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Arkansas Language Learners Programs Reviewed Against Adequacy Measures

The number of English Language Learner students in Arkansas’s public schools have more than doubled in the past 10 years to nearly 40,000.

According to legislative analyst Dr. Mandy Gillip, total expenditures for E.L.L. programs in public schools in the state were nearly $16 million this school year which is less than recommended by state-hired education consultants. She spoke before lawmakers at the capitol Tuesday about the shifting demographics.

"Most of of our English Language Learners in Arkansas are Spanish-speaking. About 86 percent are native Spanish-speaking, or influenced by Spanish in the home," she said.

Marshallese students are the second most populous non-native English-speaking student population in the state. State lawmakers are considering funding levels for E.L.L. programs as part of an annual review of educational adequacy needs tied to the state’s 1992 federal Lake View lawsuit.

In 2014, E.L.L. students scored 69 percent proficient or advanced on benchmark exams in literacy and 59 percent in math. Those figures are roughly ten percent lower than non-E.L.L. students in both categories.

Sarah Whites-Koditschek is a former News Anchor/ Reporter for KUAR News and Arkansas Public Media.