The Correlates of Academic Performance for English Learner Students in a New England District

English learner students are one of the fastest growing subgroups in America's schools, and gaps between English learner students and their native English-speaking peers in academic outcomes remain large in most districts and states. This study examines data for all English learner students in grades K-12 in the study district who took the Language Assessment Systems Links (LAS Links) English language proficiency assessment in spring 2011. Focusing on a large urban district in Connecticut, this study examines three research questions: (1) What were the characteristics of English learner students and of the English learner programs and schools they attended in 2010/11?; (2) Which student characteristics, types of English learner programs, and school characteristics were most closely related to English learner students' English proficiency scores in 2010/11?; and (3) Which student characteristics, including English proficiency levels, and which types of English learner programs were most closely related to English learner students' math and reading performance? A large urban district in Connecticut with a share of just over 10 percent of English learner students in its student population was selected as the site for this study. The study used administrative data from the study district to conduct descriptive statistics and regression analyses to address the research questions. While there are differences in performance on both the LAS Links and Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT)/CAPT assessments by type of English learner program, the differences do not have a clear pattern. A table is appended. [SREE documents are structured abstracts of SREE conference symposium, panel, and paper or poster submissions.]