English learners struggle to catch up in the aftermath of COVID.
As the dust begins to settle from the COVID-19 pandemic, experts and advocates are sounding the alarm about the devastating impact on one group of students in particular: English learners.
While school districts across the country scramble to address the academic setbacks caused by remote learning, the data is painting a grim picture for these students, who are falling even further behind their peers.
According to the data from 2023 state tests, English learners are showing a significant decline in proficiency compared to other student groups. This decline is also reflected in their SAT and PSAT scores, which have only slightly improved for students with disabilities. The struggles for English learners have been nationwide, and the situation in Colorado is no different.
In fact, analysis of the data reveals that in Colorado, 40% of English learners missed enough school last year to be labeled chronically absent, compared to only 30% of all students.
English learners make up 12% of all K-12 students in the state, and some districts have even higher concentrations of these students.
However, while some districts have taken measures to prioritize co-teaching and target support for English learners, others have not. In fact, some district leaders have outright denied that the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on English learners, citing factors such as changing demographics as a potential explanation for the decline in test scores.
But the evidence speaks for itself.
The data clearly shows that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on English learners, with tests scores dropping significantly in just two years.
For example, in the fourth grade, only eight out of every 100 English learners met expectations in the language arts test this year, down from 12 out of 100 in 2019. This means that the percentage of English learners who met expectations dropped by a third, while the decline for non-English learners was only four to five percentage points.
One reason for this decline is that the vast majority of English learners are required to take tests in English before they have a full grasp of the language. While a limited number of students are allowed to take tests in their native language, the results this year were even worse than in 2019, indicating a major setback for these students.
Experts and officials are calling for targeted interventions and support for English learners in order to bridge the gap and help these students catch up. However, some district leaders seem more concerned with shifting blame and denying the impact of the pandemic on these students.
In Harrison School District, where English learners traditionally showed above average growth on language arts tests, there has been a significant drop in scores. District officials attribute this to an influx of refugees from Afghanistan, Guatemala, and Honduras, as well as other barriers faced by these families such as transportation and housing issues.
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But not all districts are seeing these declines. In Pueblo 60 and Weld County 3J, English learners have actually shown improvement on language arts and math tests, respectively. This can be attributed to targeted efforts to prioritize these students and provide additional support, such as co-teaching and before-and-after-school tutoring.