English-language learners in special education programs in one district had significantly lower English-proficiency scores than the average for all ELL students, a study found.
The study, issued in August by the Regional Education Laboratory Northeast and Islands, focused on the relationships among 2010-11 ELL student characteristics, ELL programs, and achievement in an urban Connecticut district where more than 10 percent of students were English-learners. It noted challenges to ELL students in special education—such as the risk of remaining in ELL programs indefinitely—and called for more research on the relationship between English proficiency and special education.
