As Congress considers the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law an analysis of recent data from standardized testing around the country shows that the fast growing number of students designated as English language learners (ELL) are among those farthest behind. These findings are based on the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the "Nation's Report Card," which is the most authoritative source of standardized testing data for public school students across the country. The NCLB law does not require proficiency measures based on NAEP scores. Nonetheless, this analysis offers the best available assessment of current achievement by ELL students as the effort to ensure that all students meet proficiency standards enters a critical phase. Moreover, this report also examines data from individual testing programs administered in many states that are the basis for meeting the federal mandates, and this data confirms the basic findings from the NAEP on the status of ELL students. Tables and figures are appended. (Contains 14 tables, 7 figures and 5 footnotes.)