Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)
SIFE/SLIFE students are a subset of the newcomer population. The following information comes from a study done at Columbia University Teacher's College (link below) by Sarah Digby.
Students with limited interrupted formal education (SLIFE) make up an important subset of English learners. A SLIFE is an English learner with interrupted formal education who:
- Begins school in the United States after grade 6.
- Has had at least two years less schooling than the his or her peers.
- Performs two or more years below expected grade level in reading and mathematics.
- May be preliterate in the English learner’s own language.
SLIFE with Developing Literacy (SDL) are students who possess reading levels of 3rd-grade or below in their home language (NYSED, 2017).
Dropout rates for SIFE are high due to rigorous expectations at the high school level. Up to 70% of SIFE are expected not to finish high school (Fry, 2005).
SLIFE Screener: Rhode Island
Recommended Reading:
Supporting Latino Students with Interrupted Formal education. Study on Latino SLIFE in New York City. (Digby, 2019)
Check out this amazing blog post about the use of Kahoot in the SLIFE classroom.