JANUARY 2026 - ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACCESS TO CONTENT IN PENNSYLVANIA - ACADEMIC COURSE ENROLLMENT IN HIGH SCHOOL

Oct 15, 2026

January 2026 brief examines how English learners (ELs) in Pennsylvania gain access to high-school academic content courses, despite the Lau v. Nichols (1974) promise of equitable, grade-level instruction. Using statewide data from 2016/17–2023/24, the analysis documents exclusionary tracking that limits EL enrollment in core subjects, with the largest gaps in English language arts. It also identifies structural, organizational, and demographic predictors of exclusionary patterns, including beginning English proficiency, special education status, newcomer status, and certain racial/ethnic factors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Exploring English learner access to content

Background: Lau v. Nichols and continuing challenges

Prevalence in Pennsylvania high school (2016/17–2023/24)

Enrollment gaps across subject areas

Regulatory and graduation context

Predictors of exclusionary tracking

Structural factors

Organizational factors

Demographic factors

Who is most likely to experience exclusionary tracking

Beginning English proficiency, special education, newcomer status

JANUARY 2026 | ENGLISH LEARNERS’ ACCESS TO CONTENT IN PENNSYLVANIA | | --- | | ACADEMIC COURSE ENROLLMENT IN HIGH SCHOOL | Exploring English learner students’ access to content Despite the United States Supreme Court’s Lau v. Nichols (1974) ruling fifty years ago, students classified as English learners (ELs) still face multiple and intersecting challenges to their opportunity to learn. One example is exclusionary tracking in which students classified as ELsare less likely to be enrolled in content courses than students who have exited EL status (former ELs) and those who were never classified as ELs (never ELs) . EL exclusionary tracking potentially undermines one of EL-classified students’ core rights under Lau v. Nichols, which asserts that ELshave the right to equitable, gradelevel curricular content. Unequal access to content may also create barriers to graduation among EL students. Using Pennsylvania statewide data (2016/17-2023/24) , this brief explores the prevalence of ELs’exclusionary tracking in high school compared to former and never ELsand the factors associated with content course access. It also looks at who, among ELs, is most likely to experience exclusionary tracking and why. This extends prior analysis of ELs course access in Oregon and Michigan , which found evidence of exclusionary tracking for ELs in both states. EL-classified high school students experienced exclusionary tracking in Pennsylvania, especially in English language arts Percentages of EL, Former EL, and Never EL Students in Pennsylvania Enrolled in Content Courses, Grades 9-12 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% ELAMath Science Social Studies All Core EL Former EL Never EL Data: Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2016/17 – 2023/24 Notes: Full load = Enrolled in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies Over the period examined , ELs experienced exclusionary tracking in highschool in Pennsylvania , meaning they had lower rates of content enrollment compared to former and never ELs. These gaps were particularly pronounced in English Language Arts (ELA) , with 84% of ELs enrolled in any ELA class in a given year compared to 96% of former and never ELs. In other core content areas (math , science , and social studies) , enrollment gaps between ELs and their former and never EL peers were much smaller , ranging from 2 to 3 percentage points. In total , in any given year , less than two-thirds of ELs were enrolled in courses in all four core content areas , compared to about threefourths of former and never ELs. Former ELs’ enrollment rates in core content courses were generally equal to never ELs’, except in social studies and in all core courses combined , where their enrollment lagged by 1 percentage point. The gap between ELs and their peers in ELA enrollment is notable because Pennsylvania regulations (22 Pa. Code §4 .26) specify that English language development (ELD) should generally not replace ELA in a student’s academic program. In addition , many Pennsylvania districts require four years of ELA for high school graduation. Prior analysis of Oregon and Michigan data also found that ELs experienced the highest rates of exclusionary tracking in ELA. This analysis was conducted by Dr. Karen D. Thompson (Oregon State Univeristy) and Dr. Ilana M. Umansky (University of Oregon) . This research was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education , through Grant R305C200008 to WestEd. The authors thank the Pennsylvania Department of Education for providing the data used in this analysis. Opinions reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute, the U.S. Department of Education , or PDE. Data source for all analyses: Pennsylvania Department of Education , 2016/17 – 2023/24 . For more info: [elrdcenter.wested.org](elrdcenter.wested.org) JANUARY 2026 2 Structural, organizational, and demographic factors predicted exclusionary tracking patte

FAQs

What does the brief examine about English learners’ opportunities to learn in Pennsylvania high schools?

It examines ELs’ access to core academic content courses and documents how exclusionary tracking affects enrollment compared with former ELs and never ELs.

Which subject area shows the biggest enrollment gaps for EL students?

English language arts (ELA) shows the largest gap, with 84% of ELs enrolled in any ELA class in a given year versus 96% of former and never ELs.

What factors are linked to higher exclusionary tracking for EL students?

The brief reports that structural factors (grade, academic year, district), organizational factors (English proficiency level, disability status, newcomer status), and demographic factors (race, gender, socioeconomic status) all predict exclusionary tracking.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn Holloway