A Matter of Time: Variations in High School Course-Taking by Years-as-EL Subgroup

This study seeks to explain why English learners (ELs) lag behind their peers in academic achievement. ELs' limited access to more advanced courses may partly account for these differences. The researcher of this study investigated the relationship between time spent as an EL and high school course-taking. Using student-level data from a large sample of Chinese and Spanish ELs in California (N = 41,343), the results of the study showed that there was substantial heterogeneity in general and advanced course-taking based on time spent as an EL. But differences disappear once eighth grade test scores are taken into consideration.