Second-language acquisition theorists caution educators that higher second-language competency skills can take anywhere from five to eight years to attain realistically for any individual acquiring competency in a second language. There are many other variables like age of arrival in the United States and standard of education from home country that can further impact the speed and success of second-language acquisition for ESL students. The question remains: is three years an adequate length of time for a middle school or high school student to acquire English language mastery concurrently with grade level content knowledge and skills? Researchers say "no," but state legislators in the state of Texas say "yes" by mandating a three-year English language acquisition period for immigrant students. What is the reality of everyday classroom experiences for ESL students under this new state mandate of three years? How equipped are regular classroom teachers, who are not ESL certified, to teach these students to pass state standardized content tests while still learning English language skills? Seeking answers to these questions was the authors' impetus for conducting this investigation in one middle school in Texas. As principal investigator and researcher, the author also sought to examine and witness for herself the everyday reality that immigrant students experience acquiring English language skills and maintaining grade level content knowledge during their initial three years in the United States.