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  2. Multilingual Learners

Multilingual Learners

Multilingual learners now make up more than 10% of the US student population, and they include students who were born in the US as well those who have immigrated here. More than 75% of multilingual learners speak Spanish, and many schools and districts have more than 100 languages represented among their students.  As noted by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, multilingualism is a superpower!

Bright Ideas Across the Network

Four Instructional Practices for Bolstering English Learner Achievement in Grades K–12

Four Instructional Practices from R7CC to Bolstering English Learner Achievement in Grades K–12: This R7CC blog breaks down several evidence-based instructional strategies and activities to support English learners. The blog makes connections to video content provided by REL Northwest.

Open Resource

Supporting Integrated English Learner Student Instruction

This guide developed by R15CC and REL West, helps district and school site leaders assess the professional learning needs of elementary school teachers to implement research-based recommendations for the instruction of English learner students. It comprises two tools—the Teacher Self-Reflection Tool and the Classroom Observation Tool—and outlines a 10-step process to help districts align their professional learning decisions with the data collected from these tools.

Read the guide

Multilingual Assessment

R18CC and R19CC co-hosted a webinar on multilingualism and assessment on November 1, 2021. The key presenters were renowned author Dr. Margo Gottlieb and two immersion teachers, Ms. Lee Pangelinan and Ms. Lisa Emwalu, who both teach at Kagman Elementary School in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The webinar highlighted how assessment can be conducted in multiple languages, following the three assessment approaches “as, for, and of learning.” The presenters connected the assessment approaches with classroom applications, real-life examples of student language and cultural portraits, project-based learning, and student portfolios to amplify that yes, conducting assessment in languages other than and in addition to English is possible and easier than we may think.

Read the full blog here.

Bilingual Educator Pipeline

Multilingual learners come to school with tremendous linguistic and academic potential. States, districts, and schools can support multilingual learners to manifest this potential by offering quality bilingual education programs, where teaching and learning occurs both in students’ primary language and English. Qualified instructional staff are at the heart of all strong bilingual education programs, yet across the United States, bilingual teachers are in short supply.

CCNetwork Resources

Examining Bilingual Education Programs and Policies
This blog from Region 4CC discusses policies and programs related to bilingual education programs in New Jersey.

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Bilingual Education Across the United States
This brief is the first of a four-part series that focuses on bilingual education, bilingual educators, and addressing the bilingual teacher shortage in contexts across the United States. This research was commissioned by the New Jersey State Department of Education, which is committed to providing quality bilingual education to its linguistically diverse student population. 

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Leveraging Flexible Teacher Certification Policies to Address the Bilingual Teacher Shortage
This brief is the third of a four-part series that focuses on bilingual education, bilingual educators, and addressing the bilingual teacher shortage in contexts across the United States. This research was commissioned by the New Jersey State Department of Education, which is committed to providing quality bilingual education to its linguistically diverse student population.

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Bilingual Education: Lessons from Washington State
This brief is the fourth of a four-part series that focuses on bilingual education, bilingual educators, and addressing the bilingual teacher shortage in contexts across the United States. This research was commissioned by the New Jersey State Department of Education, which is committed to providing quality bilingual education to its linguistically diverse student population.

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Addressing the Bilingual Teacher Shortage
This brief from Region 4 CC is the second of a four-part series that focuses on bilingual education, bilingual educators, and addressing the bilingual teacher shortage in contexts across the United States. This research was commissioned by the New Jersey State Department of Education, which is committed to providing quality bilingual education to its linguistically diverse student population.

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High-Quality Instructional Practices, Resources and Materials for Multilingual Learners

Both teachers with certifications in bilingual education or English language development (ELD), as well as classroom teachers, can benefit from deepening their understanding of high-quality instructional practices for multilingual learners.

CCNetwork Resources

Four Instructional Practices for Bolstering English Learner Achievement in Grades K–12

Four Instructional Practices for Bolstering English Learner Achievement in Grades K–12: This R7CC blog breaks down several evidence-based instructional strategies and activities to support English learners. The blog makes connections to video content provided by REL Northwest.

Open

Supporting Integrated English Learner Student Instruction
This guide helps district and school site leaders assess the professional learning needs of elementary school teachers to implement research-based recommendations for the instruction of English learner students. It comprises two tools—the Teacher Self-Reflection Tool and the Classroom Observation Tool—and outlines a 10-step process to help districts align their professional learning decisions with the data collected from these tools.

Open

Culturally Responsive Practice as a Strategy for Diversifying the Educator Workforce

State and local education leaders were invited to join this Town Hall event featuring renowned researcher and educator, Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, on the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy, practices, and culture in recruiting, preparing, retaining, and supporting a racially diverse educator workforce. Dr. Ladson-Billings moderated a conversations with a panel of youth of color who shared their experiences and insights to illuminate our understanding of the importance of having racially diverse educators.

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Selected Knowledge Base on Remote Learning Support for English Learners

This brief from R10CC summarizes a review of research, evaluation, resources, and stakeholder knowledge related to the topic of remote support for English Learners. The search for research on remote learning support for English Learners produced far more online “resource hubs” than peerreviewed articles. Findings have been separated into two tables: one includes links to online resources and one includes peer reviewed articles. Despite the difference in resource type, findings across resources share common themes to consider.

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Participation of English Learners in the National Assessment of Educational Progress: Opportunity and Inclusivity

This R7CC blog post provides an overview of English learner (EL) student participation in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). It also covers the change in the percentage of EL students scoring at or above proficient from 2019 to 2022 and offers educators suggestions on supporting EL academic progress.

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Selected Knowledge Base on Translation Services for Schools and Districts

This brief from R10CC summarizes a review of research, evaluation, resources, and stakeholder knowledge related to the topic of translation services for schools and districts.

Open

External Resources

Multilingualism and Assessment

In addition to participating in statewide content assessments, multilingual learners also take an annual English language proficiency assessment. Teacher also use formative and benchmark assessments, and can benefit from understanding how to use each of these assessment strategies for multilingual learners.

CCNetwork Resources

Participation of English Learners in the National Assessment of Educational Progress: Opportunity and Inclusivity

This R7CC blog post provides an overview of English learner (EL) student participation in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). It also covers the change in the percentage of EL students scoring at or above proficient from 2019 to 2022 and offers educators suggestions on supporting EL academic progress.

Open

Multilingual Assessment

The Comprehensive Centers of Region 18 (R18CC) and Region 19 (R19CC) co-hosted a webinar on multilingualism and assessment on November 1, 2021. The key presenters were renowned author Dr. Margo Gottlieb and two immersion teachers, Ms. Lee Pangelinan and Ms. Lisa Emwalu, who both teach at Kagman Elementary School in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Open

Multilingualism and Indigenous Students

Multilingual learners are a diverse population and include students who are American Indians and Alaskan Natives, students from Insular Areas and Freely Associated States, and indigenous students from Central and Latin America, among others. For many communities, preserving indigenous languages is as important, or more important, as learning English.

CCNetwork Resources

Advancing Equity for Indigenous Students

This brief describes a partnership between the Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15CC), Region 13 Comprehensive Center (R13CC), and Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) that convened directors of Indian education at state education agencies (SEAs) to learn together, explore challenges and opportunities of practice, and advance equity for Native students.

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Native Culture and Language Brief
This brief provides key insights and examples of the work accomplished in Native education across the United States to revitalize and strengthen Native cultures and languages. This brief focuses on the following themes: history and culture in curriculum for all students; place-based tribal history and culture; place-based tribal language and language immersion, and culture-based and culturally responsive teaching.

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Native Culture and Language Infographic
This infographic boldly illustrates Native American language status, fluency, and immersion program structure. Of 500 original native languages, 200 are still in use today and there are 34 Native languages taught to children as a first language.

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Multilingual Assessment

The Comprehensive Centers of Region 18 (R18CC) and Region 19 (R19CC) co-hosted a webinar on multilingualism and assessment on November 1, 2021. The key presenters were renowned author Dr. Margo Gottlieb and two immersion teachers, Ms. Lee Pangelinan and Ms. Lisa Emwalu, who both teach at Kagman Elementary School in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Open

Native Culture and Language: Culture Quick Reference
This quick reference highlights the importance of Native culture, summarizing important facets of cultural identity, biological identity, and legal/political identity. The guide suggests 4 practical steps to nativize classrooms, stressing that inclusion strategies will sustain and revitalize local cultures which benefit both Native and non-Native students.

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External Resources

  • Culturally Responsive School Practices to Promote the Success of Native American English Learners

    Presenters from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition and the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest present factors that contribute to the success and development of Native American and Alaska Native English learner students. Presenters will identify and discuss research-based and promising strategies to establish culturally responsive school environments that promote the academic achievement of Native American English learners and hear from practitioners working to implement these strategies.

  • Getting to Know Pacific Island Students from the Freely Associated States Infographic Series

    Families from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau have traversed the Pacific region for centuries, but over the past several decades, more families have moved from the islands to pursue education, work, and healthcare in the continental United States, Hawai'i, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. These growing populations of Pacific Island students in U.S. schools have prompted a need for a closer look at ways educators can provide culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining education to students who are from or have family connections to the Pacific region.

    The goal of this infographic series is to facilitate greater awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the diversity of cultures and experiences of Pacific Islanders and provide tangible methods for educators to meaningfully engage with Pacific students' communities inside and outside of the classroom.

Multilingual Learners with Disabilities

Identifying learning disabilities among multilingual learners can be complicated because it can be difficult to know the difference between language development and a learning disability. Multilingual learners with disabilities are at risk of remaining classified as English learners for more than five years, and educators can benefit from better understanding this population, from the process of identifying disabilities to providing targeted instruction to best meet their needs.

CCNetwork Resources

Strategies For Supporting Special Populations
In this session, presenters discussed considerations for addressing the needs of students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, English Learners and other students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The discussion focused on thinking holistically to harness community systems and to engage all resources to achieve the best supports possible. Discover the importance of being mindful of the individual needs of students and of being intentional about inclusion.

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External Resources

State Frameworks and Data Use for Multilingual Learners

A number of states and districts have developed frameworks to guide their work with multilingual learners in order to provide coherent and comprehensive supports for their learning.

CCNetwork Resources

Improving Multilingual Student Outcomes in Nebraska
True systemic change requires time. There must be a clearly defined scope, a commitment to build a strong foundation, and a crafted partnership determined to see solutions through a holistic lens. In this project, the Region 11 Comprehensive Center (R11CC) team partnered with Nebraska education agencies to create and systematize processes for data use and implementation of evidence-based practices to increase academic achievement. Based on 2019 student group performance data, Nebraska recognized 100 schools in need of Targeted Support and Improvement and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement for students who are multilingual learners (MLs)

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Region 2 CC Supports RIDE to Develop Multilingual Learner Blueprint

The Region 2 Comprehensive Center (R2CC) assisted the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) with the development of a Blueprint for Multilingual Learner (MLL) Success and accompanying Strategic Plan for implementation. With support from the R2CC, RIDE engaged a broadly representative group of stakeholders to develop these documents.

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External Resources