Educators, advocates and the state’s largest teachers’ union warn that a proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom could delay help for students struggling to learn English. Newsom is seeking to change how the state defines students who are “at risk of becoming long-term English Learners” and “long-term English learners.” He included the change in legislation attached to his January budget proposal, commonly known as a “trailer bill.” Related ReadingMany California students still labeled English learners despite testing as fluentMarch 17, 2026 Students who take longer to become proficient in English often face barriers to enrolling in college-preparatory courses and electives in middle and high school. Long-term English learners are currently defined in two different ways in the state’s accountability “dashboard” and its enrollment information database, Dataquest, which can be confusing for school districts. Newsom’s proposal would have all systems use just one definition: students who have not achieved English proficiency within seven years. What has sparked more controversy is that the proposal would also change the definition of students “at risk of becoming long-term English learners” to include only students who have not reached English proficiency within six years. Currently, students are considered “at risk” of becoming long-term English learners if they have been enrolled in school for four or five years, score at the intermediate level or below on the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) and below grade-level standards on the state English language arts achievement test. The change to the “at risk” definition sparked immediate protest. Advocates and leaders…
