Academics also are hopeful that there soon will be greater national consistency in how English learners are identified and how proficiency is defined through the Common Core standards and assessments, a set of uniform benchmarks adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.

NPR: Instruction Of Students Learning English Bleak

Ashley Hebda, an English teacher at George Washington Community High School in Indianapolis and a supporter of Common Core, said the fight over standards is causing "massive confusion" in classrooms.

WSJ: New School Standards Spur a Backlash