Understanding Trends and Heterogeneity in English Learner Students’ Access to English Language Arts in Middle and High School

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early Career Scholars and Their Work

Abstract

Understanding Trends and Heterogeneity in English Learner Students’ Access to English Language Arts in Middle and High School

In Oregon, English learner-classified students (ELs) are between two and eight times less likely than non-ELs to be enrolled in English language arts (ELA) coursework each year of high school. Yet these courses offer fundamental academic content and are required for graduation. Hence exclusion from ELA may contribute to large achievement and graduation rate gaps between ELs and non-ELs. With this poster, I present preliminary findings regarding (1) the extent to which ELs’ take fewer ELA classes and how ELA access varies for different students and in different contexts, and (2) the impact of ELs’ ELA access on academic achievement and graduation. This study draws upon longitudinal data from the state of Oregon and uses rigorous quantitative methods including coarsened exact matching and hierarchical linear modeling. The study promises to contribute to theory and understanding of tracking and opportunity to learn, specifically as they relate to ELs, just as it also will build understanding of how to address equity barriers and expand ELs’ learning opportunities at the secondary level.

Author

• Ilana Marice Umansky, University of Oregon