The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning for all students in the United States, but students who are English learners faced particular challenges. These students may have had fewer opportunities to practice speaking English while learning virtually. Data show that English learner students had less access to the Internet and received fewer instructional hours than their English-proficient peers, which could have further impeded their language development and academic progress.
This REL Southwest webinar, “English Proficiency and the Pandemic: Where Are English Learner Students’ Language and Literacy Skills Now?,” was recorded on November 14, 2023. The webinar archive includes four videos: (1) a welcome to the webinar by Dr. Lisa Hsin, and introductory remarks from Dr. Melissa Castillo of Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) at the U.S. Department of Education; 2) an overview of REL Southwest’s research on the levels of English proficiency before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among English learner students in grades 3-12 in Texas by Drs. Lisa Hsin and David Osman; 3) a summary of WIDA’s research on ACCESS for ELLs Online assessment by Narek Sahakyan and Glenn Poole; and (4) a panel discussion with Dr. Irma Guerra and Emily Key, closing with a question-and-answer session.
In Video 1, Dr. Lisa Hsin opens the webinar. Then Dr. Melissa Castillo discusses the U.S. Department of Education’s Raise the Bar Initiative, OELA’s priorities, and available resources.
This video was prepared under Contract 91990023C0003 by REL Southwest and administered by the American Institutes for Research through funding from the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.