More than a third of Utah 10th graders who scored high enough on the state’s regular English-content tests to exit English-language-learner programs failed to pass the same hurdle on proficiency tests designed for ELLs, according to a study by the federal Institute of Education Sciences.
To get out of special programs to learn English in Utah, ELLs must score at the “advanced” level on the state’s English-proficiency test while also scoring in the top three of six categories on the regular English-content test. The study found that in 2008-09, 33 percent of ELLs in 10th grade met the first requirement and that 42 percent of ELLs in the same grade met the second.
