NCREL Policy Issues
Issue 21, December 2005
Using Data To Understand
the Academic Performance of
English Language Learners
Drew H. Gitomer, Ph.D., Jolynne Andal, Ph.D., and Derek Davison
Because of educational accountability demands, districts and states are required to collect and report certain kinds of information about English language learner (ELL) students. In general, these summaries report on the numbers of ELL students and how well they are performing on statewide measures of achievement—information that fulfills external accountability pressures. This edition of Policy Issues has been developed to provide perspectives on how information that is already being collected can be analyzed and reported in ways that support the internal information needs of educational systems. Specifically, by using relatively straightforward approaches to analyzing their data, districts and states can better address and convey answers to the following:
- What are the background characteristics of the ELL students in the school, district, or state?
- Are background characteristics of ELL students related to how well they progress academically?
- Are particular aspects of the educational program, including how instruction is organized and characteristics of teachers, related to student outcomes?
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