English Language Learner, Emerging Bilingual, or Something Else: The Need for Nuanced Disaggregation in School Accountability Frameworks

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Nuanced Analyses of Data to Improve Bilingual Education

Abstract

Although the Every Student Succeeds Act mandates school accountability frameworks that protect disadvantaged students like English Learners (ELs) through the disaggregation of student test scores, this paper proposes that such disaggregation, if not sufficiently nuanced, may inadvertently hurt the very students it seeks to protect. Through the analysis of one large metro-area’s school accountability framework, this paper suggests that there is a relationship between EL level of English proficiency and school accountability rating that negatively impacts the schools that serve the largest numbers of beginning and intermediate ELs.

Authors

• Kathy Escamilla, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Kim Strong, University of Colorado - Boulder