SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released the results of the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) that showed an increase in the percentage of English learner students scoring at the advanced and early advanced performance levels compared to last year.
"English fluency is critical for students to succeed in school and in the workforce," O’Connell said. "A U.S. Census Bureau report released last month shows that 20 percent of U.S. residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. In California, nearly a quarter of students are learning English as a second language, and by becoming fluent, they will more readily be able to fulfill their potential and compete in the demanding global economy."
The CELDT assesses the English-language proficiency of students in kindergarten through grade twelve. These results are used to calculate Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for federal accountability requirements.
Compared to the rest of the nation, California has the largest number of students whose primary language is not English. More than 100 languages are spoken by the state's English learners, of which approximately 85 percent speak Spanish.
The overall annual assessment results for 2009–10 show that nearly 40 percent of the 1,292,131 English learners who took the CELDT in California's public schools scored at the early advanced (30.7 percent) and advanced (9.1 percent) performance levels (see
Table 1). During the 2006–07 administration, a new scale with new cut scores was introduced, therefore, scores of tests administered before 2006–07 cannot be used to compare to results of later years. Between 2006–07 and 2009–10, the percentage of English learners scoring at the early advanced or advanced performance levels increased nearly 8 percent (see
Table 1).
Prior to 2009–10, students in kindergarten and grade one (K–1) were assessed only in the domains of listening and speaking. Beginning in 2009–10, K–1 students also were assessed in the domains of reading and writing.
To satisfy the CELDT criterion for English-language proficiency, a student must have an overall scale score of early advanced or advanced, plus a score of intermediate or above for each of the domains tested (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). The CELDT criterion is synonymous with AMAO 2, the percentage of English learners attaining English proficiency on the CELDT, for federal accountability under Title III of Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The CELDT is one of four criteria in state law to be used by schools in determining whether or not an English learner should be reclassified as fluent English proficient. Other criteria include comparison of performance in basic skills (e.g., the California Standards Test in English-language arts, which is part of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program), teacher evaluation, and input from parents. Each school district establishes its own local reclassification procedures using these criteria.
Results for the 2009–10 CELDT show that almost 37 percent
[1] of English learners met the CELDT criterion for possible reclassification with the greatest percent in grades six to eight (see
Table 2). Since 2006–07, there has been steady growth in English-language proficiency performance on the CELDT. This is about 0.5 percentage points higher than last year.
School, district, county, and state results of the 2009–10 CELDT Annual Assessment are available on the CDE Web page at
CELDT Reports.
1 Weighted average across the grade spans within the school year.
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Attachment
California English Language Development Test
2009–10 Annual Assessment Results
The summaries presented in this attachment are based on the preliminary 2009–10 California English Language Development Test (CELDT) annual assessment results provided to the California Department of Education by the CELDT contractor, Educational Data Systems. This report only includes annual assessment results of tests submitted during the annual assessment window (July 1, 2009 – October 31, 2009).
Table 1. Percentage of English Learners Tested for CELDT
Annual Assessment by Overall Performance Level
Overall Performance Level | 2006–07* | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | Change From Previous Year | Change From 2006–07 |
|---|
Beginning | 10.4 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 7.4 | -0.7 | -3.0 |
Early
Intermediate | 18.0 | 16.6 | 15.4 | 14.7 | -0.7 | -3.3 |
Intermediate | 39.4 | 38.6 | 37.3 | 38.1 | 0.8 | -1.3 |
Early
Advanced | 25.3 | 28.2 | 29.7 | 30.7 | 1.0 | 5.4 |
Advanced | 7.0 | 7.6 | 9.5 | 9.1 | -0.4 | 2.1 |
*Beginning in 2006–07, CELDT results are based on a new scale
Table 2. Percentage of English Learners Who Met CELDT Criterion for Possible Reclassification by Grade Span
Grade Span | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | Change From Previous Year | Change From 2006–07 |
|---|
K–2* | 20.0 | 23.6 | 26.6 | 28.0 | 1.4 | 8.0 |
3–5 | 27.3 | 31.5 | 35.9 | 34.9 | -1.0 | 7.6 |
6–8 | 37.4 | 42.4 | 44.8 | 47.0 | 2.2 | 9.6 |
9–12 | 34.3 | 36.8 | 40.4 | 41.0 | 0.6 | 6.7 |
All Grades** | 29.1 | 32.8 | 36.2 | 36.7 | 0.5 | 7.6 |
* Repeating kindergarten and grade one (K–1) only includes listening and speaking scale scores.
** Weighted average across the grade spans within the school year.
State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Responds
to Governor's May Budget Revision
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement in response to the release of Governor Schwarzenegger's
May Revision (Outside Source) to the 2010-11 Budget:
"While we are still working to analyze details of the Governor's proposal, it appears that the voter-approved guarantee for K-12 education funding does not seem to have been further reduced since the Governor's January budget proposal.
"However, I have grave concerns that child care for thousands of preschool age children will be eliminated. The Governor's plan cuts $1.45 billion in state-funded child care. This cut is yet another severe blow to poor- and middle-class working families who are struggling to provide for their families. Child care is a vital and essential element in the development of young minds, and to the ability of parents to work and contribute to the state's economy.
"California is long overdue in creating a stable, consistent funding scheme for K-12 public education. We delay funding allocations to schools; we break commitments to fund class-size reduction, summer school, nurses, counselors, school librarians, and a host of other support systems that play a role in the quality of our children's education. This failure to provide adequate funding is choking off our state's economic engine to recovery and our future."
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