Arkansas: ELL Resources
As of the 2012-13 school year, Arkansas's schools were home to more than 34,000 English language learners (ELLs), which marks a 128% increase from the 2002-2003 school year (Migration Policy Institute, 2015). Currently, the most common five languages spoken by ELLs in Arkansas are Spanish, Marshallese, Vietnamese, and Hmong, and Arabic. (Migration Policy Institute, 2015).
State ELL Resources
State Agency: Arkansas Department of Education
ELL Website: English Learners Division
ELP Standards & Assessment
Overview: English Language Proficiency Website
ELP Standards: ELPA21
ELP Assessment: ELPA21
Statewide Standards-Based Assessment
Assessment: Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability
Additional Information
NCELA: Title III Information*
Common Core State Standards: Yes
ESSA: Arkansas ESSA State Planhttp://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/public-school-accountability/every-student-succeeds-act-essa
Statewide Organizations
Arkansas Education Association
Arkansas Education Association is a National Education Association State Affiliate that regularly lobbies legislators for the resources schools need, campaigns for higher professional standards for the teaching profession, and files legal actions to protect academic freedom and the rights of school employees.
Arkansas State Parent Information Resource Centers
The primary purposes of the Center for Effective Parenting /Arkansas PIRC are to enhance the developmental progress of children and to improve children's academic achievement through enhancing parental involvement
ARKTESOL members are professionals who work to serve our international neighbors in Arkansas through teaching and also promoting mutual understanding.
Arkansas adopted the Seal of Biliteracy in 2018 following a pilot program led by the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association and ARKTESOL. The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, district, or state in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.
State parent information resource centers are listed in this directory compiled by the Center for Parent Information & Resources.
References
Ruiz Soto, Ariel G., Sarah Hooker, and Jeanne Batalova. 2015. States and Districts with the Highest Number and Share of English Language Learners. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/states-and-districts-highest-number-and-share-english-language-learners
Ruiz Soto, Ariel G., Sarah Hooker, and Jeanne Batalova. 2015. Top Languages Spoken by English Language Learners Nationally and by State. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/number-and-growth-students-us-schools-need-english-instruction-2009
Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students. Arkansas Rate of EL Growth (1997/98-2007/08). Compiled July 2010 and retrieved from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/t3sis/state/arkansas/.
