When to Exit ELL Students: Monitoring Success and Failure in Mainstream Classrooms After ELLs’ Reclassification

This study evaluated the validity of ELL reclassification policies in existing assessment systems. Using statewide individual-level data we examined the subsequent academic success of reclassified ELLs in mainstream classrooms. We found that ELL students tended to make a smooth transition upon their reclassification and kept pace in mainstream classrooms. This indicated that existing reclassification decisions were, in general, supportive of ELL students’ subsequent learning, with a caution that our findings should be tempered by substantial variation in subsequent learning. Our findings also suggest that protracted ELL status due to too stringent ELP criteria may be detrimental to ELLs’ learning in mainstream classrooms.