Reclassifying English Learners

Authors: Mingyan Ma & Marcus A. Winters 

Project Summary

English learners (ELs) represent a large and rapidly growing proportion of U.S. public school students. Once ELs demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency, they are reclassified and begin receiving general education instruction without supplemental language supports in place. The reclassification process has major implications for policymakers, educators, and the families of ELs. To better understand how this process influences the academic experiences of ELs, the authors of this study use data from Indiana to examine the causal effects of EL reclassification on later student outcomes, including test scores and attendance rates.

Key Findings

EL reclassification in middle grades leads to:

• A negative impact on ELA and math test scores and attendance rates in the first year as a non-EL
• A return to ELA and math test score growth in subsequent years at lower rates than before
• A continued decline in attendance rates in subsequent years

Policy Implications

The results indicate a need for policymakers to focus particularly on the transition students make when first being reclassified as a non-EL. Strategies aimed toward easing ELs’ transition to a general education environment serve as a potential tool that policymakers could use to remediate the negative impact on test scores and attendance rates that former ELs tend to experience in their first year without linguistic supports.