Teacher certification patterns and academic growth among English learner student

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest examined the relationships between teacher certification and growth in academic achievement and English proficiency among English learner students in grades 4 and 5 in the Houston Independent School District.

The study assessed whether a teacher’s certification type (bilingual or English as a second language [ESL]) and certification route (traditional, postbaccalaureate, alternative, or additional certification by exam) were correlated with growth in math achievement, reading achievement, and English proficiency among Spanish-speaking English learner students.

Results yield interesting yet inconsistent results across assessments, subjects, and grade levels. Key findings include:

• For math, having a teacher with bilingual certification was associated with higher student growth in achievement in grade 4 but lower growth in achievement in grade 5 compared with having a teacher without bilingual or ESL certification. Having a teacher with bilingual certification through the alternative route was associated with the highest growth in achievement in grade 4.

• For reading, having a teacher with bilingual certification was associated with higher student growth in achievement in grade 4 compared with having a teacher without bilingual or ESL certification. Having a teacher with bilingual certification through the traditional route was associated with the highest growth in achievement in grade 4.

• For English proficiency, having a teacher with bilingual certification through the postbaccalaureate route was associated with the highest student growth in grade 4. Having a teacher with bilingual certification through the alternative route was associated with the highest growth in English proficiency in grade 5.