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English Learner Resources

Resources on English Learners, Effective School Programs, and Authorizing Practice

More than one in ten California public school students attends a charter school and, of those, 15 percent, nearly 102,000, are designated as English learners (ELs), according to the California Department of Education. Among all 5.9 million public school students in California, English learners represent 18.1 percent, about 1.28 million students.

Federal and California policies, legislation, and court rulings have gone a long way toward requiring school districts to provide effective programs and activities to ensure that EL students learn English and have full and equal access to educational opportunities while they are becoming fluent English speakers. However, enforcement of those laws is inconsistent and many districts and schools do not have the resources, qualified teachers and staff members, and awareness of strategies for teaching EL students.

CCAP has aggregated numerous reports, studies, and manuals that offer information on legal requirements, tested instructional methods, and guidance specifically for charter authorizers and charter schools. This is a dynamic list that will continue to expand as new resources become available.

General Information on English Learners

Resources on Authorizing and English Learners

Resources on School Practices and English Learners

Essential Needs of English Learner Students

Numerous studies show that, overall, English learners perform below average on state tests; graduate at much lower rates than their English speaking classmates (69 percent compared to 87 percent, according to Californians Together); and do not have equitable access to high-quality resources, grade-level text books and instruction. In 2018-19, the last full school year before Covid disrupted education, just 12.81 percent of EL students scored at or above grade level on the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, according to the California Department of Education (CDE).

Continuing Focus on Improving Educational Opportunities for English Learners

CCAP is committed to ensuring that EL students in charter schools receive the supports and services to become fluent in English and succeed in school. The Tri-State Alliance for Improving District-Led Charter Authorizing, a federally-funded collaboration of CCAP, the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers, and the Florida Association of Charter School Authorizers, released a report shortly before Covid hit that identified key obstacles preventing many EL students from succeeding.
As the Tri-State Alliance grant winds down, its efforts to help charter schools and districts adopt improved practices that strengthen education for EL students is continuing through two new projects:

• National Network for District Authorizing (NN4DA)—The three Tri-State Alliance members launched NN4DA in late 2021 to “support state-level initiatives that assist school districts and similar entities in implementing authorizing practices that lead to quality and equitable outcomes for all students.”
• CASI, the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative—The California Department of Education awarded CCAP and the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) a federal charter subgrant collaborate to build networks of authorizers and to develop and provide professional development and resources for authorizers. Its goal for EL students is to “improve access, services, and outcomes English learners by helping charter schools and districts adopt improved practices.”

Additionally, CCAP in collaboration with WestEd released the first two in a series of Toolkits for authorizers—the Initial Charter Petition Toolkit and the Annual Report Toolkit—both of which include guidance on how to review charter petitions to ensure they comply with state requirements to provide EL students with access to the entire school curriculum, including Advanced Placement and all other instructional programs.