But on the reading section of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the gap between English learners and native speakers hasn’t budged. Only 4 percent of California’s English learners were at least proficient in fourth-grade reading in 2009 on the national test, slightly less than in 2003, when it was 6 percent.

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“When you put them in all-English situations, that really retards their academic growth,” said Maria Quezada, CEO of the California Association for Bilingual Education. “You lose that valuable connection to the family, and you put them at a disadvantage when they can’t participate as easily.”