Some Factors That Affect the Success of ESL High School Students

This study examines the academic achievement of ESL high school students in one urban school board. In addition to accessing computer records for the years 1991-1996, we conducted in-depth, semistructured interviews with 15 former ESL students. We also interviewed five ESL teachers and six mainstream classroom teachers to discover their views of the integration of ESL students in the school system. At least 10% of the ESL students were pushed out of school by the provincially mandated age cap. Another 36% appeared to have dropped out of school. Thus nearly 46% of high school ESL students did not complete their studies within the K-12 system, compared to a 70% completion rate for all students in Alberta. The implications for high school teachers and administrators include eliminating the age cap; improving integration of ESL students in mainstream content classrooms; and implementing better orientation for the students to ESL classrooms and procedures.