Opportunity to Learn and English Learner Achievement: Is Increased Content Exposure Beneficial?

This investigation examined the impact of opportunity to learn content and skills targeted by a writing assessment on the achievement of English learners (ELs), including the potential for differential impact of increased exposure to literary analysis and writing instruction. Results revealed several factors contributing to students' writing performance. Student-level and teacher-level variables were found to significantly contribute to writing performance. Although exposure to writing and literary analysis was found to positively impact student scores, our findings also suggest that the achievement gap between ELs and non-ELs increases as teacher reports of content coverage in writing increase. Implications are discussed.