The Academic Achievement of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Youth in New and Established Immigrant States: Lessons from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

The dramatic growth and dispersal of immigrant families have reshaped public education amid rising state accountability pressures under the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015). The study focuses on how demographic changes affect Limited English Proficient (LEP) youth, a protected subgroup targeting children from immigrant families. Using individual-level NAEP data, it compares eighth-grade test scores across new vs established immigrant destination states and reports achievement differences by demographic context.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study focus and context

Research design overview

Findings and implications

Abstract

| education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | --- | --- | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 24 Number 99 October 3, 2016 ISSN 1068-2341 | | The Academic Achievement of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Youth in New and Established Immigrant States: Lessons from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Lisa P. Spees University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill & Stephanie Potochnick University of Missouri-Columbia & Krista M. Perreira University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill United States Citation: Spees, L. P., Potochnick, S., & Perreira, K. M. (2016) . The academic achievement of Limited English Proficient (LEP) youth in new and established immigrant states: Lessons from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) . Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24(99) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.24.2130](http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.24.2130) Abstract: The dramatic growth and dispersal of immigrant families has changed the face of public education at a time when states are experiencing increased school accountability pressures under the No Child Left Behind Act and its recent successor, the Every Student Succeeds Act. Of particular concern is how these demographic shifts affect the academic well-being of Limited English Proficient (LEP) youth, the protected sub-group that most directly targets children from immigrant families. Using individual-level data from the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP), we examine how eighth grade test scores of LEP youth differ across new and established immigrant destination states. Results show that achievement for LEP youth is higher in new than in established immigrant states, but that this advantage is not consistent across ethnic/racial groups. LEP youth in new immigrant states benefit from more favorable demographic characteristics and family and school resources, but these differences only explain a small portion of the achievement gap. Keywords: Children of immigrants; limited English proficient; new immigrant destination; academic achievement El rendimiento académico de jóvenes de Competencia Limitada de Inglés (LEP) en Nuevos y Establecidos Estados de Inmigrantes: Lecciones de la Evaluación Nacional del Progreso Educativo (NAEP) Resumen: El crecimiento y disperso dramático de familias inmigrantes han cambiado laeducación pública en un tiempo cuando los estados están experimentando un aumento de presiones sobre la responsabilidad de la escuela bajo de la ley No Child Left Behind y su sucesor, la ley Every Student Succeeds. De importancia en particular es como estos cambios demográficosafectan el bienestar académico de jóvenes de Competencia Limitada de Ingles (LEP), el sub-grupo protegido que enfoca en los niños de familias inmigrantes. Por el uso de data del nivel individuo dela Evaluación Nacional del Progreso Educativo (NAEP), los autores examinan como los resultados de exámenes de jóvenes de LEP en el octavo grado y estos resultados varían entre las destinaciones nuevas y establecidos para inmigrantes. Los resultados muestran que rendimiento para jóvenes de LEP es más alto en estados nuevos para inmigrantes que los establecidos, pero que esta ventaja no está consistente en todos los grupos étnicos y raciales. Jóvenes de LEP en estados nuevos deinmigrantes benefician de características demográficas más favorables y recursos de la familia y escuela, pero estas diferencias solo explican un porcentaje pequeño de la brecha en rendimiento. Palabras-clave: Hijos de inmigrantes; competencia limitada de inglés; destinación nueva deinmigrantes; rendimiento académico O desempenho acadêmico dos jovens Proficiência Limitada em Inglês (LEP) deimigrantes novos e estabelecidos Unidos: Lições da Avaliação Nacional do Progresso Educacional (NAEP) Resumo: O crescimento e expansão dramática de famílias de imigrantes mudaram aeducação pública num momento em que

FAQs

What issue does the study address for Limited English Proficient (LEP) youth?

It examines how demographic shifts tied to immigrant family growth affect the academic well-being of LEP youth under NCLB and ESSA accountability pressures.

What data source and grade level are used in the analysis?

The analysis uses individual-level data from the NAEP, comparing eighth-grade test scores for LEP youth.

How do achievement outcomes differ between new and established immigrant destination states?

Results indicate that LEP youth have higher achievement in new than in established immigrant states, but the advantage varies across ethnic and racial groups.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag