Department of Education

ENGLISH LEARNER EDUCATION

Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ......................................................................................................... I-1

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes........................................................................ I-2

Appropriation, Adjustments and Transfers ............................................................................... I-3

Authorizing Legislation............................................................................................................. I-4

Appropriations History.............................................................................................................. I-5

Activity:

Language acquisition State grants....................................................................................... I-6

State tables* 

*State tables reflecting final 2014 allocations and 2015 estimates are posted on the 

Department’s Web page at: 

http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html#update.
ENGLISH LEARNER EDUCATION

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 Appropriat ions Lan guag e 

ENGLISH [LANGUAGE ACQUISITION] LEARNER EDUCATION

 [For carrying out part A of title III of the ESEA, $723,400,000, which shall become available 

on July 1, 2014, and shall remain available through September 30, 2015,

1 except that 6.5 

percent of such amount shall be available on October 1, 2013, and shall remain available 

through September 30, 2015, to carry out activities under section 3111(c)(1)(C):2 Provided, 

That the Secretary shall use estimates of the American Community Survey child counts for the 

most recent 3-year period available to calculate allocations under such part.3

] (Department of 

Education Appropriations Act, 2014.)

NOTES

 

No new language is included for this account. All programs are authorized under the expired Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act; when new authorizing legislation for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is 

enacted, a budget request for these programs will be proposed.

Each language provision that is followed by a footnote reference is explained in the Analysis of Language 

Provisions and Changes document, which follows the appropriation language.
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Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1

[...which shall become available on July 1, 

2014, and shall remain available through 

September 30, 2015,]

This language provides for a portion of the 

funds for English Language Acquisition State 

Grants to be appropriated on a forwardfunded basis. The forward-funded portion 

includes the amount of funds that are 

distributed to the States under the State 

grants formula and the Native American 

discretionary grants.

2 [...except that 6.5 percent of such amount 

shall be available on October 1, 2013, and 

shall remain available through September 30, 

2015, to carry out activities under section 

3111(c)(1)(C):]

This language provides for 6.5 percent of the 

funds for the English Language Acquisition 

State Grants to be appropriated on a 2-year 

basis. The 6.5 percent represents funds that 

are used for national activities (National 

Professional Development grants, National 

Clearinghouse for English Language 

Acquisition, and evaluation) under section 

3111(c)(1)(C).

3 [Provided, That the Secretary of Education 

shall use estimates of the American 

Community Survey child counts for the most 

recent 3-year period available to calculate 

allocations under such part.]

This language permits the Secretary to use 

the annual 3-year estimates provided by the 

Census Bureau in order to determine the 

State allocations. Under the authorizing 

statute, the Department would use 1-year 

estimates, which are not as reliable and 

produce more volatility in the allocations from 

year to year. Fiscal year 2014 appropriations 

language directs the Secretary to use 

Census Bureau 3-year period counts. 
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Appropriation, Adjustments and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2013 2014 2015

Discretionary:

Discretionar y Appropriation........................................................... $732,144 $723,400 $723,400

Discretionar y Across-the-board reduction (P.L. 113-6).................. -1,464 0 0

Total, discretionary appropriation ...................... 730,680 0 0

Discretionar y Sequester (P.L. 112-25).......................................... -36,832 0 0

Total, adjusted discretionary appropriation ........ 693,848 723,400 723,400
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Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2014

Authorized

footnote

2014

Estimate

2015

Authorized

footnote

2015

Request

Language acquisition State grants

(ESEA-III-A) 01 $723,400

To be 

determined2 $723,400

Unfunded authorizations

Program development and enhancement

(ESEA-III-B-1) 01,3 0 03 0

Research, evaluation, and dissemination

(ESEA-III-B-2) 01,3 0 03 0

Professional development (ESEA-III-B-3) 01,3 0 03 0

Immigrant education (ESEA-III-B-4) 01,3 0 03 0

Total definite authorization

Total appropriation 723,400 723,400

Portion of request subject to reauthorization 723,400

1 ESEA section 3001(b)(1) provides that only Part A will be in effect in any year in which the appropriation equals or exceeds $650 million. 2 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2015. 3 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008. No appropriations language or reauthorizing legislation is sought for 2015.
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Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Footnote

Senate 

Allowance Footnote AppropriationFoot

-

note

2006 $675,765 $675,765 $683,415 $669,007

2007 669,007 N/A1 N/A1 669,0071

2008 670,819 774,614 670,819 700,395

2009 730,000 730,0002 730,0002 730,000

2010 730,000 760,000 750,0003 750,000

2011 800,000 750,0004 800,0003 733,5305

2012 750,000 733,5316 733,5306 732,144

2013 732,144 732,1447 732,1447 693,848

2014 732,144 N/A8 730,6803 723,400

2015 723,400

_________________

1 This account operated under a full-year continuing resolution (P.L. 110-5). House and Senate allowances are 

shown as N/A (Not Available) because neither body passed a separate appropriations bill. 

2 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2009 appropriations bill, 

which proceeded in the 110th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee.

3 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Committee action only.

4 The level for the House allowance reflects the House-passed full-year continuing resolution. 5 The level for appropriation reflects the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 

2011 (P.L. 112-10). 6 The level for the House allowance reflects an introduced bill; the level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate 

Committee action only. 7 The level for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2013 appropriations bill, 

which proceeded in the 112th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee. 8 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action.
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Language acquisition State grants 

 (proposed legislation)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2014 2015 Change

$723,400 $723,400 0

_________________

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2015.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Funding for Language Acquisition State Grants, which are authorized by Title III, Part A of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), supports formula grants to States to serve 

English Learners (ELs) as well as competitive awards for a variety of national activities.

The Department uses 92.5 percent of program funds to make formula grants to States based on 

each State’s share of the Nation’s EL and recent immigrant student populations, with 

80 percent of allocations based on State shares of ELs and 20 percent based on State shares 

of recent immigrant students. The Department uses American Community Survey (ACS) data 

provided by the Census Bureau to determine the counts of both EL and immigrant students. 

States must use at least 95 percent of their formula funds for subgrants to eligible entities, (local 

educational agencies (LEAs) or consortia of LEAs), based primarily on each subgrantee’s share 

of the State’s ELs and a plan submitted by the subgrantee to the State on how it will meet the 

State’s annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) for ELs. States must use up to 

15 percent of these funds to increase the size of awards to subgrantees that have experienced 

a significant increase in the percentage or number of recent immigrant students over the 

preceding 2 years. States may use up to 5 percent of their allocations for State-level activities, 

such as professional development, planning, and evaluation, as well as the provision of 

technical assistance. State-level planning and administrative costs may not exceed 60 percent 

of the State set-aside, or $175,000, whichever is greater.

States must develop AMAOs that measure ELs’ improvement in and achievement of English 

language proficiency and whether ELs meet the State’s academic content and academic 

achievement standards. If a subgrantee fails to make progress toward meeting these objectives 

for 2 consecutive years, the State must require the subgrantee to develop an improvement plan. 
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Language acquisition State grants 

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If the subgrantee fails to meet AMAOs after 4 consecutive years, the State must require the 

subgrantee to modify the curriculum or method of instruction or replace educational personnel. 

The State may also terminate assistance to the subgrantee. 

The statute also establishes a 0.5 percent or $5.0 million, whichever is greater, set-aside for 

schools operated predominantly for Native American and Alaska Native children. Under this 

set-aside, the Department makes competitive awards to tribes, schools funded by the 

Department of the Interior/Bureau of Indian Education, and other qualifying entities. The statute 

also sets aside 0.5 percent of the appropriation for the Outlying Areas.

The statute requires the Department to set aside 6.5 percent of the appropriation for the 

following national activities: the National Professional Development project (NPDP), the 

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational 

Programs (NCELA), and evaluation activities. Under the NPDP, the Department makes 5-year 

awards to institutions of higher education that have entered into consortium arrangements with 

State or local educational agencies for the purpose of providing professional development 

aimed at increasing the pool of certified or licensed teachers prepared to serve ELs and 

enhancing the skills of teachers already serving them. NCELA collects, analyzes, synthesizes, 

and disseminates research-based information about instructional methods, strategies, and 

programs for ELs. The Department may use up to 0.5 percent of the appropriation, out of the 

6.5 percent, for evaluation activities. 

State formula grants and Native American grants are forward-funded, with funds becoming 

available on July 1 of the fiscal year in which they are appropriated and remain available for 15 

months through September 30 of the following year. National activities funds are available for 

24 months, from October 1 of the fiscal year in which they are appropriated through September 

30 of the following fiscal year. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2010...................................................................................$750,000

2011.....................................................................................733,530

2012.....................................................................................732,144

2013.....................................................................................693,848

2014.....................................................................................723,400

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2015, the Administration requests $723.4 million for Language Acquisition State 

grants, the same as the 2014 level. The request assumes implementation of a reauthorized 

program consistent with the Administration’s ESEA reauthorization proposal, which would 

support strengthened professional development for educators, stronger accountability, and 

implementation of innovative and effective programs. The Administration’s reauthorization 

proposal also would strengthen the conditions governing States’ receipt of formula funds and 

provide the Secretary with the authority to reserve additional funds for national activities to 
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Language acquisition State grants 

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advance the field, including competitive grants for innovative projects that support the 

development and implementation of dual-language, transitional bilingual, and other high-quality 

language instruction educational programs (LIEPs) for English Learners (ELs). 

According to the Census Bureau’s ACS data, the number of school-aged ELs has risen from 

less than 1 million in 1980 to over 4.2 million in 20121 in the 50 States, DC, and Puerto Rico. 

ACS data from 2012 also show that California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas enroll 

60 percent of the Nation’s ELs (excluding Puerto Rico). In recent years, however, the growth

rate in the EL student population in other States has exceeded that of these five. For example, 

ACS data show that from 2006 to 2012, the EL population increased by 45 percent in South 

Dakota, 42 percent in New Hampshire, 38 percent in Hawaii, 34 percent in Vermont, and 

22 percent in Rhode Island. In contrast, during that same timeframe, the EL population in 

California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas changed by -17 percent, -9 percent,

-13 percent, -2 percent, and 1 percent respectively. Since those States with the most significant 

increases over that 6-year period are not the traditional immigrant gateway States, they often 

lack the infrastructure and service capacity compared to States with a longer history of high EL

and immigrant student enrollment. In addition, while immigration has slowed nationally in recent 

years, some States have experienced large increases in this population over a very short period 

of time. Alaska, the District of Columbia, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South 

Dakota all experienced more than a 19-percent increase in their immigrant population during the 

2010 to 2012 timeframe. These demographic trends – the overall increase in ELs over the past 

three decades and rapid recent growth of the EL and immigrant populations in States lacking an 

infrastructure for serving them – underscore not only the ongoing need for Federal assistance 

but also the need for effective educators to meet the educational needs of ELs and for 

information on effective instructional practices.

Formula and Native American Grants

In 2008, the Department initiated a study by the National Research Council of the National 

Academy of Sciences (NAS) to determine the most reliable data source and methodology for 

future years’ formula allocations to States. The NAS study, which became available in January 

2011 (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13090), included a recommendation that the 

Department use a combination of ACS data and State-reported data to determine each State’s 

EL count and continue using ACS data for the State count of immigrant students. The 

Administration’s reauthorization proposal would authorize the Secretary to use ACS or Statereported data or a combination of the two (which could be multi-year period estimates) to 

determine State allocations. The proposal would also strengthen the Title III program by 

requiring States to use consistent methods for identifying ELs and for exiting them from 

language instruction educational programs. In order to support the selection of effective 

programs and to improve existing programs, States would also be required to put in place a 

system that evaluates the effectiveness of LIEPs and a data system that provides information 

on the achievement of subgroups of ELs.

In the event that reauthorization is not enacted in time to govern fiscal year 2015 allocations, the 

Department would recommend to Congress the inclusion of appropriations language for fiscal 

 1 Note that 2012 ACS data are estimates from a 3-year period (2010, 2011, and 2012). 
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Language acquisition State grants 

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year 2015 that permits the Department to implement the NAS study recommendations. More 

specifically, the Department would request the authority to use a combination of State-reported 

and ACS data, consistent with the reauthorization proposal. In determining the count of ELs for 

the purpose of making State formula grants in fiscal year 2015, the Department would assign a 

weight of 10 percent to State-reported data and 90 percent to ACS data. Also consistent with 

the NAS recommendations, the Department would continue to use ACS data to determine the 

State counts of immigrant students for the allocations. In fiscal year 2016, the Department 

anticipates increasing the weighting of State-reported EL counts to 20 percent, depending on 

our estimation of the quality of those data at that time.

Under the Administration’s reauthorization proposal, the statute would continue to set aside 

0.5 percent of the appropriation, or $5 million, whichever is greater, for schools operated 

predominantly for Native American and Alaska Native children. In fiscal year 2015, the 

Department (with a combination of fiscal year 2014 and fiscal year 2015 funds) would make 25 

continuation awards for grants serving this population that were made in fiscal years 2011 and 

2013. 

National Activities

Under the reauthorization proposal, the Secretary would set aside a portion of the appropriation 

to carry out national activities that support advancements in education for ELs. The proposal 

would authorize the Secretary to use these funds to continue support for NCELA as well as 

competitive grants through NPDP for teacher and paraprofessional preparation and professional 

development activities to improve classroom instruction of ELs. The proposal would also 

provide the Department with the flexibility to carry out additional discretionary activities that 

support the improvement of EL education.

For fiscal year 2015, the Department would reserve $47.0 million for National Activities. The 

Department would use $41.9 million to continue 115 NPDP grants, $1.5 million for NCELA, and 

$3.6 million for evaluation activities. The Department awarded a new NCELA contract at the 

end of fiscal year 2013, focusing the Center more specifically on meeting the technical 

assistance needs of the field.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Total Appropriation $693,848 $723,400 $723,400

State formula grants:

Language acquisition State grants $643,748 $671,379 $671,379

Formul a grants: Number of States 57 57 57

Native American discretionary grants $4,990 $5,000 $5,000

Nati ve American: Number of new projects 12 0 0

Nati ve American: Number of continuation projects 13 25 25

Nati ve American: Peer review of new award applications $10 0 0

National activities:

National professional development $39,631 $41,451 $41,901

Nat’l Acti viti es: Number of new projects 0 0 0

Nat’l Acti viti es: Number of continuation projects 115 115 115

 Acti viti es: Clearinghouse $2,000 $1,953 $1,503

 Acti viti es: Evaluation $3,469 $3,617 $3,617

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including GPRA goals, 

objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the progress 

made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based on the 

cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years as well as the resources and 

efforts invested by those served by this program. 

States report their data for the Language Acquisition State grants program annually through the 

ESEA Consolidated State Performance Reports (CSPRs). Within the Department, the office 

that administers the State Grants program and the office that oversees the administration of the 

CSPR have been working together to respond to States’ questions about the data-collection 

requirements as well as to clear up data discrepancies. Flexibility within the current law permits 

States to define “making progress” and “attaining proficiency” differently, even when they use 

the same assessments. Also, in 2011 the Department reviewed States’ targets and found that 

almost all State targets (reflected below) are far lower than those set by the Department. As a 

result, for some measures, we have decided to maintain target levels for several years rather 

than continue to increase them in order to reflect performance levels in the States. In 2012, all 

52 entities, including DC and Puerto Rico, reported data for all performance measures. The 

Department will consider revisions to the measures in the context of ESEA Flexibility.
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Language acquisition State grants 

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Goal: To help English Learners learn English and reach high academic standards.

Objective: To improve the English proficiency and academic achievement of students served 

by the Language Acquisition State Grants program. 

Measure: The percentage of ELs receiving Title III services who are making progress in 

learning English.

Year Target Actual

2010 65% 59%

2011 65 58

2012 65 54

2013 65

2014 65

2015 65

Additional information: The percentage is calculated by taking the total number of students 

who are making progress in learning English and dividing that number by the number of 

students tested who have two data points. 

Measure: The percentage of ELs receiving Title III services who have attained English 

language proficiency.

Year Target Actual

2010 35% 26%

2011 35 26

2012 35 27

2013 35

2014 35

2015 35

Additional information: Students who are counted in the denominator for this measure 

include students who are new to this country and have had very little exposure to English.

Measure: The percentage of ELs who score proficient or above on State reading assessments.

Year Target Actual

2010 35% 39%

2011 35 39

2012 36 38

2013 38

2014 38

2015 38
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Additional information: States are required to report data on the performance of the EL

subgroup on State reading/language arts assessments for both Title I and Title III. 

Measure: The percentage of monitored former ELs who score proficient or above on State 

reading assessments.

Year Target Actual

2010 64% 71%

2011 64 72

2012 66 72

2013 66

2014 68

2015 68

Additional information: The success of States on this measure may be an indicator of the 

quality of LIEPs.

Measure: The percentage of subgrantees receiving Title III funding that meet all three annual 

measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) for ELs.

Year Target Actual

2010 59% 56%

2011 59 48

2012 59 47

2013 59

2014 59

2015 59

Additional information: States set AMAOs based on State English language proficiency 

standards and assessments. The three AMAO objectives for ELs are: (1) making progress in 

learning English; (2) attaining English proficiency; and (3) making adequate yearly progress 

under Title I. 

Efficiency Measures

The Department has developed two efficiency measures for this program. These measures 

address the Department’s emphasis on the timely and effective use of Federal funds. 
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Measure: The average number of days States receiving Title III funds take to make subgrants 

to subgrantees.

Year Target Actual

2010 45 52

2011 45 51

2012 45 53

2013 45

2014 45

2015 45

Additional information: The Department has worked with States to help them make subgrants 

in a timely manner and States have made considerable progress on this measure over the past 

5 years. The Department continues to provide assistance to States that have difficulty making 

timely awards and has made monitoring findings during onsite reviews for such States. 

Measure: The annual cost per English Learner attaining English language proficiency.

Year Target Actual

2010 $775 $638

2011 770 669 

2012 668 620

2013 668

2014 668

2015 668

Additional information: This measure examines the national annual cost per EL attaining 

English language proficiency (a figure derived by dividing the total amount of funding allocated 

to States in a given year by the number of students reported as attaining proficiency). The 

targets are not intended to motivate States to eliminate important services to students but, 

rather, to encourage efficiencies in order to serve as many students as possible without 

sacrificing the quality of the services. 

Other Performance Information

The statute provides a set-aside for evaluation activities equal to 0.5 percent of the total 

appropriation for this program. Current and recent activities include the following studies, which 

are supported by funds from previous fiscal years:

• Evaluation of State and Local Implementation of Title III Standards, Assessments, and 

Accountability Systems – The purpose of this study, which was funded in fiscal years 

2008-2011, is to provide an in-depth picture of the implementation of current ESEA

provisions for ELs throughout the Nation. The study includes an analysis of studentlevel assessment data to identify the relationship between ELs’ acquisition of English 

and their progress in meeting content-area standards.
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As part of this study, the Department funded three policy briefs in 2010, entitled, “Title III: 

A State of the States,” “Title III: Behind the Numbers,” and “Title III: Accountability and 

District Improvement Efforts.” These briefs served as resources for the Administration, 

Congress, and other key stakeholders to inform the development of Title III 

reauthorization proposals. Additional reports released in 2012 include (1) “Exploring 

Approaches to Setting English Language Proficiency (ELP) Performance Criteria” and 

“Monitoring EL Progress,” (2) a “Report on State and Local Implementation,” and (3) “A 

Survey of States’ English Language Proficiency Standards.”

• Study of School Turnaround – The Department is conducting case studies for an indepth examination of the school turnaround process in a diverse sample of schools 

receiving Title I School Improvement Grants (SIG) over 3 years. The studies will 

describe the schools’ context, the decisions and strategies the schools and their school 

districts undertake (and why), and the challenges they face as they attempt to improve 

school performance. Fiscal year 2009 Title III funds supported the inclusion of data 

collections focused on schools with high EL populations. Descriptive analyses of State 

SIG applications and SIG-eligible and SIG-awarded schools are available for the first

and second cohorts of SIG grantees (fiscal year 2010 and 2011 competitions)

2

. Reports 

on findings for the case-study SIG schools, which will include two evaluation briefs 

focused on SIG schools with a high proportion of ELs, are expected to be released in 

phases beginning in spring 2014.

• Language Instruction Education Programs (LIEPs): Lessons from the Research and 

Profiles of Promising Programs – This project, begun in fiscal year 2011 with fiscal year 

2009 funds, produced a literature review on LIEPs that was released in May 2012 and 

can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/title-iii/language-instruction-edprograms-report.pdf. The study will also produce vignettes of LIEPs and features that 

support those LIEPs in a purposively selected sample of districts. These vignettes will 

be for internal use by ED staff on selected LIEP practices. That guide will be completed 

by May of 2014. 

• Updating the EL Practice Guide – The Department is currently updating the 2006-07 

publication, “Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in 

the Elementary Grades: A Practice Guide,” to reflect advances in the field over the past 

5 years. Fiscal year 2009 funds support this work. The update, which began in fiscal 

year 2012, is scheduled for publication in March 2014. 

• Exploratory Study on the Identification of ELs with Disabilities – This study will examine 

the identification of ELs with disabilities, through a review of previous research and 

through exploratory case studies in six school districts with three schools in each 

district. The literature review was completed in February 2012 and is being used for 

internal purposes at ED. The final report is due in June of 2014. Fiscal year 2010 funds 

support this study.

 2 http://ies.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=NCEE20114019 and 

http://ies.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=NCEE20124060
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• Descriptive Study of NPDP Grantees – This small study will examine how a purposively 

selected sample of NPDP grantees are implementing their grants, with a specific focus 

on: (1) the content and structure of the education they provide to current and 

prospective teachers of ELs; (2) the nature of changes grantees attempt to make to the 

teacher education programs at their institutions; (3) the efforts grantees make to 

institutionalize their projects for sustainability; and (4) grantees’ efforts to track former 

program participants. A literature review was completed in 2012 and a final report is 

expected in the spring of 2014. Both products will be for internal use by Department 

staff. Fiscal year 2010 funds support this study.

• Implementation and Impact Evaluation of the Race to the Top (RTT) and School 

Improvement Grants (SIG) programs – As part of the Department’s study of these two 

programs, fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2011 Title III funds support an increased 

focus on how the implementation and impacts of the programs by States, districts, and 

schools are related to EL students’ needs and outcomes. For instance, the evaluation 

will examine the extent to which States have adopted common academic standards; the 

changes in practice that have been instituted statewide and at the local level to 

implement these new standards, including the extent to which supports have been 

provided for ELs; the strategies and practices being used to support schools in 

transitioning to new standards; and the lessons to be learned from the transition. Two 

reports on findings, which will include ELs, are expected to be released in phases 

beginning in late 2014.

• Study of Teacher Preparation Experiences and Early Teacher Effectiveness – The 

Department awarded a contract in late fiscal year 2011 for a study of teacher preparation 

experiences and their relationship to student achievement outcomes. The study 

explores whether the instructional skills that teacher candidates learn about and have 

opportunities to practice in their teacher preparation programs are associated with 

teachers’ effectiveness during their early years in the classroom. The study will include 

a focus on English Learners and the preparation experiences of their teachers. Fiscal 

year 2010 and fiscal year 2011 funds support this study. A study report is expected in 

late 2017. 

• A Guide to English Language Proficiency Assessments – States must have in place ELP 

assessments that demonstrate technical quality for their intended use and they must use 

appropriate measures for determining the progress and attainment of English by Title IIIserved students. Currently, there are no tools available to evaluate the technical quality 

of State ELP assessments. Using fiscal year 2012 funds, the Department awarded a 

contract in September 2013 to evaluate State and local implementation of Title III 

assessment and accountability systems and to produce a technical guide that will assist 

State educational agencies and other stakeholders to prepare ELP assessment 

materials for peer review. The guide is expected in late 2015.

The Department continues to explore additional topics to address the needs of ELs and 

educators of ELs in the coming fiscal year.