Current and Former English Language Learners (ELLs):
Supporting the Transition from Secondary Schools to College
By Hana Prashker, Patricia George, and Elizabeth Franks
Hana Prashker, the NJTESOL/NJBE ESL Secondary Representative, teachers at the Hasbrouck Heights Public Schools. Patricia George, the NJTESOL/NJBE Higher Education Representative, teaches at TCNJ. Elizabeth Franks is the NJTESOL/NJBE Socio-Political Representative
According to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce (2019), two-thirds of all jobs will require postsecondary education now and in the future. Some ELLs lag behind non-ELLs in terms of college access and completion, with roughly one in eight ELLs completing a college degree within six years compared with one in three non-ELLs (George, 2019). Due to the need for further instruction in writing and grammar, former ELLs take remedial ESL classes and often do not advance to credit-bearing English classes (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010). This discrepancy is demonstrated most frequently with the high numbers of ELLs, former ELLs, and Generation 1.5 students who need to take ESL or Basic Skills classes before taking credit-bearing classes.
New Jersey’s High School English Language Learners
The state of New Jersey has the fourth-highest number of recent immigrant students in the United States (George, 2019). As reported by the New Jersey Department of Education (2019), there are approximately 90,000 ELLs in our public schools. High School ELLs fall into four general groups:
- Learners with limited formal school in their home countries, also referred to as students with a limited or interrupted formal education (SIFEs / SLIFEs).
- Learners with grade-level, primary-language literacy, who are developing literacy in English, also referred to as current ELLs.
- Learners with inconsistent school histories, with limited development in either the primary language and/or English, sometimes referred to as Generation 1.5. Generation 1.5 learners are familiar with both the U.S. educational system and American culture. These learners have typically developed social and oral language skills in English while speaking or understanding another language at home. Although Generation 1.5 learners vary significantly in their first language skills, they may have low proficiency in academic English required for success in post-secondary education (NJTESOL/NJBE, 2008).
- Many former ELLs still need to take ESL or remedial Basic Skills classes in college to improve grammatical, reading and writing skills before beginning college credit-bearing classes.
Secondary and college ESL educators have discussed the challenges that students face in the transition from high school to college. This paper recommends actions that various stakeholders at both levels can implement in order to support current and former ELLs.
The Students
Efforts must be made to impress upon the students themselves the importance of student agency. Strategies that teach students to advocate for themselves should be part of the curriculum. Participating in extracurricular activities is another way to build relationships and expand opportunities to use English which is invaluable. Partnering with the local library, these learners can take advantage of free English educational and informational apps and explore the available resources. Working part-time (not full-time) can also contribute to developing time management, demonstrating responsibility, and gaining life experiences. There is a bit of caution with this recommendation, as too often, these students work to support the family and may not be able to focus on academics.
Secondary School Administrators, Teachers, Counselors
If student agency and independence are critical for success, then high school administrators, teachers and counselors must create explicit programs that work to develop that mindset. As evidenced by the support needed to develop agency, secondary school administrators play a key role in the successful transition from high school to college. Many of these practices cannot happen without the support of the administration. Administrators need to develop the structure for current and former ELLs to succeed in this transition.
Mentor Programs
Mentor relationships have been shown to inspire students and keep students involved in school (Kostyo, 2017).
“Mentoring, at its core, assures students that someone cares about them and that they are not alone in dealing with challenges. Research from the National Mentoring Partnership (2019) confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on high school students in a variety of personal and academic situations” (George, 2019).
Developing relationships with mentors will definitely provide support in building and sustaining agency. Working with a support team will help current and former ELLs overcome fears and learn to seek extra help. A personalized mentorship program can also assist throughout the college preparation and application process, as well as offer insight and motivation. However, a set time needs to be devoted for mentors to meet with their mentees. This can be accomplished by implementing a designated duty schedule and/or college prep block for students during the school day.
Instructional classes
Oftentimes, ELLs are not enrolled in grade level ELA classes. Model high school programs in New Jersey have created a double period of ESL with one period that addresses grade level ELA standards while the second period focuses on English language development skills (https://www.nj.gov/education/bilingual/resources/slr/). Some high schools have specifically instituted a transitional class for former ELLs. This transitional class would give the support in writing and grammar for their high school classes. Another option is to implement dual-credit college courses for ELLs to earn high school and college credit at the same time (Wetzel, 2012). In addition, encourage a focus on informal and formal writing throughout all content areas.
College Preparation
One of the concerns of College ESL Coordinators is that current and former ELLs often resist being required to take ESL courses at the college level, especially students who “exited” the ESL program in high school. One of the noted areas that need improvement is the use of functional grammar in academic writing. Investing in English grammar instruction at this level will pay dividends in college English classes. Therefore, schools should review and allocate funds for high-quality ESL materials to ensure that students receive consistent instruction in academic Writing, Reading, Speaking and Listening. Secondary schools should implement a bridge program to help current and former ELLs transition more smoothly to college. (McWhiter and Howard, 2019).
One suggestion is for high schools to encourage students to study for and take the Accuplacer in the fall in order to prepare students for college expectations. Students who do not do well initially on this exam would then take the Accuplacer diagnostic test to determine areas of difficulty. Schools could then offer students a class to strengthen their areas of weakness. In this way, students will have a better possibility of passing the Accuplacer Placement and thus avoid enrollment in remedial classes.
It is a huge task to support current and former ELLs in the transition from high school to college. Many variables impact this process. Cooperation and alignment is needed from all stakeholders. This is just the beginning of a requisite discussion regarding the academic success of ELLs and former ELLs in post-secondary education.
References
Bailey, T., Jeong, D. W., & Cho, S.-W. (2010). Student progression through developmental education sequences in community colleges (CCRC Brief No. 45). Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED512395
George, P (2019). Understanding high school English learners chronic absenteeism. Dissertation Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ.
Kostyo, S. (2017). Why every student should have a mentor. Retrieved from https://awareness.attendanceworks.org/mentor-real-life-attendance-week/
McWhirter, K., and Howard, E. (2019). “The College Transition Guide for ESL Students.” AffordableCollegesOnline.org, AffordableCollegesOnline.org, 19 Aug. 2019, https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/college-transition-guide-for-esl-students/.
NJTESOL-NJBE, Inc. (2008). Position paper Generation 1.5. Retrieved from https://www.njtesol-njbe.org
Wetzel, J. (2012). “Educational Trajectories of English Language Learners Examined.” Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, 15 Mar. 2012,
https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2012/03/15/educational-trajectories-of-ell/.