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Identifying ELs Who Would Benefit FromAdditional Supportdisabilities made progress toward acquiring Englishskills, but it was slower than the progress of similar ELswith no identified disabilities. These differences emergedStarting school with low levels of English proficiencyvery early, even when comparing ELs with similarwas related to lower academic performance, measuredEnglish proficiency levels upon entering kindergarten.by standardized test scores and grades; however,We also found that ELs with identified disabilitiesscreener data were, in general, not related to atten-were more likely to miss school, except those withdance. When ELs first enroll in CPS they are screenedspeech and language disabilities. Given the importancefor English proficiency within 30 days of enrollment. 5of being in school in order to receive services and makeMore than one-half of ELs served in CPS in pre-k andprogress in learning, this data shows that interventionskindergarten started with low levels of oral Englishto improve attendance in the early grades, especially inproficiency, as measured by the screener tests. Ourpre-k and kindergarten, might help ELs with identifiedstudy found that lower (and higher) scores on screenerdisabilities to get the supports they need.tests when students entered pre-k and kindergartenwere correlated with lower (and higher) later scores ofConsiderationsEnglish proficiency and other assessments in readingOur findings provide valuable information to help prac-and math, commonly administered in English. Thosetitioners and policymakers strategize ways to betterdifferences by incoming English proficiency persistedsupport ELs and help them succeed in the early gradeseven after four years in school and were larger in readingand beyond. Our work also has insights that couldthan in math assessments. For example, when compar-help parents and families make decisions about theiring students alike in all other student characteristics andchildren’s education, but the responsibility for makingschool factors who only differed in their screener scorechanges that would support all ELs belongs with thein kindergarten, ELs at the entering level (lowest level)policymakers and educators who serve them.in kindergarten scored in the 32nd national percentilein reading and in the 42nd national percentile in math inthird-grade standardized tests; while ELs in the expanding level ( just below the threshold that designates themas English proficient) in kindergarten scored in the 55thnational percentile in reading and 57th national percentile in math. ELs with low incoming screener scoresalso had lower grades, especially in reading, compared totheir EL peers but similar attendance.ELs with identified disabilities made progress, butat a slower pace, toward acquiring English skills andmost students with identified disabilities had lowerConsiderations for Policymakers Policymakers may want to prioritize ELs for access topre-k programs, particularly subgroups of ELs whoseem to need additional support, such as ELs withlow incoming English skills and ELs with identifieddisabilities. As ELs have increased access to pre-kservices that will benefit their future academic success, policymakers may need to develop strategiesaround training and retaining a bilingual workforcequalified to teach ELs in early childhood settings. Policymakers might consider providing some schoolsattendance. Among ELs in our two samples, we found 17with additional resources to support them and inpercent had an identified disability in pre-k and 12 per-turn to ensure the success of ELs these schoolscent in kindergarten. Most ELs who were identified withserve. Our findings demonstrate that some schools,a disability were classified as having a developmentalparticularly schools with lower school qualitydelay, followed by students with a speech and languageratings, may need additional support to help ELsdisability, and cognitive disability. ELs with identifiedachieve academic success.5 For more detail on screener tests see the box titled ScreenerTests in Pre-K and Kindergarten in Chapter 2.UCHICAGO Consortium Research Report English Learners in Chicago Public Schools3

Considerations for PractitionersConsiderations for Parents and Families of ELs Once families enroll their ELs in a school, practi- Families may want to prioritize early enrollmenttioners can help them understand that Bilingualin CPS pre-k and enrollment in full-day programs,Education Services are beneficial for their students’when possible. Our findings show that attendinglearning. Without the scaffolding that bilingualpublic school-based pre-k was related to betterservices provide, students start falling behind, notoutcomes for ELs, both in kindergarten and theonly in English skills, but also in mastering the gradethird grade, even five years after students attendedlevel content. Practitioners should ensure that par-a CPS pre-k.ents who are choosing whether to refuse bilingualservices are aware of these potential consequences.receive Bilingual Education Services, parents and Practitioners can rely on data from screener testsguardians should be aware of the long-term benefitsto support ELs early on. Our findings indicateof participating in such services. Our results suggestELs who start school in the early stages of Englishthat some of the benefits of bilingual services aredevelopment tend to struggle with their academicnot immediately apparent but show up later in aperformance. Practitioners could use interventionsstudents’ education.that focus on improving reading and listening, asthese were two areas in which these students werefarther behind, compared to other ELs. Practitioners may need to pay particular attention to Families looking to enroll their children in CPScould consider the rating of a school as a valuablemetric to add among other school characteristics.Our findings suggest that a school accountabilityELs who are also identified for special education ser-rating is a good indicator for an EL’s academicvices. Understanding and remedying lower attendancesuccess on some dimensions that may matter topatterns for ELs with disabilities should be a priorityparents and families as they consider school choices.for practitioners. In addition, practitioners could helpfamilies understand that their children are entitledto both Bilingual Education Services and specialeducation services, as the data shows that studentswith identified disabilities were more likely to refusebilingual services.4 Before deciding about whether their children shouldExecutive Summary

IntroductionEnglish Learners (ELs) are students from whom much is expected: theyare tasked with mastering grade-level content while also learning English,a language in which they are not fully proficient. Because so much isexpected from these students, it is important to remember that theresponsibility for providing them with a strong and equitable educationlies with adults—teachers, school leaders, and policymakers. ELs haveunique educational needs, and teachers and schools must provide strongsupport to help them succeed.How to best instruct ELs is a matter of particularout of every three CPS pre-k students was an EL.10 Asurgency given the growing number of ELs in the Unitedaccess to public pre-k grows in the district and acrossStates. Across the nation, the number of ELs attend-the nation, practitioners have the opportunity to pro-ing public schools increased by 32 percent between fallvide strong instruction for ELs that will prepare them2000 and fall 2017. 6 In Chicago Public Schools (CPS),for kindergarten and set them up for future success.EL enrollment has grown by 35 percent in the last decade, while the district’s total enrollment declined.7Many students are classified as ELs when they enterWe know that some ELs struggle more in schoolthan others. Previous work from the University ofChicago Consortium on School Research (UChicagopre-k and kindergarten. Over time, most students whoConsortium) found that students who started kinder-begin school classified as ELs demonstrate Englishgarten as ELs and demonstrated English proficiencyproficiency and their status changes from that of anby the end of eighth grade had academic outcomes thatactive EL to a former EL. Because of this, active ELswere comparable to or stronger than those of CPS stu-are concentrated in the early grades. For example, indents who were never classified as ELs. ELs who did not2019, nearly one-half (47 percent) of CPS active ELsdemonstrate English proficiency by the end of eighthwere in pre-k through third grade, while only 16 percentgrade had lower educational outcomes in terms ofof active ELs were in high school. Since elementarygrades, attendance, and test scores.11 Importantly, thisschools serve larger numbers of ELs, they may bestudy also found that academic differences were visiblewell-positioned to focus more resources on students inas early as the first grade, between the ELs who wouldthese early years and prepare them for academic suc-go on to demonstrate English proficiency and those whocess. Public pre-k sites, which have been expanding indid not. This suggests that ELs who struggle the mostrecent years, serve large numbers of ELs. 9 In 2019, oneacademically could be identified early on and provided6 Hussar et al. (2020).7 Chicago Public Schools [CPS] (n.d.).8 Throughout this report we use the term “preschool” as an9 ELs in pre-k are often called “dual language learners” rather8umbrella term for all formalized early education programs available to three- to five-year-old children prior to kindergarten.When preschool is offered within a school setting, we use themore specific term “pre-k” most commonly used by districts.than “English Learners” to reflect the fact that at this agestudents are still developing their knowledge of their homelanguages, in addition to English. However, for the purposesof this report, we will refer to any student classified as notyet fully proficient in English as an English Learner.10 CPS (n.d.).11 de la Torre et al. (2019).UCHICAGO Consortium Research Report English Learners in Chicago Public Schools5

Developing a Second LanguageIn schools, ELs are expected to develop academicEnglish, the language necessary for success in school,in addition to social English, the language of every daycommunication. Social English is the language studentswould use to talk to their friends in the playground. Itusually takes a couple of years for ELs to develop socialEnglish. However, just because students can communicate with their peers, understand teachers’ questions,and use every-day English does not mean that they areup to speed in academic English. Their school work andexams may not reflect their social English fluency.Academic English is more demanding and complex,and it involves vocabulary in different content areas suchas math, science, social studies, and English languagearts. ELs must master academic English to understandtextbooks, solve mathematical word problems, writepapers, and take tests. Without a mastery of academicEnglish, ELs cannot develop the critical-thinking andproblem-solving skills needed to understand and expressthe new and abstract concepts taught in an Englishbased classroom. Mastering these language skills is adevelopmental process that takes at least five to sevenyears, and it can take longer for students who are notstrong in their native language when they start school.AA Collier & Thomas (2009).with additional supports, such as specific instructionalstrategies, increased time, and well-trained teachers.All of the above suggests that ELs, particularly thosewho might otherwise go on to struggle to demonstrateEnglish proficiency, would benefit from targeted academic support early in their academic careers. However,more information about EL performance in pre-k andthe early grades is necessary to help schools set thesestudents up for success. Previous research on ELs in theearly grades suggests that some student characteristics,such as having an identified disability and school factorslike school climate and quality, are associated with outcomes for ELs.12 But earlier studies of ELs in the earlygrades have limits in their applicability: most studyonly a small sample of students; focus on a subsampleof ELs, such as Latinx ELs; or examine limited studentoutcomes. Previous studies of ELs in pre-k are similarlylimited, as most focus on whether pre-k matters for ELs,instead of what aspects of pre-k matter for ELs.To provide new and needed knowledge about whatstudent and school characteristics are associated withEL success, this study examines outcomes from twosamples of CPS ELs in pre-k and the early grades toanswer the following research questions: What are the factors associated with strongeroutcomes for ELs in pre-k and the early grades?12 Garrett, Davis, & Eisner (2019); Parker, O’Dwyer, & Irwin (2014).6 To what extent can schools identify ELs who wouldbenefit from additional support?We looked at ELs’ performance in terms of attendance, grades, English development, and test scores andexplored how these outcomes relate to school contextsand student factors. Most standardized assessment outcomes examined in this study, such as English development and test scores in reading and math, are measuredin English, a language that ELs are still learning. Assuch, looking into ELs’ attendance and grades, as wellas their test performance in Spanish early literacy skillswhere available, provides us with information beyondELs’ English skills that helps us to understand theirlearning more holistically. We included demonstrating English proficiency as an outcome for this study,but prior research has found that developing academicEnglish skills typically takes between five to sevenyears. So, in the span of years we are examining, wewould not necessarily expect many ELs to reach thismilestone (see the box titled Developing a SecondLanguage for more information).Bilingual services can be very different, dependingon the program model: some ELs receive much of theirinstruction in their home language, while others aretaught exclusively in English with English as a SecondLanguage (ESL) instruction as linguistic support. Other

research13 suggests that the type of bilingual servicesOur two samples include tens of thousands of ELsreceived matters for ELs, but because of the qualityin CPS who spoke dozens of different languages andand timeline of the available data, we were unable tobrought diverse experiences and strengths to the class-analyze the effects of different program models.room. These large samples allowed us to learn muchHowever, in Chapter 1, we provide evidence on theabout what matters for ELs in the early grades, but ELseffect of receiving any Bilingual Education Services,who came to CPS after kindergarten were not includedand on the early impacts of Dual Language Programs.in either of our samples (see Appendix B on p.41 forBecause we want to shed light on what matters forinformation about sample selection). If these studentsELs, we conducted our analyses among ELs who havehad different experiences and educational needs thandifferent characteristics and school experiences, ratherother ELs, our study would not address them.than comparing ELs to students never classified asWe examined how dozens of student and school fac-ELs. We conducted analyses on two separate samplestors (see Appendix A) related to ELs’ outcomes. Thus,of CPS ELs which allowed us to learn about differentwhile the relationships we report are not necessarilyaspects of ELs’ experiences in the early years.causal, they represent a strong step in determining which The pre-k-to-K sample followed ELs as they transitioned from CPS pre-k to kindergarten. With thisanalysis, we examined what aspects of the pre-kexperience matter for ELs, which is a timely question given the expansion of public pre-k in CPS andthroughout the country. The K-to-3 sample followed ELs from kindergartenfactors are most important for EL success. An overviewof the study’s sample, outcomes, and methodology is presented in the box titled Sample and Methods Used in ThisStudy (see Appendix A, p.37-40 for more details).In this report, we highlight those factors most closelyassociated with ELs’ academic performance in the earlygrades. In Chapter 1, we discuss factors that supportEL success, while in Chapter 2, we focus on identifyingthrough third grade. This analysis provided somestudents who seem to need additional attention, as theyevidence on the medium-term effects of ELs’ earlyare likely to struggle in later years. Finally, we concludeexperiences.with a discussion of the implications of these findings.13 Umansky & Reardon (2014); Collier & Thomas (2004).UCHICAGO Consortium Research Report English Learners in Chicago Public Schools7

Sample and Methods Used in This StudyPre-k-to-K SampleK-to-3 SampleThe pre-k-to-K sample includes 14,058 ELs acrossthree cohorts of students who attended a CPS pre-kin the school years 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017–18, andenrolled in a CPS kindergarten the following year (seeTable A).B The ELs in the sample represented around40 percent of all pre-k students.For the pre-k-to-K sample, we examined ELs’performance by the time they finished their pre-k year.Specifically, we looked at their attendance rate by theend of pre-k, the English proficiency level score theyobtained in the English language screener test (WIDAModel K) they took at the beginning of kindergarten,and their early reading proficiency rate in the Textand Reading Comprehension (TRC) test in the fall ofthe kindergarten year. Although ELs took the Model Kand TRC tests when in kindergarten, because theseoutcomes were measured at the beginning of the year(fall semester) they represent students’ skills afterfinishing pre-k and are thus appropriate outcomes forour pre-k analyses (see Appendix A and B for moredetails on the sample and outcomes).The K-to-3 sample includes 16,651 ELs across two cohorts of first-time kindergarteners in the school years2014–15 and 2015–16 (see Table B). ELs representedaround 30 percent of all kindergarten students. Someof the students in the K-to-3 sample previously attended a CPS pre-k and some did not (see Chapter 1). Wefollowed these cohorts of students through the thirdgrade (school years 2017–18 and 2018–19).C Althoughall students in the sample were classified as ELs atsome point between kindergarten and third grade,some may have demonstrated English proficiency onthe ACCESS test by third grade.For the K-to-3 sample, we looked at ELs’ outcomesin kindergarten and third grade. In

CCGO Conortium eearc eport English Learners in Chicago Public Schools 1 Executive Summary. English Learners (ELs) are students from whom much is expected: they . are tasked with mastering grade-level content while also learning English, a . language in which they are not fully proficient. 1. Mastering academic English—