English Learners

English Learners’ Proficiency Scores Are Still in Decline, Data Find

By Ileana Najarro — April 30, 2024 5 min read
Elementary students in a computer lab
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

English learners’ average English-language proficiency scores have remained in decline since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new assessment data from the WIDA consortium.

The WIDA consortium, which runs the ACCESS online language assessment, reported that average scores from 2023 across grade-level clusters remain lower than pre-pandemic averages. Pronounced declines appeared in grades 1-2. Scores from the assessment are an important component of how students exit out of English-learner status in close to 40 states.

An analysis by WIDA researchers published in a report this month also found disparities in scores worsened between English learners identified as Hispanic and non-Hispanic since the pandemic’s start.

Research was coming out, especially during the pandemic, that was talking about how English learners in general were at risk of being impacted by the pandemic because of a lot of issues. They included access to remote instruction, access to technology, and access to social interaction with peers, said Narék Sahakyan, a researcher for WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research who co-authored the new report.

While Sahakyan and other researchers advise educators to review their local context of how well English learners performed on their language assessment, the national overview paints an alarming picture, said Amaya Garcia, the director of P–12 research and practice at the think tank New America. She did not participate in the WIDA report.

“It points to a need for more research and unpacking of how those federal recovery dollars were utilized and if this was a population that ended up being overlooked,” Garcia said. “I think it also points to the continued struggle to ensure that all teachers are equipped to support the language development of their English-learner students.”

Declines in proficiency with some hope for growth found in new data

The 2023 ACCESS online assessment data provide a clearer picture of how English learners have fared in language proficiency since the pandemic’s start, given that in 2021, about 30 percent fewer English learners took the test, making comparisons back then hard to analyze.

Now that 1.9 million students took the 2023 test (compared with pre-pandemic highs of 1.5 million test-takers) researchers say that the 2021 estimated declines in proficiency perhaps underestimated how far scores fell, Sahakyan said.

When breaking down scores by the four language domains assessed (reading, listening, speaking, writing) researchers found that proficiency in reading and speaking has remained relatively consistent over the last six years. Listening has declined especially in the early-elementary grades. Writing was already on a downward trend before the pandemic and remained in decline across grade-level clusters.

One silver lining in the analysis found that while students in grades 1-2 saw lower average scores in proficiency, they were also the one group to show more growth in 2023.

“That’s one indicator that educators are working to support all students, especially the ones that are coming in at lower proficiency and that’s super important,” said Glenn Alan Poole, a project assistant on the WIDA report. “Especially because while English learners are acquiring English, they’re also still expected to learn academic content, and some of those students are remaining in [English learner] status for longer times into middle school and even high school.”

These younger students are critical to observe as they develop their English-language proficiency since these were children who likely missed preschool and other opportunities to develop the English language at the onset of the pandemic, Garcia said.

The latest analysis of assessment data also marked the first time WIDA researchers disaggregated results by the categories of Hispanic and non-Hispanic English learners. More than two-thirds of the nation’s English learners are Hispanic. ,According to the WIDA analysis, these students reported lower average English-language proficiency than their non-Hispanic peers.

This disaggregated finding didn’t necessarily shock Garcia.

“The needs of Latino students haven’t always been prioritized because there’s so many competing priorities. The way the [Latino] parents engage is different. The way advocacy looks is a little bit different. And so those data to me indicate that Hispanic [English learners] are being particularly underserved,” she said.

Researchers point to introspective questions educators can ask and things they can do when thinking about how to turn these scores around.

How educators can help English learners

Sahakyan and Poole both urge educators to review their specific students’ ACCESS online assessment scores in their local context, such as reviewing the specific language instructional programs they offer.

Educators can review how students fared in dual-language classroom settings versus traditional targeted language instruction outside of mainstream classrooms, for instance.

They also recommend educators take further steps to disaggregate data by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

“If I was a public school or district administrator or policymaker, I would really focus my efforts in trying to see how large the disparities are, by whatever measure of socioeconomic status that the school or the district may have within the English-learner population, but also for the general student population, and try to come up with some interventions or some remedies,” Sahakyan said.

Garcia also recommends educators review how well they are integrating language instruction in all subject areas and mainstream classrooms. Professional development programs in the last few years have emphasized the importance of this integration, however, putting research into practice has not yet taken a sweeping hold, she added.

“I would recommend that [educators] really interrogate their policies and practices to really understand, are we treating the needs of English learners as an add-on? Or is it something that we’re integrating holistically into the ethos of the way our schools operate?” Garcia said.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

English Learners Opinion Teacher Tips for Supporting English Learners
Students' stress over learning a new language in a new environment can affect their academic success. Proper support can ease that.
11 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
English Learners English Learners With Disabilities: The Rules Schools Have to Follow
Schools can't force English learners with disabilities to choose between special ed. and language instruction—and other tips from OCR.
4 min read
Photo of teacher and blind student using braille slate.
E+
English Learners Q&A A Teacher Makes the Case for Using AI With English Learners
Sarah Said teaches her high school English learners how to responsibly use AI tools for language learning.
4 min read
Image of the concept of AI integrated into the classroom.
Stephanie Shafer for Education Week
English Learners No, the Arrival of English Learners Doesn't Hurt Other Students, a Study Finds
A new study reviewed any spillover effects of the growing immigrant student population in Delaware.
5 min read
GettyImages 1402013281
iStock/Getty