11 percent improving in Spanish — related
• Screening language practices are related to English language education program type: SEI students were mostly screened in English while DLBE students were more often screened in Spanish or alternately — related