SLIFEs usually have experienced one of the following patterns in their schooling:
They are newcomers with two or more years of education interrupted in their native country.
They have attended school in the U. S., returned to their native country for a period of time, then returned to the U.S again
They have attended kindergarten in English (L2), 1st and 2nd grade in their first language (L1), then jumped into L2 in 3rd.
They have attended U.S. schools since kindergarten but have language and literacy gaps due to ineffective instruction.
They have attended school in one location for a few months, then moved to another location for a few months, and perhaps had some weeks in between these changes when they does not attend school. (Calderón, 2008.)