Serving English Learners during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting changes in schooling have been particularly difficult for students learning the English language. Recent research indicates that nearly 40 percent of English learners (ELs) nationwide were not receiving the services and support they needed to successfully engage with academic content during distance learning and that ELs experienced greater lags in learning than their peers. As the types and quality of instructional supports provided to ELs at school are vital to their educational outcomes, it is critical to understand how these students were supported during a nontraditional school year. This report highlights the ways in which public K-12 school districts planned to support ELs during the first full academic year of the pandemic. Results collectively indicate that districts communicated their intentions to assess student learning and progress, planned to provide both designated and integrated ELD services, and offered supplemental educational services to mitigate lags in student learning. However, in general Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans (LCPs) included too little detail to determine the extent to which plans for 2020-2021 differed from educational programming prior to the pandemic or the sufficiency of districts' plans to ensure student progress in language development and academic learning. Moreover, the legislation mandating the plans did not include measures for adherence to plans or for monitoring student outcomes as a result of plans. [This study is the product of the University of California, Davis, California Education Lab.]