English Language Acquisition Program Evaluation Report: A Report from the Study "Effects of the Implementation of Proposition 227 on the Education of English Learners, K-12"

In June of 1998, Proposition 227 was passed by 61 percent of the California electorate. Intended to change how the state's English learners (ELs) are instructed, Proposition 227 required that ELs be taught "overwhelmingly in English" through sheltered/structured English immersion (SEI) programs during a transition period and then transferred to English-language mainstream classrooms. Thirteen months later, in July of 1999, the English Language Acquisition Program (ELAP) was established by Assembly Bill 1116 in order "to improve the English proficiency of California pupils in grades 4 through 8 and to better prepare them to meet the state academic content and performance standards." ELAP pursues this goal by providing funds to districts to be spent on English learner instruction. This report is part of a five-year study being conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and WestEd for the California Department of Education (CDE). The Study, "Effects of the Implementation of Proposition 227 on the Education of English Learners", evaluates the impact of Proposition 227, and includes an evaluation of ELAP. This report presents findings from the ELAP evaluation. Appended are: (1) Year 4 ELAP Survey (ELAP-LEA Evaluation Report); (2) Language Arts SAT-9 Mean Scaled Scores, by Cohort; and (3) Regression Results for Student Achievement Analysis Models. (Contains 16 tables, 18 color enhanced graphs, and 20 endnotes.)