Exploring How States Identify Pre-Kindergarten English Learners
In 2021, the percentage of public school students in the United States who were English Learners (ELs) was 10.6%. This percentage represents 5.3 million students. These students come from diverse backgrounds and have the benefit of speaking a language other than English.
While children in grades K-12 must be screened and assessed for English language proficiency when they are enrolled in school according to federal law, it is up to individual states to determine their policies for screening and identification prior to Kindergarten. But the law is not clear when it comes to state preschool and pre-K programs. Identification of ELs in pre-K can be used to help inform eligibility, funding, instructional services, staffing, and other services.
AIR and New America have partnered on a project to examine how states are approaching the issue of screening and identifying pre-K children for English learner status. Findings from a 50-state scan of policies and guidance for identifying ELs in pre-K programs are now available in a new blog post, which is the first in a series that highlights how states, advocates, and assessment developers are thinking about EL identification in pre-k.