Their gains will not be the same as the other students' gains, and that's okay. A new immigrant will not achieve the same levels in reading and writing as a native speaker by the end of the year. A new ELL is exempt from taking the ELA exam for one year, but even in their second year, achieving a level 3 on the exam is highly unlikely.
An ELL may acquire basic communication skills (BICS) fairly quickly, but acquiring academic language (CALP) can take between five and seven years. I'm not being negative, I'm being realistic and fair. Your ELLs will make noticeable progress throughout the year, but not the same kind of progress that native speakers will make. If they are able to communicate with you in English by the end of their first year, and are reading and writing on a first or second grade level, and have made progress in content areas such as mathematics and science, you should be proud.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/106048/chapters/How-Students-Acquire-Social-and-Academic-Language.aspx
An ELL may acquire basic communication skills (BICS) fairly quickly, but acquiring academic language (CALP) can take between five and seven years. I'm not being negative, I'm being realistic and fair. Your ELLs will make noticeable progress throughout the year, but not the same kind of progress that native speakers will make. If they are able to communicate with you in English by the end of their first year, and are reading and writing on a first or second grade level, and have made progress in content areas such as mathematics and science, you should be proud.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/106048/chapters/How-Students-Acquire-Social-and-Academic-Language.aspx