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Placement Of Former English Language Learners In Middle Schools: General Education Or Dual Language?, Bruce Torff

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

Historically, many educators have attempted to help English Language Learners (ELLs) develop sufficient English skills to be reclassified so that they can be placed in general-education classrooms. At present, educators increasingly favor a policy of placing former ELLs in dual-language settings. But it remains unclear whether former ELLs in middle schools perform better academically in general-education (GE) or dual-language (DL) classrooms. Research was conducted to compare former ELLs placed in GE settings and those who remained in DL classrooms on state tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and math (n=99) at the middle-school level. In both subjects, DL students outperformed …