Elementary English Learner Classroom Composition - The Role of Classroom-Level Segregation, Number of English Proficiency Levels, and Opportunity to Learn

Oct 15, 2026

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Using mixed methods and two years of administrative data, the study examines how the extent of English learner (EL) classroom-level segregation and the number of EL English proficiency levels relate to elementary EL academic achievement. It also analyzes school staff–reported opportunities to learn, comparing segregated versus integrated classroom experiences across instructional, academic, and socio-emotional dimensions. Results show lower average performance in more segregated classrooms and little evidence linking proficiency-level counts to achievement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages46

Reading Time1 h 56 min

AccessFree to download

Elementary English Learner Classroom Composition

Classroom-level segregation and academic achievement

Number of EL English proficiency levels

Opportunity to learn in segregated vs integrated classrooms

Deficit EL definitions and policy context

American Educational Research Journal August 2020, Vol. 57, No. 4, pp. 1791–1836 DOI: 10.3102/0002831219887137 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions) 􀀂 2019 AERA. [http://aerj](http://aerj).[aera.net](aera.net) Elementary English Learner Classroom Composition and Academic Achievement: The Role of Classroom-Level Segregation, Number of English Proficiency Levels, and Opportunity to Learn Peggy Estrada University of California, Santa Cruz Haiwen Wang SRI International Timea Farkas University of California, Santa Cruz Using mixed methods, we investigated (a) the association of the extent of English learner (EL) classroom-level segregation (proportion EL) and number of EL English proficiency levels with elementary EL academic achievement, using 2 years of administrative data, and (b) school staff–reported opportunity to learn–related advantages and disadvantages in segregated versus PEGGY ESTRADA, PhD, is an associate research scientist in the Latin American and Latino Studies Department, Merrill Faculty Services, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064; [e-mail:](e-mail: peggye@ucsc.edu. She)[ peggye@ucsc.edu](e-mail: peggye@ucsc.edu. She)[. She](e-mail: peggye@ucsc.edu. She) has two primary areas of research: linguistic, instructional, and curricular placement policies and practices for students with a primary language other than English in the home and their consequences for core curricular access, achievement, and integration, and pedagogy, instructional quality, and achievement in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, with a special focus on Latino students. In partnership with districts, she answers field-, policy-, and practice-relevant questions using a sociocultural lens and mixed methods. HAIWEN WANG, PhD, is a senior researcher at SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, BS356, Menlo Park, CA 94025; e-mail: [haiwen.wang@sri.com](haiwen.wang@sri.com. She)[. She](haiwen.wang@sri.com. She) has more than 15 years of experience in education research and expertise in quantitative research design, statistical modeling, and applying rigorous research methodology in education research. TIMEA FARKAS, PhD, is an assistant research scientist in the Latin American and Latino Studies Department, Merrill Faculty Services, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064; e-mail: [tfarkas1@ucsc.edu](tfarkas1@ucsc.edu. She)[. She](tfarkas1@ucsc.edu. She) investigates K–12 English learner education, and traditional gender ideologies and their relation to outcomes in a variety of domains, including education, future possible selves, and close relationships. Estrada et al. integrated compositions, using 3 years of interviews. Findings were corroborative across methods. After accounting for student-, classroom-, and school-level covariates, we found that ELs in more segregated classrooms exhibited lower performance, on average, on state tests of English language arts, mathematics, and English proficiency, and little evidence that classroom number of EL English proficiency levels was related to achievement. School staff consistently detailed the instructional, academic, and socio-emotional opportunities to learn afforded by the diversity/heterogeneity of integrated classrooms. KEYWORDS: achievement, classroom composition, English learner, segregation, opportunity to learn One way in which school districts attempt to provide English learner stu dents (ELs) legally mandated language services, improve their performance, and meet accountabilities is through classroom composition policies that prescribe the mix of students by language status (e.g. , EL, English-only speaker [EO]) and by EL English proficiency (ELP) levels (beginning through advanced) . Across the nation, the vast majority of ELs receive English-only instruction (Sugarman, 2018) . Reflecting assumptions about the benefits of different cl

FAQs

What research questions does the study address about English learners?

The study investigates associations between classroom-level EL segregation and EL proficiency-level counts with elementary EL academic achievement, and it examines school staff–reported opportunity to learn advantages and disadvantages in segregated versus integrated classrooms.

What data sources were used in the study?

It uses mixed methods, including 2 years of administrative data for achievement analyses and 3 years of interviews to corroborate findings across methods.

What were the main findings regarding classroom segregation and achievement?

After controlling for student-, classroom-, and school-level covariates, ELs in more segregated classrooms showed lower average performance on state tests for English language arts, mathematics, and English proficiency, with limited evidence that the number of EL proficiency levels related to achievement.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford