Though a significant number of English language learners (ELLs) and language minority students (LMs) begin their postsecondary education at community colleges, there is a dearth of knowledge on the policies, experiences, and outcomes of these learners. As community colleges increasingly restructure developmental reading and writing programs that have traditionally served this population, it is critical to better understand how issues of categorization, placement, assessment, curriculum, and pedagogy shape these learners’ experiences and trajectories. This panel took a comprehensive approach to examining the experiences of ELLs and LMs in their pathways through community colleges from the point of their identification as language learners, to faculty considerations about curriculum and instruction, to issues of assessment, and language learning outcomes.
