ELLs’ Achievement Is No Longer a Subgroup Issue

Meeting the unique learning needs of non-native English speakers must involve entire school communities, and not just the teachers who have ELLs in their classrooms. By Gloria Rodriguez —  The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December made important changes in accountability for English Language Learners (ELLs), one of the fastest-growing and lowest-performing subgroups of students in the United States. The new law shifted accountability for English learners from Title III, the section previously authorizing funding for language acquisition programs, to Title I, the program encompassing accountability for all student groups. What this means is that accountability …