Why are early exit or transitional bilingual programs often considered less ideal?

• A. They end after 2-3 years and students are moved to all-English instruction before developing CALP.
• B. They provide too much L1 support for learners.
• C. They focus exclusively on pronunciation practice.
• D. They keep students in bilingual education indefinitely.

Answer: (A)

Early exit or transitional bilingual programs end bilingual instruction after a short period and move students into all-English settings before they have built the academic language they need to succeed across subjects. The key point is developing CALP, the cognitive academic language proficiency used in textbooks, lectures, and when explaining ideas. CALP takes longer to develop than everyday conversational skills and requires sustained exposure to complex academic language in the second language. If students shift to English-only after two to three years, they may still be building CALP and struggle with understanding lessons, reading materials, and tests, which can hinder their progress. Longer bilingual approaches give students more time to build CALP while learning content, supporting stronger overall achievement. The other options miss this timing and focus on broader academic language development rather than the consequence of moving too soon to English-only instruction.