English Proficiency and the Pandemic: How Did English Learners Fare During COVID?

• In Event: Division H Vice-Presidential Session. English Language Proficiency: Interrogating Impacts

Abstract

This study examined how English proficiency differed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among Texas English learner students. This study focused on English proficiency among 2020/21 students compared with a matched cohort of 2018/19 students. The authors determine whether students who took the proficiency test during the pandemic were representative of the overall English learner population and explore reclassification rate trends, shedding light on how the pandemic shaped English learner populations. Findings describe differences in English proficiency during the pandemic compared to similar students before the pandemic, specifically, in which domains and grade levels there were increases or decreases in expected proficiency levels. This study shows how the disrupted learning environments children experienced during the pandemic influenced language proficiency.

Authors

• Lisa B. Hsin, American Institutes for Research
  Non-Presenting Author

• Amie Rapaport, Gibson Consulting Group
  Non-Presenting Author

• David J. Osman, Gibson Consulting
  Presenting Author

• Mitchell Kilborn, Gibson Consulting Group
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ashley Pierson, American Institutes for Research
  Presenting Author

• Rachel Garrett, American Institutes for Research
  Non-Presenting Author