Each week, “Answer Key” aims to help families by responding to an important question about education and schools in Greater Houston. If you have a question for us to answer, please email us at education@houstonlanding.org or fill out the form at the end of this article.
This week’s question:
Texas classifies many students as “emergent bilingual.” What does that mean? And what classes do those students take to learn English?
Roughly one-third of Houston-area students are classified by the state as “emergent bilingual,” meaning they speak a language other than English at home and aren’t yet proficient in English.
For those students, there is an added layer of complexity to every math problem, reading comprehension question and spelling test. Para esos estudiantes, hay un nivel adicional de complejidad a cada problema de matemática, pregunta de comprensión lectora y prueba de ortografía.
In the past 10 years, the number of emergent bilingual students in Greater Houston has increased roughly 50 percent. Much of that rise can be attributed to fewer emergent bilingual students passing the state test to become “English proficient.”
As the number of non-English speaking students increases in Houston and around the country, school districts nationwide have turned to a widening range of programs to get students up to speed.
You may have already heard of English as a second language, or ESL, classes, but what makes them different from a dual language program or a bilingual class? And where do students most stand to benefit?
In some cases, that depends on whether the program’s goal is to push students only toward English, or to incorporate their home language, too.
What does “emergent bilingual” mean, and who are the students receiving this designation?
When a student enters the Texas public school system, the parent or guardian must fill out a survey indicating what languages they most often speak at home. If the student speaks a language other than English, they are declared “emergent bilingual” and enrolled in either an ESL, dual language or bilingual program.
According to data collected by the Houston Education Research Consortium, or HERC, most emergent bilingual students began their education in a Houston-area school, though 14 percent are recent immigrants. Over 80 percent speak Spanish as their primary language. The second-largest language group is Vietnamese at 3 percent.
What is an ESL program and what does it accomplish?
Traditional ESL classes teach basic English language skills and are typically separate from classes with native English speakers. Under this model, the goal is for the student to transition to 100 percent English communication, and students do not receive instruction in their native language.
What is a dual language program, and how is it different from an ESL class?
Unlike ESL programs, “dual language” programs encourage students to maintain their bilingualism instead of phasing out instruction in a student’s native language. A one-way dual language program begins by instructing students in their native language, usually Spanish, and slowly incorporating English.
A two-way dual language program or bilingual program teaches students who speak English and students who speak another language together, with the goal of full bilingualism for all students. For example, an English-Spanish two-way dual language program would consist of half English-speaking students and half Spanish speakers, and instruction would take place in English and Spanish.
What kind of classes do Houston-area school districts offer?
Most school districts offer a range of ESL or dual language options depending on the campus. Within HISD, elementary school students can participate in dual language programs in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, or French. In Alief ISD, kindergarten students can enroll in one-way or two-way dual language programs in Spanish.
This school year, Pasadena ISD introduced a two-way dual language program in English and Spanish for elementary school students. The program is opt-in for families and available at five campuses.
Although the program is only available to second grade students and younger, Pasadena Superintendent DeeAnn Powell told the Landing earlier this year that the district hopes to integrate the program into one additional grade each year, until it’s available at every grade level.
“We had to retrain the entire staff,” Powell said of accommodating the shift to full bilingualism. “We’re moving it up one grade at a time and tweaking along the way.”
How do students become “English proficient,” and what does that mean for their education?
To be declared “English proficient,” students must pass a state-administered test called the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System or TELPAS, which includes both written and oral sections. Students can take the exam at the end of each academic year to move out of ESL or dual language programs in the following fall.
While English proficiency should be a goal for emergent bilingual students, HERC Associate Director of Regional Research Lizzy Cashiola said there’s been an increased push to foster true bilingualism. In 2021, Texas lawmakers voted to rename its “English language learner” designation to “emergent bilingual,” in part to emphasize that bilingualism is a strength, not a weakness.
A 2022 study by HERC found that emergent bilingual students who become English proficient in early elementary school performed just as well or better than their peers on state tests in later years, sometimes outperforming students who speak English as their first language.
“There are a ton of cognitive benefits of bilingualism that support other areas of learning,” Cashiola said. “…Not to mention in Texas it’s extremely useful to have on your resumé.”
However, if a student is slow to learn English, their emergent bilingual status could become a risk factor later in life. The same study found that students who do not reclassify as English proficient before middle school, also known as “long-term English learners,” are less likely to take advanced-level courses and more likely to skip school or drop out later in life.
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