The primary focus of the Bureau of Student Achievement through Language Acquisition is to assist schools and districts with Florida's English Language Learners (ELLs), totaling over 300,000. Florida's diversity of ELLs surpasses most states in the country. Florida is ranked 3rd in ELL population, and although Spanish is the major native language of these students, the ELLs speak more than 243 different languages.

The Consent Decree is the state of Florida's framework for compliance with the following federal and state laws and jurisprudence regarding the education of English Language Learner (ELL) students:

• Title VI and VII Civil Rights Act of 1964

• Office of Civil Rights Memorandum (Standards for Title VI Compliance) of May 25, 1970

• Requirements based on the Supreme Court decision in Lau v. Nichols, 1974

• Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974

• Requirements of the Vocational Education Guidelines, 1979

• Requirements based on the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Castañeda v. Pickard, 1981

• Requirements based on the Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe, 1982

• Americans with Disabilities Act (PL 94-142)

• Florida Education Equity Act, 1984

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) provides national leadership to help ensure that English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and achieve academic success.