While the latest California School Dashboard shows modest progress for English learners and Long-Term English Learners (LTELs), the data makes clear that much more needs to be done to improve student outcomes. Statewide, English learners continue to perform in the orange performance band in English Language Arts (ELA) and Science, while LTELs remain in the red performance band across Math, ELA, and Science, and orange for Chronic Absenteeism. Under the state’s updated differentiated assistance criteria, which considers three years of outcome data, 74 school districts (8%) and 12 county offices of education (21%) have been identified for support.
Notably, LTELs were among the top three student groups driving identification across both districts and county offices of education. For these county offices, identification was primarily driven by the College/Career Readiness Indicator and Graduation Rates, while district identification was largely driven by academic performance in ELA and Math. Together, these findings highlight the continued need for stronger, more targeted support for English learners and Long-Term English Learners.
At Californians Together, we believe that identifying districts and county offices for support is only the first step. As education leaders engage in differentiated assistance, they must prioritize evidence-based, asset-centered strategies tailored to English learners and LTELs, including expertise in Designated and Integrated English Language Development (ELD) and expanded access to multilingual education.
Geo-Regional Experts for Multilingual Students also have an important role in helping COEs deliver consistent, high-quality support to districts across the state. These findings further highlight the need for greater state investment in implementing the California English Learner Roadmap. While the anticipated release of a statewide implementation plan for the California English Learner Roadmap Policy in November is an important step, our state needs continued investments in capacity building, professional development, and implementation to ensure that the roadmap’s vision becomes a reality for English learners and Long-Term English Learners in classrooms across California.