How Long Does It Take English Learners to Attain Proficiency?
Author: Hakuta, K., Butler, Y. G., & Witt, G.
Publisher: UC Linguistic Minority Research Institute
Publication Date: 1999, Fall
Journal: UC LMRI Newsletter
Journal Volume: 9(1)
Full text available online at: http://repositories.cdlib.org/lmri/pr/hakuta/
Description (written by WestEd)
This summary of a longer study reports on data from four different school districts to draw conclusions about how long it takes English Learner/Limited English Proficient students to develop oral and academic English proficiency. The author finds that oral proficiency takes a minimum of three to five years to develop, while academic English proficiency can take up to four to seven years. The analysis also revealed a continuing and widening gap between English learners and native English speakers. The report concludes that policies that assume rapid acquisition of English are unrealistic. Instead, the report asserts that the entire span of the elementary grades is a more realistic range for English acquisition.
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From WestEd.org
English Language Proficiency Assessment in the Nation:
Has standardized testing measuring English language proficiency improved since the federal No Child Left Behind Act was passed? Read this report to find out.
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