California is the only state that requires students to meet four separate criteria before exiting English Learner status, and questions about whether those criteria are accessible, consistent, or even necessary have grown across the field. This brief summarizes key findings and recommendations from a study conducted by WestEd and the California Department of Education that examines whether the state’s reclassification criteria are rigorous, fair, and necessary.


The study confirms that California’s primary English language proficiency standard is both rigorous and appropriate but finds that the fourth criterion, which compares students’ basic skills against non– English Learner peers, may be redundant or unfair, particularly for students with disabilities or from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The brief offers actionable recommendations for policymakers, district leaders, and advocates working to ensure that reclassification decisions support access to grade-level learning.

For a complete analysis of the findings, see the full report Finding the Sweet Spot for English Learner Reclassification: A Study of California’s Criteria.