ABOUT LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT STUDENTS
U.S. Department of Education
April 29, 1998
Limited English proficient is the legal term for students
who were not born in the U.S. or whose native language is not English and
who cannot participate effectively in the regular curriculum because they
have difficulty speaking, understanding, reading, and writing English.
English as a second language (ESL) or English for
Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is a technique that uses English
to teach non-English speakers. English as a second language is always a
component of bilingual education.
Bilingual education is the use of two languages for instruction,
English and native language.
There are 3.2 million limited English proficient students nationwide.
There are 1.3 million students in state and local bilingual programs.
Over 75% of all limited English proficient students attend high poverty
Approximately 640,000 identified limited English proficient students
are not served through any special program.
The number of limited English proficient students has nearly doubled
in less than a decade.
Title VII (the Bilingual Education Act) serves over 900,000 limited
English proficient students. The five most common language groups for limited
English proficient students are Spanish (72.9%), Vietnamese (3.9%), Hmong
(1.8%), Cantonese (1.7%), and Cambodian(1.6%).
In 1997, there are 1,381,393 million limited English proficient students
Less than 30 percent of all limited English proficient students in California
receive any native-language instruction.
Nearly 80 percent of the California limited English proficient population
Between 1993 and 1997 the number of California limited English proficient
students increased by 20%.
Students are taught by well trained teachers.
Specially designed English instruction and the native language are used
to support language and content learning.
Students have access to a quality curriculum that is linked to state
and national standards.
Student language and content learning is periodically assessed, and
results are used to modify instruction.
The program is evaluated on an ongoing basis to determine effectiveness,
and modifications are made as needed.