egardless of the type of educational program in which second language (L2) learners are enrolled (early-exit bilingual, late-exit bilingual, sheltered ESL, dual language), many of them eventually will transition, or exit, from the program and receive instruction in mainstream classes. This is surely good news because everyone associated with the education of English language learners (ELLs)-the students themselves, their parents, teachers, administrators, policy makers, interested community members-want them to develop English skills and move into mainstream classes, where they will be integrated with native-born students and where they can participate in the regular curriculum. In this article, we discuss the approach of educators in one school district, U-46, in Elgin, Illinois, in the United States, to developing criteria for making decisions about transitioning ELLs, and we present strategies for facilitating the transitioning process once the decision has been made. While different contexts call for particular approaches, we believe that the experiences of educators in District U-46 and the suggestions we make here can be useful in many different contexts.
Our interest in the transitioning of ELLs into mainstream classes at the secondary level stems from nearly three decades of combined experience as ESL educators and investigators in this area. Much of the research described in this article draws particularly on our involvement with District U-46.