Language Acquisition Trajectories of English Learner Students in California: Examining Student and School Factors

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  In Roundtable Session: Variations in Second Language Use and Acquisition Across Contexts

Abstract

In this paper I investigate the patterns of language acquisition of English Learners and the intersection between language acquisition and academic outcomes for 31 elementary schools in California. Using student-level assessment data collected for individual students over a period of three years, the paper examines individual student characteristics including the level of English upon entering school, gender, free and reduced lunch status, parental education, special education status, and also school characteristics that may be associated with positive English language acquisition trajectories. In addition, the paper examines the critical association between English language acquisition in four language domains (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and academic outcomes.

Author

• Renatta Defever, University of California - Davis