ELLs are the fastest growing segment of the student population. The highest growth occurs in grades 7–12, where ELLs increased by approximately 70 percent between 1992 and 2002. ELLs now comprise 10.5 percent of the nation’s K–12 enrollment, up from 5 percent in 1990.
ELLs do not fit easily into simple categories; they comprise a very diverse group. Recent research shows that 57 percent of adolescent ELLs were born in the U.S., while 43
percent were born elsewhere.
ELLs have varied levels of language proficiency, socio-economic standing, expectations
of schooling, content knowledge, and immigration status.
ELL students are increasingly present in all U.S. states. Formerly, large ELL populations were concentrated in a few states, but today almost all states have populations of ELLs. States in the Midwest and Intermountain West have seen increases in the number of ELL students; in Illinois, for example, enrollments of Hispanic undergraduates grew by 80 percent in the last decade. Nationwide, approximately 43 percent of secondary educators teach ELLs.
ELLs sometimes struggle academically. In 2005, 4 percent of ELL eighth graders achieved proficiency on the reading portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) versus 31 percent of all eighth graders who were found to be proficient. Non-native English
speakers 14–18 years old were 21 percent less likely to have completed high school than native English speakers.
For more information see the National Council of Teachers of English www.ncte.org
