Achievement Difference Between LEP Students Versus Non- LEP Students

Abstract

This paper examines if there is a significant difference in academic achievement for English language learners in Reading and Mathematics in three different school districts in Illinois and what programs are needed for Limited English Proficient (LEP ) students to close the achievement gap to be college ready. Data for this study was obtained from the archived Illinois Standards Achievement Test( ISAT) results data on the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) website. The electronic data was retrieved from three district achievements records in the subject areas of reading, and mathematics from 2012 to 2014 for 4 th and 7 th grades. The districts researched were City of Chicago SD 299, North Chicago SD 187, and Chicago Ridge SD 127. The aggregated nature of this data allows only a descriptive comparison of LEP versus Non-LEP ISAT performance. The findings of this study show that LEP students are far behind Non-LEP students in meeting the standards of the ISAT and therefore in their readiness for college. To remediate this gap, a variety of programs are provided, by law, in public schools to assist LEP students to learn English and to be more successful in meeting classroom requirements.