A Descriptive Analysis of Enrollment and Achievement among Limited English Proficient Students in Maryland. Summary. Issues &amp; Answers. REL 2012-No. 128
Author: O'Conner, Rosemarie
Date: 2012-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Achievement Gap,Comparative Analysis,Educational Indicators,Educational Change,Educational Trends,English (Second Language),English Language Learners,Enrollment Trends,Language Proficiency,Limited English Speaking,Public Schools,Scores,Standardized Tests,State Standards,Student Evaluation,Time Perspective,Trend Analysis,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Grade 10,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement

This study describes limited English proficient (LEP) student enrollment and achievement trends in Maryland. Two research questions guide this study: (1) How did the enrollment of LEP students in Maryland public schools change between 2002/03 and 2008/09?; and (2) How did performance (the percentage scoring at the proficient or advanced level) on state assessments in reading and math in grades 3-8 and 10 compare between LEP and non-LEP students in Maryland public schools from 2002/03 to 2008/09? The study's main findings on enrollment trends include: (1) From 2002/03 to 2008/09, LEP student enrollment in Maryland public schools increased 73.0 percent, whereas total enrollment increased 2.1 percent. During that period, LEP student enrollment increased from 3.0 percent of total enrollment to 5.2 percent; (2) From 2002/03 to 2008/09, LEP students accounted for a larger percentage of total enrollment in elementary school (grades K-5) than in middle school (grades  6-8) or in high school (grades 9-12). In 2008/09, LEP students accounted for 8.2  percent of the elementary school population, 2.7 percent of the middle school population, and 2.5 percent of the high school population; (3) From 2002/03 to 2008/09, Spanish speakers accounted for the largest percentage of LEP students, peaking at 59.9 percent in 2004/05. In 2008/09, Spanish (spoken by 56.8 percent of LEP students) had the most speakers, followed by French (3.3 percent), Chinese (3.2 percent), Vietnamese (2.3 percent), and Korean (2.2 percent). LEP students speaking &quot;other&quot; languages (languages other than the five most common in the state) accounted for 32.1 percent of LEP students in 2008/09; and (4) From 2002/03 to 2008/09, the number and percentage of LEP students speaking &quot;other&quot; languages increased, whereas the number and percentage of LEP students speaking Korean decreased. The number of LEP students speaking Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese increased, but the percentage of the LEP population speaking them decreased. The number of LEP students speaking French increased, but the percentage of the LEP population speaking it did not change. The study's main findings on achievement trends include: (1) Between 2002/03 and 2008/09, LEP students' performance in reading increased 23.9-55.3 percentage points in all grades studied (grades 3-8 and 10). The increase was higher in grades 3, 4, 5, and 10 than in grades 6, 7, and 8; (2) Between 2002/03 and 2008/09, LEP students' performance in math increased 16.4-39.8 percentage points in all grades studied (grades 3-8 and 10). The increase  was higher in grades 3, 4, and 5 than in grades 6, 7, 8, and 10; (3) In every year studied, non-LEP students' performance was 12-49 percentage points higher in reading and 11-33 percentage points higher in math; and (4) Between 2002/03 and 2008/09, the achievement gap in reading and math between LEP and non-LEP students narrowed in grades 3-5 and grade 10; the achievement gap narrowed in reading in grades 6-8 but widened in math in grades 7 and 8. (Contains 5 notes.) [For the full report, &quot;A Descriptive Analysis of Enrollment and Achievement among Limited English Proficient Students in Maryland. Issues &amp; Answers. REL 2012-No. 128,&quot; see ED531430.]