Bilingual Instruction and STAAR Performance: Predicting Academic Outcomes for Emergent Bilingual Students
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Authors
Bonner, Lauriann
Issue Date
2026-05
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Educational Leadership & Learning Lifelong , Bilingual Education , Dual language program , Early-exit program
Alternative Title
Abstract
This quantitative correlational predictive study examined whether the type of bilingual instruction predicted the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading and math scores among emergent bilingual students enrolled in grades 3–5 in an urban central Texas school district during the 2018–2019, 2020–2021, 2021–2022, and 2022–2023 academic years. This study addressed the ongoing resistance among school leaders and educators to adopting additive dual language programs, despite evidence that these programs better support emergent bilinguals in state assessments. Guided by Cummins’ (1976) developmental interdependence hypothesis and threshold theory, which propose that second-language proficiency is supported by literacy in the first language, the study compared outcomes for students in an early-exit transitional bilingual program and a dual language program. Linear regression analyses were used to test three hypotheses involving program type as the predictor variable. The data included STAAR reading and math scores for (N = 2,649) students. The results indicated no statistically significant relationship between the bilingual program type and the performance in either subject area. These findings suggest that program implementation challenges, insufficient first-language instruction, or contextual factors within the district may diminish the theoretical advantages of dual language education. The study highlights the importance of aligning bilingual program design with theoretical foundations and ensuring institutional clarity and sustained support for implementation.