English Language Learners and Academic Achievement: Revisiting the Threshold Hypothesis

• Published in: Language learning Vol. 62; no. 3; pp. 769 - 812
• Main Authors: Ardasheva, Yuliya, Tretter, Thomas R., Kinny, Marti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.09.2012; Wiley-Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; achievement gap; bilingualism; Education. Teaching; Effect Size; ELL reclassification/redesignation; ELLs' academic achievement; English (Second Language); English as a second language; Foreign language learning; hierarchical linear modeling; Institutional Characteristics; Language Fluency; Language Proficiency; Linguistic Theory; Linguistics; Mathematics Achievement; Middle School Students; Native Speakers; Prediction; Production and comprehension processes; Psycholinguistics; Psychology of language; Reading Achievement; redesignated fluent English proficient students; Second Language Learning; Statistical Analysis; Student Characteristics; threshold hypothesis; Language proficiency; ELLs' academic achievement; academic achievement; Mathematics; hierarchical linear modeling; threshold hypothesis; Teaching; English; Reading; ELL reclassification/redesignation; achievement gap; Adolescent; Bilingualism; language proficiency; redesignated fluent English proficient students

This nonexperimental study explored the predictive strength of English proficiency levels on academic achievement of middle school students in a sample of 17,470 native English‐speaking (NES) students, 558 English language learners (current ELLs), and 500 redesignated fluent English proficient stude...