English Language Learners, Redesignated

The term redesignated (or reclassified) refers to the change in status conferred on English language learners (ELLs) once they have demonstrated proficiency in the English language. Redesignation is the last of the four-step process of compliance with federal law regarding the education of ELLs; these four steps are (1) the identification of students who may need assistance in acquiring English, (2) the assessment of such students to determine their level of English proficiency, (3) the placement into an appropriate program of instruction for those whose assessment results indicate that they are not proficient in English, and (4) the subsequent reassessment of such students to determine if they have acquired sufficient English to be redesignated as Fully English Proficient.

The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) dramatically changed the federal requirements for schools and districts from prior reauthorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) enacted by Congress in 1965. NCLB includes greater accountability for results in the form of higher academic standards, required annual testing in Grades 3 through 8, and increasingly severe sanctions for failing schools. Thus, the legislation now requires states to assess the listening, speaking, reading, and writing English proficiency levels of students in Grades K–12 whose primary or home language is other than English (PHLOTE).

Students who fail to demonstrate proficiency must be designated as ELLs and placed in an alternative language program (ALP) designed to develop students' English proficiency so that they can overcome any language barriers that would otherwise deny them equal access to the curriculum. ELLs must be reassessed at least once per year. There are three key concerns related to the identification and redesignation of ELLs in the United States under current federal law and the Lau regulations issued in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1974 Lau v. Nichols decision.