Sorted and Tracked: English Learners, College-Level Course-Taking in High School, and Postsecondary Opportunity

Using longitudinal data from the Houston Independent School District, this study examines the role of English learner (EL) status in predicting college enrollment and completion. Drawing from the sociological frameworks of categorical inequality and leveled tracking, we argue that EL status serves as a label that may limit students’ college-level course-taking in high school, specifically Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual credit courses, and postsecondary opportunities. We compare four groups of students: students never classified as EL, ELs who were reclassified in elementary school, ELs who were reclassified in middle school, and ELs who were reclassified in high school or never reclassified. We find that EL–never-EL gaps in postsecondary outcomes vary by the timing of reclassification, but are largely explained by sociodemographic, academic, and school-level factors. We also show that ELs reclassified in later grade levels take fewer college-level courses in high school than never-EL students and ELs reclassified in earlier grade levels. Finally, through nonlinear variance decomposition, we determine that a substantial portion of EL gaps in postsecondary outcomes is explained by EL gaps in college-level course-taking during high school. We conclude by sharing potential strategies from district staff that may enable EL students to complete college-level coursework during high school, with the goal of expanding their postsecondary opportunities.