Data from the 2017 American census shows that the United States is rapidly becoming an increasingly diverse nation, with the number of racial and ethnic minorities growing faster than that of whites. Findings show that the subgroups Asian and people of mixed-race increased by three percent between July 2015 and July 2016, while the subgroup non-Hispanic whites only increased by five thousand people (see here). With the increase in diversity within the United States, there has also been growth in the number of English language learners (ELL), which refers to “students with limited English proficiency” (see here). In 2015 findings showed that there were about five million ELLs enrolled in public schools in the United States, which is approximately 9.5% of all students enrolled (see here).
Image from Sunday World
However, irrespective of the apparent growth in diversity across the nation, the achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL students has remained relatively unchanged. Data from 2013 demonstrated a similar gap in the academic achievement between ELL and non-ELL students to 2003. Over the past 40+ years one of the primary methods for assessing the achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL students has been the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Using a consistent method has enabled researchers to analyze the trends of the number of ELL students in schools, as well as their test scores. The data revealed that ELL students “demonstrated proficiency levels that were 23 to 30 percentage points below their English speaking peers, with only 3 to 4 percent of ELL eighth graders demonstrating proficiency in math or reading” (see here). Additionally, over two-thirds of students in eighth grade received tests scores below basic in math (69%) and reading (70%), and approximately half of the students in fourth grade received tests scores below the basic benchmark (see here).
Further, this disparity in academic achievement between ELLs and non-ELL students and apparent lack of much-needed support has resulted in ELL students having the “lowest rate of graduation of all student subgroups”. In 2015 white students had a graduation rate of 86.6 percent, whereas ELL students had a graduation rate of 61.1 percent (see here).
These grade and graduation rate disparities demonstrate the difficulty of learning the English language while simultaneously learning math, reading, and other school courses. Considering as of 2015 the majority of ELL students were in elementary school, with 16 percent of kindergartners being ELL students, compared to only 4 percent of 12th-graders (see here), it is essential for the achievement gap to be addressed immediately.
With the above findings in mind, it raises the question of what strategies would be most effective for enabling ELL students to have an equal opportunity to learn as non-ELL students. Research suggests that schools with bilingual education substantially aid in narrowing the achievement gap, with students in bilingual learning environments performing better than students in monolingual learning environments (see here). Additionally, three schools that are considered leaders in closing the achievement gap follow a set of strategies that were specifically created and implemented to advance ELL students learning experience effectively. These strategies include; “structuring classes effectively, integrating relevant and challenging content, allowing students to take reasonability for their own learning and encouraging the students to develop a wide range of competencies and skills” (see here).
Overall, it is clear that addressing the achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL students has not been a priority for the United States, with the gap becoming deeply rooted and increasingly challenging to resolve. However, research shows that by 2044 the United States population will consist primarily of people who are considered racial or ethnic minorities (see here). Therefore, the United States has to place a greater focus on adjusting the current United States public school curriculum and strategies for teaching ELL students to more effectively facilitate the academic and future achievement of ELL students.
Post By: Sophie Wood