Massachusetts English Language Learners' Profiles and Progress: A Report for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

The present study was commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) to provide a profile of Massachusetts English Language Learners (ELLs) and policy recommendations for improving their outcomes. ESE was concerned about previous study findings that most of these learners exited ELL instructional programs at relatively fast rates--within three years of school entry as kindergartners--but struggled academically following exit. Furthermore, the State was concerned about the numbers of students who never exited ELL instructional services at all. The purpose of this report is to update and expand these findings to reflect changes in the standards and assessments for ELLs and a major statewide initiative to improve the training of core academic teachers of ELLs.