Effects of English Learner Reclassification Policies on Academic Trajectories

Abstract

In California 38% of students are either current or former English Learners (ELs). A crucial decision in their educational trajectory is when to reclassify ELs. Upon reclassification, ELs cease to receive language supports, but have more opportunities to take the same courses as fluent English speakers. This paper uses regression discontinuity in California’s two largest school districts to ask: “Are ELs being reclassified at the right time?” In most cases the districts were reclassifying students appropriately, with no discontinuity for outcomes including test scores and graduation on time. Exceptions in which those meeting the reclassification criteria subsequently performed worse were resolved with Los Angeles’s newer reclassification policy.