Ever-ELs closed in on the national average by end of 4th grade, with Asian and White ever-ELs surpassing it in 2nd grade¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2027: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Ever-ELs as a group approached the national average in math and reading by the end of 4th grade; Asian and White ever-ELs surpassed the national average in 2nd grade while Black and Hispanic ELs reduced math disparities across all five years. → Johnson 2022

Evidence¶

Johnson 2022¶

Johnson, A. (2022). Achievement and growth for English Learners. Educational Policy, 37(4), 1044–1069. https://doi.org/10.1177/08959048211049419

q2 · i? · associational · r2

The discussion summarizes the study's trajectory findings: ever-ELs were "closing in on the national average in math and English reading achievement by the end of 4th grade," with subgroup patterns varying by race/ethnicity as shown in supplemental figures.

"Specifically, Asian and White ever-ELs surpassed the national average in 2nd grade; Black and Hispanic ELs continued to reduce the disparities between themselves and the national average in math during all five years."

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
• In reading, dual language participants grew slightly more slowly during school years but lost less learning during summers, closing the gap with the national average — related
• All three EL subgroups scored lower than never-ELs in math and reading throughout kindergarten to 4th grade — related
• In math, EL groups grew more than never-ELs during academic years but lost more during summers — related
• Ever-ELs and current-ELs make larger fall-to-spring gains than the all-student average in early grades but smaller gains in middle grades — related
• Achievement declines from 2019 to 2022 were smaller for Asian American and White first and second graders than for Hispanic, Black, and AIAN students — related
• Asian students generally pull ahead of White students at a faster rate during summers than during school periods — related
• Non-linear within-year growth has implications for extending the school year, summer learning loss, and racial/ethnic achievement gaps — related
• Despite faster early math growth, dual language students did not learn more than their peers in the long run and the gap to the national average was not closing — related
• Young white students progress more slowly in math and reading than Asian, black, and Hispanic students, with differences attenuating at older ages — related
• Students of ethnicity other than White grew more slowly in reading and math than White students, with no ethnic differences in initial achievement — related