With this study I investigate the consequential validity of a state English language proficiency (ELP) assessment, following Messick's (1989) expanded theory on validity. I examined intended and unintended consequences of the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) through stakeholder perceptions. TELPAS is a federally…

Language proficiency assessment (LPA) serves as a gatekeeper to accessing language services for English learners (ELs) with and without disabilities. Moreover, research suggests that EL services are often deemphasized compared with special education services for students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCDs). We highlight the…

Pushback against the perceived federal overreach into educational reform has led to renewed calls for a return to local control of schools. In contrast to this general trend, there has continued to be a strong national role for English learner (EL) accountability policies related to EL identification, monitoring and reclassification processes. In…

One in every six adults in the United States is an immigrant. These immigrant adults contribute to the vitality of local communities and economies across the country, but many also face barriers to integration and economic mobility, including limited English proficiency, varied levels of formal education, and persistent employment in low-wage…

This review explores the multifaceted challenges and strategies related to the education of emergent bilingual (EB) students in the U.S. education system. It highlights three primary themes: program approaches, instructional needs, and the importance of school-home connections. The first theme evaluates various educational programs for EB…

The Migrant Education Program (MEP) is authorized under Title I, Part C of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. Title I, Part C states that the purpose of the MEP is to assist states in their efforts to meet the special needs of migrant students by providing migratory children with the opportunity to meet the same challenging State content…

Language assessments are often framed as benign mechanisms needed to objectively classify people's linguistic proficiencies. In this article, I argue for the need to critically re-examine how purportedly objective institutional language assessments and our participation in them deceptively reify historical and contemporary inequities. I offer the…

English language education policy is deployed strategically as an instrument to address wider national policy objectives in most emerging nations. In universities, policy enactment at institutional and classroom levels hinges on the development of a qualified and skilled English teaching workforce. The continued dominance of linear discourses of…

With the 2015 passage of the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA), the oversight of language policy in U.S. schools shifted from federal to state governance. Although the education of students officially designated as English learners (ELs) has historically been grounded in federal law, we argue that ELs' educational experiences are also…

These are the appendixes for the report, "English Proficiency and the Pandemic: How Texas English Learner Students Fared during the COVID-19 Pandemic. REL 2023-144." This study examined levels of English proficiency before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among English learner students in grades 3-12 in Texas. In 2020-2021, nearly…

This study aimed to examine the impact of workplace literacy programs on the structure of social networks accessible to low-income Somali refugee workers. We conceptualized structure as network size and tie strength. Data were drawn using interviews with eighteen participants enrolled in a workplace literacy program. The classes offered included…

Determining whether an English learner with significant cognitive disabilities should participate in an alternate English language proficiency (alt-ELP) assessment is a challenge for Individualized Education Program teams. Although some states provide guidelines for making the decision, many do not. The purpose of this resource is to provide…

School and district officials responsible for assessing the English Language Proficiency (ELP) of newcomer students (those who are new to formal schooling in the United States) face a dilemma with regards to timing and multiple assessments when those newcomers arrive later in the school year. To determine what states are providing in their Every…

Schools in the United States serve a linguistically diverse population of students. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 9.1 percent of public school students in the United States were English learners (ELs) in 2014-2015. These are students who meet the federal definition of English learners, referred to in the Individuals with…

This policy brief addresses the question: How long does it take English learners (ELs) to attain English proficiency and exit EL services? The researchers analyzed statewide longitudinal data from students who entered Oregon schools as ELs in kindergarten between 2006-07 and 2012-13. Using discrete-time survival analysis, the results of this study…