America's Promise Alliance Community Convention 2016 Prioritizing English Learners: The Right Partnerships, Strategies and Resources Partners of all types and at all levels of the system play a critical role in ensuring English learners receive the support they need to thrive in school and life. As such, federal, state and local partners are working together to effectively implement policies and practices geared toward increasing high school graduation rates and ensuring other successful outcomes for English learners. But what strategies are proving most effective? And what resources are states and communities leveraging and planning to leverage as they continue this work? This diverse panel of experts to discussed these and other critical questions related to better supporting English learners.  Created by Libia Gil, US Department of Education

1. PRIORITIZING ENGLISH LEARNERS
AMERICA’S PROMISE ALLIANCE
OCTOBER 10, 2016, WASHINGTON DC
LIBIA SOCORRO GIL, PH.D.
ASSISTANT DEPUTY SECRETARY AND DIRECTOR, OELA

2. OVERVIEW
• English Learner Profile
 National Growth
 Performance Trend
• Moving Forward
 ESSA and ELs
 Other Resources
2

3. PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NUMBER OF ELs, BY
STATE:
SYs 2004-05 TO 2013-14
3 0116
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, 2008-10 Biennial Report to Congress and Consolidated State Performance
Reports, SYs 2010-11 and 2013-14.

4. NUMBERS OF K-12 ELs: SYs 2002-03 TO 2013-
14
4
Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2010-12 Biennial Report to Congress, and Consolidated State
Performance Reports, SYs 2012-13 and 2013-14.
0116
4,340,006
4,317,002
4,252,376
4,400,100
4,606,371
4,659,143 4,654,675
4,647,016
4,665,488
4,638,534
4,854,470
4,931,996
3,800,000
4,000,000
4,200,000
4,400,000
4,600,000
4,800,000
5,000,000
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
School year
Number of Identified ELs

5. TOP FIVE LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY ELs
NATIONALLY: 2013-14
Oct
2015
Source: EDFacts/Consolidated State Performance Report, 2013-14:
http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/consolidated/index.html.
Language Number of ELs
Spanish 3,770,816
Arabic 100,461
Chinese 99,943
Vietnamese 80,283
Haitian/Haitian
Creole
35,467

6. NATIONAL NAEP GRADE 8 READING
SCORES FOR
ELs and NON-ELs: 1998 TO 2015
262 265 263 262 263 265 266 268 267
217
224 222 224 222 219
223 225 223
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
280
1998 2002 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
Scalescore
Non-ELs ELs
6
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1998, 2002, 2003,
2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015 Reading Assessments.
1215

7. NATIONAL NAEP GRADE 8 MATHEMATICS
SCORES FOR ELs and NON-ELs: 2000 TO
2015
273
278 280 282 284 285 286 284
234
241 244 245 243 244 245 246
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
280
300
2000 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
Scalescore
Non-ELs ELs
7
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000, 2003, 2005,
2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015 Mathematics Assessments.
1215

8. NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
RATES BY RACIAL/ETHNIC CATEGORY: SY
2013-14
8
82.3%
69.6%
89.4%
72.5%
76.3%
87.2%
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
SY 2013-14
Percentage
All students American Indian/Alaska Native Asian/Pacific Islander Black Hispanic White
Source: EDFacts/Consolidated State Performance Report, SYs 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-
13, and 2013-14. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/consolidated/index.html

9. NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
RATES BY STUDENT GROUP: SY 2013-
14
9
82.3%
74.6%
63.1% 62.6%
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
SY 2013-14
Percentage
All students Economically disadvantaged students Students with disabilities ELs
Source: EDFacts/Consolidated State Performance Report, SYs 2010-11, 2011-12,
2012-13, and 2013-14. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/consolidated/index.html
0116

10. TRENDS IN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATION RATES BY STUDENT GROUP
10
79.0%
80.0%
81.0%
82.3%
70.0%
72.0%
73.0%
74.6%
59.0%
61.0%
62.0%
63.1%
57.0%
59.0%
61.1%
62.6%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
SY 2010-11 SY 2011-12 SY 2012-13 SY 2013-14
Percentage
All Students Economically Disadvantaged Students with Disabilities ELs
Source: EDFacts/Consolidated State Performance Report, SYs 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14.
Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/consolidated/index.html
0116

11. MOVING FORWARD

12. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)…”it
creates the opportunity to reclaim the goal of a
well-rounded education for all students: an
education that not only includes strong
numeracy and literacy but access to science,
social studies, the arts, physical education and
health, and the opportunity to learn a second or
third language”.
“The challenge for us, is will we act, will we take
the actions necessary to become who we ought
to be. Let us act with urgency on behalf of the
civil rights of our children, let us ensure that
school is a pathway to opportunity”.John B. King Jr. U.S. Secretary of Education
12

13. LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Identifying and Assessing
• Providing Language Assistance
• Staffing and Supporting
• Providing Meaningful Access
• Avoiding Unnecessary Segregation
• Evaluating EL students for Special Services
• Meeting the needs of Students Who Opt Out of
EL Services
• Monitoring and Exiting EL Students from EL
Services
• Evaluating Effectiveness
• Meaningful Communication with Parents and
Guardians
Guidance is available at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ellresources.html
under
“Dear Colleague Letter, English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient
0115

14. 1
STATES OFFERING SEAL OF BILITERACY
Source: http://sealofbiliteracy.org/ as of 9/22/16.

15. TOTAL NUMBER OF STATES THAT APPROVED
THE SEAL OF BILITERACY, BY YEAR
3
Source: http://sealofbiliteracy.org/ as of 06/30/16.
1 1
4
9
16
23
0
5
10
15
20
25
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
6/30/16

18. Questions?
Suggestions?libia.gil@ed.gov