Chapter 14: Teacher Quality, Academic Tracking and the Mathematics Performance of Latino English Learners

The mathematics performance of Latino students on standardized assessments has been described as pervasively, disproportionately, and persistently low relative to similar outcomes for white students (Valencia, 2002). Results from the National Assessment of Education Progress and other standardized tests of mathematics performance show that the scores of Latino English language learners (ELLs) are considerably lower compared to the scores of their native English-speaking peers (Abedi, 2004; Abedi & Lord, 2000; Mosqueda, 2010; Secada, 1992; Tate, 1997). The underperformance of Latino ELLs relative to their English-speaking peers suggests that low levels or emergent levels English proficiency plays an important role in explaining their underachievement in mathematics.