Patterns of English learner student reclassification in New York City public schools

Title:	Patterns of English learner student reclassification in New York City public schools
Description:	This study was designed to describe patterns in reclassification from English learner to English proficient, how the patterns changed over time as students spent more time in New York City (NYC) schools, and how reclassification patterns differed by specific student characteristics. The study utilized existing administrative data for seven cohorts of students who entered New York City public schools as English learner students between the 2003/04 and 2010/11 school years. The seven cohorts were followed for periods ranging from two to nine years, through the 2011/12 school year. The analytic sample included 229,249 students who were initially classified as English learner students. The first research question used the subset of data for students who entered NYC schools as English learner students in kindergarten, with the goal of comparing the probability of reclassification as it changed over grade levels, through the end of grade 7. The second research question used these data combined with the data on students who entered after kindergarten to facilitate comparisons in time to reclassification between students who entered at different grade levels. To address the three student characteristics of interest (grade of entry, initial English proficiency, and disability status), three separate, parallel models were used to investigate the relationship between time to reclassification and each characteristic individually. In the analyses for both research questions, discrete-time survival analyses were used to estimate the probability of reclassification as it changed over time. Approximately half of the students who entered kindergarten in New York City public schools as English learner students were reclassified within four years (that is, by the end of their expected grade 3 year). English learner students who entered New York City public schools in grade 6 or 7 took a year longer to become reclassified than English learner students who entered in kindergarten.
Online Availability:	Download, view and print the report as a pdf file. (601KB)
Cover Date:	October 2016
Web Release:	October 13, 2016
Print Release:	October 13, 2016
Publication #:	REL 2017200 General Ordering Information
Center/Program:	REL
Associated Centers:	NCEE
Authors:	Michael J. Kieffer: New York University; Caroline E. Parker: Education Development Center, Inc.
Type of Product:	Making Connections
Keywords:	English Language Learners (ELL) English Language Proficiency Public Schools States Students • limited English proficiency, with
Questions:	For questions about the content of this Making Connections, please contact: Amy Johnson.