California changes English learner rules for nearly one million students

California students learning English at school will now find it easier to been deemed proficient in their second language under a new law.The law, Assembly Bill 2555, will mean it’s easier for nearly one million students to prove they have mastered English and move out of specialized language instruction.Under the overhaul, students who earn the highest score of level four on the state-approved English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC), will be eligible for reclassification without having to clear additional hurdles.

The change eliminates a patchwork of teacher evaluations, parent consultations and district-selected academic assessments that critics claimed left English-proficient students stuck with the designation for months or even years.Gov.Gavin Newsom signed the bill on on Sunday.“It is a big win,” Nancy Villarreal, executive director of the Parent Organization Network, told The Los Angeles Times.

“This bill will remove all the extra hoops they have to jump through, but also make sure that the students will continue having some extra support.” Between 2022 and 2024, an estimated 37,000 California students reached the highest level on the English proficiency assessment, yet were still classified as English learners the following school year, according to University of Oregon research.The California Department of Education found students waited an average of 220 days to be reclassified, while one in 10 waited at least 532 days, nearly three times the length of California’s 180-day school year.Some 200,000 students had remained English learners for six years or longer, while research cited by the Assembly Education Committee found nearly half of long-term English learners had already demonstrated English proficiency.Remaining in the program could also carry academic consequences.Students can lose room in their schedules for electives or more advanced courses, particularly in middle and high school.University of Oregon research...