Evaluating the Effects of Reclassification from the Four-Hour English Language Development Block in Arizona: A Regression Discontinuity Approach

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Language, Policy, and Possibility: Reimagining Educational Futures for Multilingual Learners

Abstract

Developing English language proficiency—a valuable form of human capital for English Learning (EL) students—is influenced by numerous policy levers and mechanisms. One such policy lever is the placement of proficiency cut scores used to reclassify EL students. I implemented a fuzzy regression discontinuity design to evaluate the placement of grade 3-8 AZELLA proficiency cut points and examined reclassification's causal effects on EL students’ AzMERIT ELA and Mathematics test scores. Three years of student-level data from a large district in Arizona (2016-17 to 2018-2019, n=3,500) were used in the analysis. Results indicate that EL reclassification had no effect on AzMERIT ELA or mathematics test scores, suggesting that the proficiency cut scores during the study years were optimally placed.

Author

• Lindsey A. Brown, Arizona State University