Reframing Promotion: How Multilingual Learner Tenure and Proficiency Shape Secondary School Progression

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Interrogating Perspectives and Practices in Bilingual Education

Abstract

This study investigates how tenure as a multilingual learner (ML) and English proficiency influence promotion through secondary schools within the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) in Washington, D.C. Analyzing longitudinal data from over 20,900 students across 10 years, regression models reveal complex relationships between GPA, credit accumulation, and designation pathways. Higher English proficiency predicts stronger GPAs but fewer earned credits, while longer ML tenure yields more credits yet lower GPAs, highlighting institutional paradoxes. These patterns, shaped by factors including newcomer vs. LTEL status, race, gender, and immigrant background, challenge dominant definitions of success. Findings urge a reevaluation of classification policies and promote equity-driven reforms, like expanding access to rigorous coursework and reframing achievement metrics to better serve MLs.

Author

• Simone Wilkinson, DC Public Schools