Full Report - Center for Collaborative Education

B What Are the Characteristics
of Student Populations
Defined by English Proficiency?
Demographic characteristics such as gender, race,
and income have been amply documented as
important factors in educational outcomes. Among
English language learners, proficiency in English
is also a key variable as are the rate of mobility
and the presence of disabilities. In this section we
present the individual characteristics of English proficient
students and of students of limited English
proficiency. We focus also on the characteristics
that have been shown in the literature to be of importance
in relation to the educational achievement
of ELLs and for which there were data available
through the sources of administrative data used in
this study.
For example, the effect of gender has been well
documented in the literature on school achievement,
where in some cases it has been found to
favor females and on others males (Brown, Nguyen,
& Stephenson, 2010; Callahan, Wilkinson, & Muller,
2010; Rumberger & Thomas, 2000; Wang, Niemi,
& Wang, 2007). Similarly, poverty status is one of
the strongest predictors of academic achievement
(Braun, Jenkins, & Grigg, 2006; Hao & Bonstead-
Bruns, 1998; Lee & Smith, 1999; Werblow &
Duesbery, 2009) as it affects not only schooling but
also a student’s health status, nutrition, and the
resources available to the student. 6 In most cases,
the “income status” of students is determined
by their “eligibility for free and reduced lunch,”
a federal program available to families whose
household income is at or below 130% and 185%,
respectively, of the federal poverty guidelines (U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 2009). Closely related
to income status as a factor in academic achievement
is a student’s geographic mobility –that is, his/
her change of schools due to the family’s physical
move within a school year (Rumberger & Palardy,
2005; Rumberger & Thomas, 2000).
Race is also a well-documented marker of school
achievement, both on its own and in its interaction
with poverty and immigrant status in the life of
students (see Kao & Thompson, 2003 for a review).
Most researchers studying educational outcomes for
ELL students rely on country of origin and/or ethnicity
and/or native language, which in the case of
immigrant students provides additional information
beyond just the race variable. 7 But going beyond
the descriptors and on to an understanding of the
student’s proficiency in English is critical to assess
the educational outcomes of these students. Common
sense, as well as the research (Dawson & Williams,
2008; Hao & Bonstead-Bruns, 1998; Wang et
al., 2007), points to a strong relationship between
English proficiency and educational outcomes, particularly
when educational achievement is measured
in English. In spite of this knowledge, reporting of
most testing results at the district, state, and federal
levels is not disaggregated by English proficiency
level, thereby obscuring the true understanding of
the achievement (and lack thereof) of ELLs.
Finally, we examine whether a student has been determined
to be a student with disabilities. Research
on achievement among ELL students (Wang et al.,
2007) has found that special education status is significant
although this variable is sometimes difficult
to interpret as a result of the overrepresentation of
ELL students in special education referrals (Hosp &
Reschly, 2004). We include it here.
Table 4 presents selected characteristics of all BPS
students, of students of limited English proficiency
indicating those differences between LEP and
EP students that are statistically significant. (For
characteristics of sub-groups of English proficiency
students see Appendix 2.)
Students of limited English proficiency show a higher
proportion of males than females (53.6% are
males) and a high (87.3%) proportion of students
of low income. The vast majority (95.6%) classify
themselves as non-white; the highest number identify
themselves as Latino (59.4%), followed by Black
(20.4%). Close to 13% of LEP students changed
schools in SY2009 and 18.7% were determined to
be students with disabilities.
In terms of native or first language, Spanish is the
most prevalent first language of LEP students in
BPS. Their proportion, however, declined slightly
between SY2006 and SY2009. Spanish is the most
prevalent native language in BPS after English.
Native Spanish speakers represent a vast array of
nationalities, races, and experiences. The most
prevalent nationalities of Spanish speakers in the
Boston area are Puerto Rican (who are also U.S.
citizens), Dominicans, Salvadorans, and Colombians.
These groups contain a mix of generations of
immigrants and a mix of immigrant statuses, including
large numbers of both U.S. citizens/permanent
residents and undocumented.
14 Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools