Hannah Gookstetter ELLs in the News Summary

TCH_LRN 413-01
October 8, 2019

Why did passing rates on state exams for English learners plunge in Virginia?

State reading exam scores in Virginia for the 2016 to 2017 school year showed that 64% of
English Language Leaners passed the state exam. However, two years later the percentage of
ELLs who passed the state exam drastically decreased to 35%. In fact, a decrease was seen in all
subject areas that were tested at the state level. Why? This drastic drop was due to the Virginia
Department of Education changing the way it calculates the passing rates of ELLs in order to
comply with the Every Child Succeeds Act. Previously, the scores of former ELLs were included
in the calculations of overall passing rates for up to two years after students are no longer
classified as ELLs. This resulted in an inflation of the passing rates. Now, those scores of
students who are no longer ELLs are not included in the calculations, causing a sharp decrease in
the passing rates. What this has brought to light is how much of a disadvantage ELLs are at when
it comes to statewide testing. It also revealed drastic achievement gaps between different
populations in the state of Virginia. Teachers must now determine how they are going to help
ELLs succeed in the classroom more than they have ever had to before. They are going to have
to spend some time altering their lesson plans, instructional strategies, getting to know the needs
and challenges their ELLs face, and how they are going to differentiate instruction for these
students.

Reflection Question: What would be your initial step to helping ELLs in your classroom
succeed after a drastic decrease in the passing rates of ELLs in your state? Why?

Truong, D. (2019, September). Why did passing rates on state exams for English learners plunge
in Virginia?. The Washington Post. Retrieved from:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/why-did-passing-rates-on-state-exams-for-
english-learners-plunge-in-virginia/2019/09/02/971d160a-bfa3-11e9-b873-
63ace636af08_story.html