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English Language Learners Briefing
Across Achievement First
PRIMARY TALKING POINTS
o
o
“Achievement First serves English Language Learners, but we serve a greater percentage of
students who speak a dominant home language other than English. This measure is a more
accurate representation of our student population since our students test out of ELL support at
a faster rate than their host district peers.”

FACT: ELL is intended to be a temporary label for students while they are learning English.
Students who are classified as English Language Learners meet two requirements: they
speak a home language other than English and they fail an English proficiency test.

FACT: Our students attain English proficiency at a faster rate than their district peers,
resulting in fewer students classified as ELL. From 2011 to 2012, 48 percent of AF Bushwick
Elementary students classified as ELL were able to achieve English proficiency on the annual
New York English as a Second Language Achievement Test and graduate from ELL services.
In comparison, only 30 percent of citywide ELL students were able to pass this test after
three years. In fact, the average New York City ELL student required more than five years to
test out of ELL support.

FACT: Many of our students speak a dominant home language other than English, which is a
more accurate representation of the population we serve since passing the English
proficiency test, which is given annually, removes the ELL classification. In 2013-14, 19
dominant home languages (other than English) were represented in Achievement First
schools, including Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Turkish, Arabic and Vietnamese. At AF Bridgeport
Academy Middle, for example, 12 percent of our students speak a dominant home language
other than English. In comparison, the percentage of English Language Learners served by
the district is 13 percent.
“We are committed to providing a gap-closing education to more ELL students, so we are investing
in outreach and recruitment initiatives that are increasing our ELL percentages.”

FACT: In the 2013-14 school year, ELL enrollment is now 5.2 percent across our network of
schools, compared with 4.6 percent in 2011-12.

FACT: We also saw more dramatic increases in ELL enrollment at specific schools. At AF
Bushwick Elementary, for example, where the surrounding community is 18 percent ELL,
about 25 percent of kindergarten students who accepted seats at our school in 2011-12
self-identified as speaking Spanish in the home—a strong reflection of our neighborhood.
Similarly, ELL enrollment at Amistad Academy grew by 39 percent from spring 2011 to fall
2012.
Achievement First Talking Points | ELL Across AF
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
FACT: ELL enrollment at Achievement First’s Connecticut schools is now 9 percent in 201314, compared to 7 percent in 2011-12. In contrast, only 5.5 percent of students across the
state identify as ELL according the most recent publicly available data.
FACT: At some of our schools, ELL enrollment outpaces the district. In the 2013-14 school
year, 30 percent of students at Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy
Elementary qualify as ELL, compared with 18 percent of students in Providence Public
Schools. Additionally, 16 percent of AF Bridgeport Academy Middle students qualify as ELL,
compared with 13 percent of students in Bridgeport Public Schools.
o

FACT: All Achievement First schools enroll students through a blind lottery. We are not
legally allowed to grant lottery preference to ELL students at most Achievement First
schools—although AF Bushwick is an exception—but we would support new legislation
that would allow us to grant this preference. English Language Learners dramatically
underperform native English speakers at traditional public schools, and Achievement First
is committed to serving students in our most historically underserved communities.

FACT: To inform more families whose dominant home language is not English about our
approach, we have increased outreach and recruitment initiatives. Street teams— bilingual
high school students and parents of current ELL students—canvass our communities to
inform families about our ELL approach. We are also hiring more bilingual school staff and
are distributing student recruitment materials and lottery enrollment forms in both English
and Spanish.
“Our approach drives exceptional academic gains for English Language Learner (ELL) students.”

FACT: On its New York City Department of Education 2010-11 Progress Report,
Achievement First Bushwick received an “A” with full credit for exceptional gains with ELL
students in both English and math, defined as scoring in the top 20 percent of New York
City schools. Gains for ELL students reflected the exceptional gains achieved by all AF
Bushwick students: AF Bushwick Elementary and Middle students achieved 15 and 13
percentage point increases at proficiency, respectively, on the 2011 New York State Test
compared to nearly flat statewide growth.

FACT: Our core approach to education is driving these exceptional gains for English
Language Learners because it combines best practices proven to drive achievement for all
students, including those with special needs. This program includes more time in class,
smaller class sizes and data-driven instructional plans for each student.

FACT: In addition, we also provide targeted, individualized support for ELL students, with a
focus on explicit phonics and vocabulary instruction, as well as conversation and
comprehension skills.
DATA
Achievement First Talking Points | ELL Across AF
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Achievement First
Geography*
AF Network**
AF % ELL
5.2%
Host District
Host District % ELL
Combined NY and CT
7.1%
Traditional Public Schools
AF Connecticut Schools
9%
Connecticut Traditional
5.6%
Public Schools
AF New York Schools
2%
New York Traditional Public 8.6%
Schools
** All statistics are for 2013-14 unless otherwise stated. Connecticut figures are from 2011-12. New York
and Rhode Island figures are from 2012-13.
Connecticut
AF School
AF % ELL
Host District
Host District % ELL*
AF Bridgeport Academy
11.5%
Bridgeport Public Schools
13%
Elementary
AF Bridgeport Academy
16.2%
Bridgeport Public Schools
13%
Middle
AF Hartford Academy
3.2%
Hartford Public Schools
18%
Elementary
AF Hartford Academy
3.5%
Hartford Public Schools
18%
Middle
AF Hartford High
3.4%
Hartford Public Schools
18%
Amistad Academy
13.1%
New Haven Public Schools
14%
Elementary
Amistad Academy Middle
10.4%
New Haven Public Schools
14%
AF Amistad High School
6.2%
New Haven Public Schools
14%
Elm City College Prep
8.5%
New Haven Public Schools
14%
Elementary
Elm City College Prep
3.6%
New Haven Public Schools
14%
Middle
*AF figures are for the 2013-14 school year. Traditional district school data is from the last available
school year, 2011-12.
New York
AF School
AF Apollo Elementary
AF Aspire Elementary
AF Brooklyn High School
AF Brownsville Elementary
AF Brownsville Middle
AF Bushwick Elementary
AF Bushwick Middle
AF Crown Heights
Elementary
AF % ELL
3.1%
3.9%
.5%
0%
.5%
10.1%
4.3%
0%
Host District
CSD 19
CSD 19
CSD 17
CSD 23
CSD 23
CSD 32
CSD 32
CSD 17
Host District % ELL
11%
11%
9%
4%
4%
18%
18%
9%
Achievement First Talking Points | ELL Across AF
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AF Crown Heights Middle
AF East New York
Elementary
AF East New York Middle
AF Endeavor Elementary
AF Endeavor Middle
AF University Prep High
.3%
1.2%
CSD 17
CSD 19
9%
13%
.6%
0%
.6%
0%
CSD 19
CSD 13/16
CSD 13/16
CSD 17
13%
3.9%
3.9%
9%
*AF Figures are from 2013-14 school year. New York district school data is from the last available school
year, 2012-13.
Rhode Island
AF School
Achievement First
Providence Mayoral
Academy Elementary
AF % ELL
30.6%
Host District
Providence
Host District % ELL
18%
*AF Figures are from 2013-14 school year. Providence district school data is from the last available
school year, 2012-13. While our school is located in Providence, it also serves students from Cranston,
Warwick and North Providence. In Cranston, 7 percent of students are English Language Learners. North
Providence and Warwick each have 1 percent ELL.
Achievement First Talking Points | ELL Across AF
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