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