English learners are significantly more likely to exit out of language services they no longer need when states automatically reclassify them, according to a new study.
Typically, states set the criteria—such as standardized-test scores—to determine English proficiency. Teachers then recommend students for reclassification, initiating a review process in which school and district administrators verify whether students meet state benchmarks.
Researchers studying English-learner reclassification rates in Michigan found that under such a manual procedure, students meeting state criteria weren’t always exiting, said Caroline Bartlett, an assistant professor of education policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the lead author of the study published in the Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis journal earlier this year.
In 2020, Michigan switched to an automatic reclassification policy, allowing state systems to identify which students are eligible based on test data, while still letting schools provide any additional rationale as to why a student shouldn’t be reclassified if needed. It’s unclear how many states use a similar procedure.
After the change in Michigan, students who met the criteria were 35 percentage points more likely to reclassify, Bartlett found.
“[Previously,] Spanish speakers who met reclassification criteria were less likely than other English learners to reclassify. Automatic reclassification has reduced those disparities,” she said.
Ensuring English learners exit language services when ready is key for their access to rigorous grade-level content, researchers said.
Why reclassification matters for English learners
When reclassifying English learners, educators should be trying to maximize both access to and quality of educational opportunities, said Molly Faulkner-Bond, a senior associate for the Center for Assessment, who has studied English-learner reclassification for years but was not a part of the Michigan study.
Past research in states like California has found that English-learner status did not always translate to students’ academic outcomes improving.
“Sometimes, people overinterpret if a student is still struggling academically; they assume that the reason for that is their language proficiency and not constricted opportunities to learn,” Faulkner-Bond said.
Other past research has found that the longer students are classified as English learners, the more restricted their access to advanced coursework and mainstream classes becomes, Bartlett said.
Conversely, it’s important that English learners still in need of language support do not exit out too early, she added.
How an auto-exit helps English learners
Bartlett and her co-authors reviewed years of student-assessment data prior to and after Michigan’s reclassification-policy change.
They found that the automatic procedure can help “ensure that students who demonstrate English proficiency have access to a learning environment that is suited to their needs,” Bartlett said.
Other studies have found that automatic reclassification can address subjective decisions that often keep students in English-learner status. Teachers cite behavior issues or students’ shyness in class as reasons not to reclassify then, Bartlett said.
While shifting to automatic reclassification can work, Faulkner-Bond added that it’s important for states to review their reclassification criteria first.
Over the last decade, many states have removed the use of additional and subjective criteria for reclassifying English learners, opting instead to focus on language-proficiency test scores, said Faulkner-Bond.
Recently, California legislators have introduced legislation this year to both streamline state criteria for reclassification and establish an automatic reclassification process. The bill is currently in committee.
Another solution to eliminating disparities that come from low English-learner reclassification rates lies in improving English-learner programs and opportunities.
“If English learners are getting outstanding educational opportunities in English-learner status, it doesn’t matter as much when they exit or whether they exit, because it won’t change their access or opportunities,” she said.
