69ý

Every Student Succeeds Act What the Research Says

Some States’ Goals for English-Learners ‘Purely Symbolic’

By Corey Mitchell — February 25, 2020 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

English-language-learner education policies nationwide remain “disjointed and inaccessible to local education officials, teachers, and education advocates” more than four years after the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, finds a new Migration Policy Institute report.

Researchers gauged ESSA plans for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, analyzing policies that affect students’ English-language-acquisition journey, their academic achievement as a student subgroup, and their inclusion in state accountability systems. It found disparate state timelines for English-learners’ progress and dozens of state plans that do little to hold schools responsible for the performance of their English-learners.

“In terms of academic achievement, more often than not, long-term goals [for ELLs] were purely symbolic because they rarely played a meaningful role in accountability systems,” the report concludes.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the February 26, 2020 edition of Education Week as Some States’ Goals for English-Learners ‘Purely Symbolic’

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Every Student Succeeds Act Biden Education Department Approves One Request to Cancel State Tests But Rejects Others
Officials will allow D.C. to cancel tests. They denied similar requests from two other states and approved less extensive waiver requests.
6 min read
Image of students taking a test.
smolaw11/iStock/Getty
Every Student Succeeds Act Republicans Tell Miguel Cardona His Plan for ESSA Waivers Seems to Violate the Law
The Every Student Succeeds Act doesn't permit the education secretary to seek certain data he's asking for, the two GOP lawmakers say.
4 min read
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, left, listens as Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, center, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on March 17, 2021.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, left, listens as Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, center, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on March 17, 2021.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Every Student Succeeds Act How Will ESSA Hold Up During COVID-19? Pandemic Tests the Law's Resilience
Lawmakers designed ESSA to limit mandates covering issues like how tests are used. Will that affect how well the law survives the pandemic?
6 min read
President Barack Obama, flanked by Senate education committee Chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., left, and the committee's ranking member Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., signs the Every Student Succeeds Act on Dec. 10, 2015.
President Barack Obama signs the Every Student Succeeds Act on Dec. 10, 2015, in Washington.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Every Student Succeeds Act Betsy DeVos Tells States Not to Expect Waivers From Annual Tests
The tests required by federal law are crucial to helping schools respond to the coronavirus pandemic and help vulnerable students, the education secretary said in a letter to chief state school officers.
3 min read