A Matter of Time: Variations in High School Course-Taking by Years-as-EL Subgroup

Abstract

English learners (ELs) lag behind their peers in academic achievement and attainment, partly due to limited exposure to academic content. Prior studies that examine high school course-taking find significant course access gaps between ELs and non-ELs but provide little information on the relation between course-taking and time spent as an EL. This study improves upon previous research by addressing this dimension of heterogeneity and reporting detailed by-subject analyses. I use student-level data (N = 41,343) from a unique district in California with a large number of Chinese and Spanish ELs. I find substantial heterogeneity in general and advanced course-taking based on time spent as an EL. But differences disappear once eighth grade test scores are taken into consideration.

The Impact of English Learner Reclassification on High School Reading and Academic Progress

“…As shown by a mature body of course-taking research, 8th grade achievement explains a large part of high school curriculum access (e.g., Conger, Long, & Iatarola, 2009). Recent descriptive research demonstrates that course-taking and credit completion gaps between EL subgroups (e.g., newcomers, long-term ELs) and between ELs and non-ELs develop in the first two semesters of high school and grow larger in later years (Johnson, 2019b). Studies focusing on kindergarten entry or 10th grade reclassification (e.g., Carlson & Knowles, 2016) are unable to account for this pattern as newcomers would not have been assessed in kindergarten and course-taking gaps develop before 10th grade.…”

“…Unlike former ELs who reclassified during earlier grades, long-term ELs continue to struggle with English language and literacy in middle and high school. They also take fewer rigorous courses and perform worse in other academic subjects compared with their EL and non-EL peers (Johnson, 2019b;Olsen, 2010Olsen, , 2014. The instruction and services ELs receive in earlier grades are critical to shaping downstream outcomes, and inadequate support is a major factor contributing to students' remaining in EL status for 5 or more years (Olsen, 2010).…”

“…Improving the quality of curriculum and services to which long-term ELs are exposed may address this problem. In light of the coursetaking gaps found by recent research between long-term ELs and their peers (Johnson, 2019b), the potential positive impact of eighth grade reclassification on long-term ELs' academic attitude and achievement is worth further investigation. Future studies should leverage larger sample sizes to identify differential treatment effects on subgroups within the EL student population.…”

State English learner education policy: A conceptual framework to guide comprehensive policy action

“…Evidence suggests that many EL students do not have equitable access to grade-level core content instruction -either simultaneously or sequentially. This is particularly clear among newcomers and LTELs (Johnson, 2019b) at the middle and high school levels where EL students are disproportionately placed into lower track and remedial classes, enrolled in fewer advanced-level and college preparatory classes, and less likely to be identified for Gifted and Talented programs (Castellano & Frazier, 2010). For example, Callahan (2005) found that less than 2% of EL students in a California high school were enrolled in the classes needed to be eligible to apply to a four-year university.…”

Summer Credit Recovery Impact on Newcomer English Learners

“…Education attainment and achievement data disaggregated by length of residency and prior education are rarely reported, and policy research addressing EL subgroups is scarce. Recent studies also highlight the need to better identify and understand the academic development of subgroups within an ever-EL framework, such as recent immigrant ELs, former ELs who have exited language service, and long-term ELs who still receive service after 5 or more years (e.g., Estrada & Wang, 2018; Jaquet & Fong, 2017; Johnson, 2019c; Kieffer & Thompson, 2018).…”