Skip to main content

English Language Proficiency

CoP Description: The ELP CoP engaged state educational agencies (SEAs) to learn from one another and from research and policy experts. Together, SEAs addressed the following key questions:

  • How to create and execute a plan to adjust their ELP goals, Measurements of Interim Progress (MIPs), and the ELP indicator when new ELP assessment data becomes available
  • How to articulate a strategy for monitoring, reporting, and/or assisting local educational agencies (LEAs) in meeting ELP goals
  • How to apply best practice and research for incorporating EL subpopulations (e.g. recently-arrived ELs, ELs with disabilities, students with interrupted formal education, former ELs into accountability plans)

In addition to convening as a community, members of this CoP and the SMEs collaborated on two tools (links to these tools will be provided when they are published):

  • ELSTAR: The English Learner State Accountability Resource (ELSTAR) is a statistical analysis tool to support state educational agency (SEA) leaders in making data-based decisions about English learner accountability, checking the validity and reliability of the English language proficiency (ELP) indicator, and providing technical assistance to local educational agencies.
  • English Language Proficiency Guidebook: ESEA now has an increased focus on ELs and the accountability system requirements related to EL progress and attainment of proficiency. Improved data collection and analysis over the past decade has helped state educational agencies (SEAs) to examine longitudinally and better understand the pace at which ELs develop English language proficiency, yet states still confront substantial challenges in developing and implementing consolidated ESEA State plans, including provisions on ELP accountability. This guidebook provides an overview of technical approaches for designing accountability systems for ELs' ELP progress and attainment under the ESEA. This guidebook focuses on the technical approaches in state accountability systems related to ELP goals and measurements of interim progress, the ELP indicator, and annual meaningful differentiation of school performance related to ELP progress and attainment. The overarching intention of this guidebook is to stimulate ideas and discussion within and among SEAs as they continue to implement and refine accountability systems with respect to ELs under ESEA.

Further, as a capstone to the CoP, several CoP members and the SMEs met face-to-face at the Accountability and Support for English Learners Peer Convening at Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, on July 31, 2018. Meeting sessions focused on the implementation of state strategies to more fully incorporate ELs into school-level accountability systems. States also received training to use their data to monitor and validate EL-related components of their accountability system with the English Learner State Accountability Resource (ELSTAR), a user-friendly statistical tool developed for this purpose.

States accessed and used the below resources during the CoP learning cycles. The first set comprises resources that subject matter experts either created or curated from other technical assistance providers. The second set is composed of resources the states found and shared with one another.

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
Page Last Reviewed:
September 14, 2024