Just nine states met all of their federal goals for helping English-language learners make progress in learning the language and reaching academic targets in mathematics and reading from 2008 to 2010, a report from the U.S. Department of Education says.
That’s a drop from 11 states that met all their goals for ELLs in the 2007-08 school year, and an even bigger slide backward from 2006-07, when 17 states (a record high) reached all the academic benchmarks they set for English-learners in three areas specified by the law: progress in learning English, attainment of fluency, and demonstration of proficiency on state content tests in reading and math.
The new data appear in a report to Congress on the progress of the federal Title III program, which supports language-acquisition instruction and services for ELLs. Under Title III rules, each state sets its own goals for measuring English-learners’ academic progress and growth toward language proficiency.
