Time to Reclassification: How Long Does It Take English Learner Students in Washington Road Map Districts to Develop English Proficiency?

This Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest descriptive study examines how long it took English learner students to gain English proficiency and reclassify as former English learner students at elementary schools in seven Seattle-area school districts. Analyzing test scores of 17,733 students, the study found that the average time to reclassification as a former English learner student was 3.8 years. Students who entered elementary school in earlier grades were able to reclassify as former English learner students faster than their peers who enrolled in later grades; for example, students who entered in grades 3-5 took more than a year longer, on average, to become proficient when compared to students who entered at kindergarten. The following are appended: (1) Data and methodology; and (2) Supplemental data tables.