Spellings Issues Final Regulations for Testing of English-Learners

The Department of Education published final rules for testing English-language learners under the No Child Left Behind Act and including those scores in accountability decisions that differ little from proposed regulations published more than two years ago.

The biggest change is that the final regulations define a “recently arrived” English-language learner as a student with limited English proficiency who has attended schools in the United States for 12 months or less, rather than 10 months or less, which was the case with the proposed regulations.

“We’re going to stand strong on accountability,” Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said in a conference call with reporters on Sept. 13, the same day the regulations were published in the Federal Register . “We’re not...