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ERIC Number: EJ1344733
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Mar
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0146-9282
EISSN: EISSN-2573-7686
Available Date: N/A
Fifty Definitions of English Learner: A Proposed Solution to Inconsistent State-by-State Systems in the United States for Classifying Students Who Speak English as a Second Language
Straubhaar, Rolf; Portes, Pedro R.
Educational Considerations, v48 n1 Article 5 Mar 2022
Although nearly one in 10 U.S. students is an English Learner (or EL), the definition of the term EL varies considerably from state to state, as does the means of assessing English language proficiency and the period of time for which the label is applied to individual students. As EL populations are growing throughout the U.S., both in school systems familiar with teaching ELs and in systems that do not have such experience, it is urgent that the methods by which this population is identified and by which its needs are met in acquiring English language proficiency are backed up by evidence and, ideally, standardized at the national level. In this article, after reviewing the current decentralized climate of EL identification, classification and reclassification, we propose a new definition of English Learner that both resolves inconsistencies in current state-level practices and would include many practicing ELs who are often excluded from current state-level definitions.
Kansas State University, College of Education. Available from: New Prairie Press. Kansas State University Libraries, 1117 Mid-Campus Drive North, Manhattan, KS 66506. Tel: 785-532-7444; e-mail: nppress@ksu.edu; Web site: http://newprairiepress.org/edconsiderations/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A