With nearly 5 million English learners in U.S. schools, the academic progress of these students matters to all educators: administrators, teachers, and EL specialists alike. One of the most common questions about English learners is how quickly progress should be expected both in language acquisition and in reaching grade level standards.
Many students pick up a fair amount of conversational English in a short time and most become fluent in social English in 1-3 years. But the academic English found in texts, on tests, and in lessons is far more complex, less concrete, and more abstract than social language. Academic language is often referred to as the language of school because it exists almost exclusively in academic settings. It’s unlikely that many students experience high levels of academic language outside of school. For example, few students are expected to synthesize information or speak in passive voice in their everyday lives.
Research tells us that academic English proficiency can take, on average, 4 to 7 years to acquire. However, every individual learns in her or his own unique way and learner variability is expected. So, some English learners will advance academically more rapidly than others, perhaps even making significant progress in fewer than 4 years, while others will need a full 7 years. Our role as educators is to have high expectations for all English learners and to create a challenging yet supportive educational environment. In this way, we ensure that all students develop strong academic skills so that they are able to read, write, and access the content of disciplinary areas such as math and science. We need to keep our eye on the goal of academic success for English learners.
However, administrators and teachers may be tempted to fall back on the often cited “4 to 7 years” to justify poor academic progress of their English learners. It may be accepted when, for instance, English learners in elementary schools enter in kindergarten and still have not reached English proficiency by 4thgrade because “we know it takes 4-7 years to develop proficiency.” This should not be the case – at any grade. Every day is an opportunity to nudge our English learners forward, to accelerate their learning. There is no time to be complacent. English learners need support, scaffolds, modeling and guidance as they navigate the developmental process of learning a new language, but the time involved in that process should not become an excuse for lack of sufficient academic and linguistic progress.
Emily Francis is a perfect example of why we should hold high expectations for English learners and provide the support they need. She came to the U.S. from Guatemala at age 15 with a 6thgrade education. Although she was 15, she had gaps in her education because she sometimes missed school in Guatemala to work and help support her family. She was placed in high school when she arrived in the U.S. and achieved academic English proficiency in a year and a half. Today she is a dedicated, dynamic ESL teacher. To hear her tell her amazing story, please see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNYdZuBlmKI&feature=youtu.be
In her interview, Emily cites two ways that teachers can help English learners succeed, including those with limited or interrupted education and long-term English learners. She says:
- Tap into students’ potential. Recognize students’ assets and discover what they are passionate about. Highlight what they can do and build on what they bring.
- Engage families. Honor their parenting styles and their values rather than signaling that something is inadequate or needs to change. When families are accepted for who they are, they will be willing participants in school.
In my experience, there is another obstacle that holds some English learners back from meeting their potential and that is the reclassification criteria for “testing out” of EL designation. English learners may meet the criteria for speaking and listening but get hung up on reading and/or writing. Here are some suggestions for accelerating students’ acquisition of academic English:
- Encourage students to take ownership of their learning by reviewing proficiency test results with each student individually. Let them know their profiles and explain which domains of language and literacy they need to work on to pass proficiency testing. For example, if a student knows that he needs to boost his writing score, he may be motivated to focus on improving his writing. By being clued in to their own performance and areas of need, students are more likely to take ownership of their learning.
- Inform parents. Many families of English learners aren’t aware of how they system works and that proficiency testing results impact their child’s educational program. Be explicit in the ways that families can assist at home. For example, if the student needs to improve in reading, ask parents for help at home. Also, notify parents of the testing dates to ensure attendance.
- Invite former English learners from high school to explain to upper elementary and middle grade students that they will have more electives and class choices if they test out of EL status, since required English language development classes are often taken in place of electives. Peers are tremendous motivators because they have credibility; they’ve been in the same situation as the younger English learners.
- Emphasize the importance of taking proficiency testing seriously. Some English learners become bored with testing year after year and don’t try their best. They don’t understand that it is a high-stakes test that can impact their educational career. Be honest about it and emphasize to students that they need to do their best.
Emily Francis demonstrates that English learners can attain academic English proficiency in fewer than 4-7 years. We don’t know how many of our students have the potential to reach proficiency more rapidly than the upper range of 4-7 years but we should have the expectation that all students may be able to, and commit to excellent teaching to get them there.