By 2025, 1 out of 4 children in classrooms across the nation will be a multilingual learner (MLL). While these students contribute so much to the schools they attend, our systems are often not serving their needs.
Many multilingual learners spend their days in general education classrooms, often with teachers not specifically trained to work with them, and without materials that provide clear, specific supports for content access and language development. Performance gaps on state standardized tests are common, stretching across subject areas, including mathematics.
Research shows that integrating language development with content learning is one of the most effective ways to address these gaps and support student growth. Instead of treating language and content as separate components, students should be able to access grade-level content while simultaneously building academic language skills and proficiency.
This speaks directly to the instructional materials educators are using in the classroom. Are the materials designed with integrated language supports alongside the content, or are multilingual learners treated as an after-thought—or worse, not considered at all?
It’s essential that instructional materials across all content areas include these supports. Too often, we only think about language supports in the context of English language arts (ELA) when in fact language supports are just as vital in all subjects.
For Deeper Mathematics Learning, Language Supports are Key
“Every aspect of core content is grounded in literacy, whether it’s science, math, ELA, or social studies,” said Dr. Shontoria Walker, Learning Solutions Lead at EdReports and co-author of Culture To The Max! Culturally Responsive Teaching and Practice. “You really need students to access that language and that language development in order to be successful in any core content.”
This is particularly true in mathematics, especially when it comes to achieving deeper learning—as highlighted in the 8 Standards for Mathematical Practices. These standards emphasize that mathematics is more than calculations. Developed and adopted as part of college and career-ready standards in 2009, the Math Practices focus on essential “processes and proficiencies” with longstanding importance in mathematics education.
By utilizing the Math Practices, students immerse themselves in developing arguments, pursue a problem through multiple strategies, or model those strategies for their classmates—whether they’re learning numbers or tackling advanced calculus. These Practices are powerful tools in ensuring all students can access the kind of learning that has the ability to transform their futures.
However, for students to fully engage with the Math Practices, they also need strong language development and appropriate supports. This ensures that every student can participate meaningfully, regardless of their current language proficiency. When students are supported in developing the language they need to achieve in the content, they become successful in both.
Stephanie Barnett, EdReports Learning Solutions Lead and lifelong mathematics educator,, said, “Many of our math problems, especially around application and rigor, require critical thinking and the ability to read and understand. When language routines are embedded within materials, students who speak languages other than English are able to make sense of the text, what they’re reading, and have access to the same grade-level content as their peers.”
Support Multilingual Learners in Mathematics by:
- Getting informed about high-quality mathematics curriculum.
EdReports reviews provide detailed information about how well materials support multilingual learners. We have reviewed 97% of the comprehensive math materials market, and offer relevant information to support multilingual learners and our reviewers look for a range of aspects of quality in materials related to MLL supports. These include:.
- That materials capture multiple methods of providing instruction and multiple methods for students to represent their learning.
- That the visual design (whether in print or digital) supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic.
- That materials provide a balance of images or information about people, representing various demographic and physical characteristics.
Building on learnings from the EdReports California Multilingual Learner pilot, we are expanding our existing MLL criteria to provide more in-depth information on whether and how well materials simultaneously develop content and language learning. This includes evaluating how effectively materials facilitate multilingual learners’ full participation in grade-level content, the coherence of MLL supports, and the integration of MLL needs into teacher supports and assessments.
- Investing in strong selection practices including ongoing curriculum-based professional learning.
No set of materials is perfect, but how you select and implement new curricula is fundamental to creating the conditions in which your program is used well and supports all students to learn and grow. Essential components to a comprehensive selection process include meaningfully engaging educators from the start, developing a strong vision of instruction, incorporating data and local priorities, and planning for ongoing curriculum-based professional learning.
This is especially true when it comes to training teachers to support multilingual learners while offering access to grade-level content. According to Education Week, only 10% of teachers who have at least one multilingual learner in their classroom are certified in English as a Second Language (ESL). The number of certified licensed English learner instructors decreased by about 10.4% between the 2018–19 and 2019–20 school years even as the number of multilingual learners continues to rise.
While it is crucial that mathematics materials have integrated language supports, it is just as vital to account for teachers being new to this field and new to the materials.
- Considering the needs of multilingual learners from the beginning of the materials selection process.
Just as engaging educators early in the curriculum selection process is vital, so too is considering the needs of multilingual learners from the very beginning. Waiting until later in the process—or after a program has been chosen—often leads to missed opportunities. Districts may overlook programs that are designed with multilingual learners as a central, important student group rather than an afterthought.
In some cases, districts narrow their choices then come to realize none of the remaining options have the multilingual learner supports they need. In order to understand if materials truly meet your community’s needs, establish local priorities from the outset.
Every Language is an Asset
High-quality instructional materials are key, just as important is the approach and mindset educators bring to the classroom. No math program (or any program!) will reach its full potential unless educators are willing to embrace the idea that language, in any form, is an asset and resource. When students come to classrooms with few English skills, we have to remember the language they do have is a foundation to build on, as are the experiences that come from that language.
Multilingual learners often miss out on educational opportunities when teachers look at them with a deficit mindset, rather than thinking about what each and every student can do. By adopting a mindset that values what each student brings to the classroom, educators are more likely to select materials that truly contribute to supporting all students to grow and thrive.
