National Evaluation of Title III Implementation Supplemental Report

Exploring Approaches to Setting English Language Proficiency Performance Criteria and Monitoring English Learner Progress

By: Gary Cook, Robert Linquanti, Marjorie Chinen, Hyekyung Jung

English learners are expected to represent more than 25 percent of all K–12 students nationwide within the next 10 years. With that statistic in mind, the goal of this report is to help state education leaders create stronger assessment and accountability systems for English learners and bolster their applications for waivers from the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law.

Written as part of the national evaluation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title III implementation, the report provides practical methods for setting a meaningful English-language proficiency standard — including a realistic time frame for meeting it — and helps states set sensible academic progress expectations.

Robert Linquanti, Project Director and Senior Research Associate at WestEd, cowrote the report.