Early this month, the Colorado Department of Education is presenting a “state of the state on multilingual learners” (MLLs)—a sign of more focus on their needs by the state.In the 2023–24 school year, Colorado identified 114,482 MLLs, up from 109,780 in 2022–23 but lower than the 122,976 in 2019–20—that equates to about 13% of all Colorado students learning English as a new language.
That figure is similar to the last few years, but a larger percentage of these students are considered not English proficient—at the lowest level of fluency. In 2023–24, there were 38,036 students identified as not English proficient, up from 29,147 in 2019.The update confirmed previous reports showing that MLLs have struggled to recover academically from pandemic disruptions compared to other students.It also showed that statewide, fewer students are reaching English-proficiency test levels that allow them to be reassessed for federally required support services.
However, it also showed that students who do reach English proficiency and exit support services typically score similarly to native English speakers.Colorado education commissioner Susana Córdova said one of the biggest challenges is in finding enough highly qualified staff members who are trained or bilingual. State Board members suggested that one of the ways to look at the effectiveness of school programs to educate English learners would be to look at how students move through language proficiency levels. The department is also attempting to highlight more good work schools are doing with English learners.
