[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-584219-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-584219-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","transitioning-from-esl-to-corequisite-english-courses-at-cuny-research-report-january-2026","Transitioning From ESL to Corequisite English Courses at CUNY - Research Report - January 2026","","Research report examining how multilingual learners (MLs) transition from ESL into corequisite and other credit-bearing English courses at City University of New York (CUNY). The study contextualizes reforms replacing prerequisite developmental education with corequisites and updates to ESL/English placement measures. Using qualitative data from five CUNY community colleges, the report analyzes how pathways differ across campuses, identifies barriers and enabling factors, and evaluates instructional, placement, and support strategies that can improve access, persistence, and ongoing language development.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/transitioning-from-esl-to-corequisite-english-courses-at-cuny-research-report-january-2026/584219/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/transitioning-from-esl-to-corequisite-english-courses-at-cuny-research-report-january-2026/584219.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Kyle","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why are multilingual learners’ transitions from ESL to credit-bearing English important?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"MLs are a large share of community college students and often need an educational pathway that advances academics while continuing English development. However, starting in ESL can slow entry into credit coursework, and many students never transition successfully to college-level courses.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What CUNY changes frame this research report?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"CUNY adopted developmental education reforms replacing prerequisite developmental education with corequisites and implemented new placement measures for entry into ESL and English courses. Colleges designed institutional approaches with flexibility to support student success, especially in ESL.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How does the report investigate the transition process at CUNY community colleges?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The report draws on qualitative data from five CUNY community colleges, including interviews with faculty and staff and institutional documents. It examines how MLs progress, how pathways vary by campus, and what supports or barriers shape outcomes under the new regime.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},584219,1792062029,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},3985741905716,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","RESEARCH REPORT | JANUARY 2026  \nTransitioning From ESL to  \nCorequisite English Courses at CUNY  \nBy Julia Raufman, Selena Cho, and Andrea Lopez Salazar  \nMultilingual learners (MLs)—students who use more than one language and are actively developing proficiency in English—represent a large and important share of the nation’s community college students, particularly in regions where large numbers of immigrants reside. MLs arrive at community college with varied educational histories, linguistic repertoires, and goals. Many wish to pursue credit-bearing programs of study that lead to credentials and thus require an educational pathway that allows them to advance academically while continuing their English language development. The first point of entry into college for such students is often English as a Second Language (ESL) programs—noncredit, multi-level course sequences that provide a critical opportunity for language growth but that can also slow down entry into credit-bearing coursework (Hodara, 2015). Although not all MLs seeking college credentials participate in ESL, those who do often transition from ESL into either developmental or college-level English courses.  \nTraditional developmental English courses—which, like ESL, may also be offered through a multi-course sequence—can further delay progress for former ESL students (as well as non-ESL students) who are deemed underprepared for college. Indeed, many students placed in traditional developmental education course sequences stop out before enrolling in credit-bearing coursework. In response, substantial reforms to developmental programming have emerged across the nation over the past decade, becoming well established in some states andinstitutions (Bickerstaff et al., 2022). These include changing the placement process, shortening the lengths of prerequisite course sequences, and replacing prerequisite courses with corequisite supports or courses offered in concert with college-level English courses—all of which are aimed at getting more students into college-level courses earlier in their postsecondary experience and improving their outcomes.  \nResearch shows that corequisite developmental models and other reforms can improve student success rates in gateway English courses (Coca et al., 2024; Kopko & Daniels, 2023; Miller et al., 2022). Yet for MLs, these reforms also raise new questions. As corequisites become a much more common entry point into credit-bearing English, they function as a key transition route for MLs, replacing longer developmental course sequences with an accelerated pathway. The shift highlights the need to examine not only how well corequisites meet MLs’ ongoing language development alongside their academic progress but also whether existing structures and supports are sufficient to smooth MLs’ entry into these courses. Corequisites can accelerate progress and expand access for many students. Yet for some MLs, compressed timelines may reduce opportunities to build English proficiency, making it harder to persist in college without additional tailored supports.  \nTransitioning From ESL to Corequisite English Courses at CUNY  \nIn recent years, the City University of New York (CUNY) has undertaken sweeping developmental education reforms, including replacing prerequisite developmental education with corequisites (Fay et al., 2024), and has also adopted new placement measures for entry into ESL and English courses (CUNY, n.d.-a). These changes have reshaped ML pathways into creditbearing English. They were implemented largely by individual CUNY colleges, which were given broad flexibility in designing innovative approaches to support student success, especially in ESL. In this report, we draw on qualitative data collected from five CUNY community colleges—including interviews with faculty and staff and institutional documents—to examine how MLs under the new regime transition from ESL to credit-bearing English. Specifically, we ask  \n• How do MLs","cbCaikSx9vyMwiGM","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikSx9vyMwiGM","pdf",364750,15,"English","# Introduction\n## Background: Multilingual Learners, Corequisites, and the CUNY Context\n# Research Questions\n## How MLs progress across campuses\n## Barriers and enabling factors\n## Instructional models and support strategies","[{\"question\":\"Why are multilingual learners’ transitions from ESL to credit-bearing English important?\",\"answer\":\"MLs are a large share of community college students and often need an educational pathway that advances academics while continuing English development. However, starting in ESL can slow entry into credit coursework, and many students never transition successfully to college-level courses.\"},{\"question\":\"What CUNY changes frame this research report?\",\"answer\":\"CUNY adopted developmental education reforms replacing prerequisite developmental education with corequisites and implemented new placement measures for entry into ESL and English courses. Colleges designed institutional approaches with flexibility to support student success, especially in ESL.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the report investigate the transition process at CUNY community colleges?\",\"answer\":\"The report draws on qualitative data from five CUNY community colleges, including interviews with faculty and staff and institutional documents. It examines how MLs progress, how pathways vary by campus, and what supports or barriers shape outcomes under the new regime.\"}]","Transitioning From ESL to Corequisite English Courses at CUNY - Research Report - January 2026 | PDF",1792050232,38]