Leave No Student Behind

The progress of limited-English students will provide the ultimate test of California’s concerted effort to improve public education. Although scores from this year’s Stanford 9 tests show the state’s public school students are generally improving, children who are not proficient in English still lag far behind. There is hard work ahead.

A statewide analysis released today shows rising test scores for every group at nearly every grade but also a pronounced achievement gap between fluent English speakers and limited-English students. There was a similar divide between affluent and impoverished students. Reading, math and other skills are measured by the standardized test.

The new findings could signal trouble for California, where one in four students is not proficient in English and nearly half qualify for the free lunch program. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, where scores are generally lower than the state average, nearly half of the 712,000 students are English-language learners and more than three-quarters qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, a standard indication of poverty.

Most children who fall within these demographics perform well below the national average, while most children who speak and read English fluently score at or above the 50th percentile on the standardized test. There is a glimmer of silver lining in the early grades, where students are making the strongest gains, regardless of language ability or family income. These results reflect the state’s focus, starting in 1996, on smaller classes and better teaching in the early grades.

In second-grade reading, limited-English students posted a gain of six percentile points, outdoing fluent-English students, who were up five points. Still, 61% of fluent-English second-graders scored at or above the national average while only 25% of those who are learning English met or exceeded the same benchmark. But a six-point gain from the lower level is a bigger percentage gain than five points at a higher level, so the rise in the limited-English group is significant and hard-won.

To measurably narrow the gap, English learners must improve at a much faster rate than students who are proficient in English. That has happened in Texas, where Latino and black students have improved faster than white students. Texas, according to a Rand Corp. study of data from 1990 through 1996, was among the most effective states in helping students at all income levels learn. California at the time was among the least effective.

Scores rose after Texas began increasing spending, reducing class sizes, emphasizing tests, expanding public preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, raising standards and holding schools accountable. The reforms were initiated by Gov. Ann Richards, a Democrat, and her successor, Republican Gov. George W. Bush.

Similarly, bipartisan efforts at reform--including a continued commitment to higher state spending, coupled with high expectations for all students--can narrow the huge gaps in student achievement in California.