Former English Learners Outperform English-only Peers On Texas’ State Assessments

After a two-year pause, both testing and school accountability are back in full swing and states have started releasing students’ results. These data will help policymakers, advocates, educators, and parents learn more about the impact pandemic had on students’ learning, including English learners (ELs). Texas recently published its 2022 State Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) results where students showed gains from last year with one group standing out in particular– former English learners (ELs).

Former ELs in Texas are students who have reached English proficiency and have been reclassified which means they are no longer required to receive language support services. While each state has its own reclassification criteria, federal law requires that these students be monitored for up to two years even if they are no longer officially “ELs”. In Texas, former ELs are monitored for four years, and importantly, their performance on the STAAR is disaggregated from current ELs which allows for a clear picture of their achievement to emerge from the data. And as the state assessment data show, former ELs perform significantly better on STAAR during these four years compared to their non-EL peers.

Specifically, in 2022, former ELs outperformed their non-EL peers in math and reading in grades 4, 5, and 6 (Tables 1 and 2) and in science in grade 5 (Table 3). Additionally, the data show that students in bilingual programs tended to do better when assessed in both Spanish and English compared to English learners in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. However, this data point is not disaggregated by EL-status which means we cannot see how many of the students in bilingual programs are current versus former ELs. Lastly, while assessment rates were lower than usual last year raising concerns about the validity of the data, this year Texas’s participation rate reached 98 percent.

Table 1. Percent of Former English Learners in Grades 4, 5, and 6, Scoring ‘Approaches’ on the 2022 Math STAAR During Years 1–4 of Monitoring, Compared to Non-ELs

Table 2. Percent of Former English Learners in Grades 4, 5, and 6, Scoring ‘Approaches’ on the 2022 Reading STAAR During Years 1–4 of Monitoring, Compared to Non-ELs

Table 3. Percent of Former English Learners in Grades 5 Scoring ‘Approaches’ on the 2022 Science STAAR During Years 1–4 of Monitoring, Compared to Non-ELs

These findings offer a positive outlook for ELs and run counter to the predominant deficit-oriented narrative about the academic capabilities of these students. Usually, attention is focused on the consistent “gap that won’t go away” between English learners and their non-EL peers on state tests, but as these data show, there is more to the story. Data on former ELs provides a more holistic picture of linguistically diverse students’ capabilities, information which may help shift educator mindsets about what these students can achieve.

While it is difficult to pin-point the reason behind the performance leap, recent research suggests that once the “EL” label is removed, students’ self-efficacy increases and teacher perceptions of students’ abilities shift, both of which could contribute to higher academic achievement. Another possible explanation for ELs’ high performance after reclassification could be linked to Texas’s bilingual mandate.

Since 1973, all Texas public elementary schools enrolling 20 or more ELs in a given grade have been required to provide bilingual instruction. Bilingual education programs, when implemented well, help children develop a better understanding of our multicultural worlds. Cultural awareness and understanding supports all students’ ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with their peers which is critical to their academic success and future careers. Additionally, research has shown that dual immersion programs support long-term student achievement and can promote higher rates of reclassification. This asset-based approach to educating ELs requires teachers to recognize the wealth of knowledge ELs come to school with, even if that knowledge is in another language.

Former ELs outperforming their non-EL peers is not unique to Texas, however, not every state is set up to collect and disaggregate the data necessary to tell this story. States should ensure they have the data collection infrastructure necessary to collect and report data for former ELs which often means going beyond what is legally required. Illinois, for example, not only collects data on former ELs for the entirety of their student’s K–12 educational experience, but they also include this data in their accountability system–neither of which is required by federal law.

As we think about the upcoming school year and the millions of culturally and linguistically diverse students that will enter understaffed and under-resourced school buildings, having data that provides a comprehensive look at both current and former ELs can help educators and policymakers tailor programs and services to students with the most need.

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