What Multilingual Learners Deserve: 6 Elements of a K–12 System That Supports Access, Growth, and Opportunity
The number of multilingual learners (MLLs) continues to rise in schools across the country. These students bring rich cultural and linguistic assets into our classrooms and deserve an educational experience that honors who they are while preparing them for who they can become. But far too often, the support systems designed for MLLs are fragmented, reactive, or built for compliance rather than true acceleration.
To meet this moment, we must think bigger. Educators don’t need more disconnected tools or generic resources. They need a comprehensive, research-backed approach that works together to expand access, drive growth, and support every MLL from their first day in school through graduation. Here's what that system must include.
1. Grade-Level Proficiency Must Remain the Goal
Too often, we unintentionally lower the bar for MLLs in an attempt to meet them where they are. But research confirms that with the right supports, multilingual learners can meet and exceed the same academic expectations as their peers. That starts with consistent, standards-aligned formative assessments and test prep experiences that provide clear checkpoints toward grade-level learning. These tools help educators measure both content mastery and language development in real time, ensuring instruction remains rigorous and responsive.
2. Acceleration—Not Remediation—Is the Mandate
The gap between language acquisition and grade-level content mastery is real. But the solution isn't to slow down learning, it's to personalize and accelerate it. Diagnostic-driven learning paths are a powerful tool in this effort. By pinpointing each student's strengths and gaps across subject areas, educators can ensure students are always working in their ideal learning zone, one that challenges them without overwhelming them. This kind of adaptive acceleration turns catch-up plans into growth journeys.
3. Access to Credit-Bearing Courses
As MLLs advance into middle and high school, they face increasing stakes: GPA goals, graduation requirements, and college and career readiness. Ensuring these students have equitable access to first-time credit and credit recovery options is essential. Whether students are newcomers still building English proficiency or long-term English learners looking to graduate on time, credit-bearing coursework must be flexible, rigorous, and supported. Even better? When that coursework connects to career pathways, it gives students a vision of their future and a reason to persist.
4. Some Students Need More—And Deserve It
Not all support can be delivered through self-paced learning. Some multilingual learners, especially those with interrupted education, a history of trauma, or limited literacy in their native language, need intensive, small-group support. This doesn’t mean lowering the bar for success. It means surrounding them with virtual, qualified educators who are trained to support language and content learning together. These educator-led interventions can be the bridge between isolation and meaningful connection in the classroom.
5. Instruction Should Be Active, Accessible, and Aligned
MLLs thrive when instruction isn’t just understandable—it’s engaging. Language development shouldn’t happen in isolation from content learning. That’s why the most effective solutions are built from the ground up to support active, media-rich learning that strengthens both simultaneously. When students build language through meaningful, standards-aligned content, they build confidence and competence side by side.
But let’s be clear: translation alone is not enough. Translating low-quality content doesn’t make it effective, it just makes weak instruction multilingual. Schools must demand curriculum that meets rigorous standards for both language and content. That means ensuring alignment to WIDA and ELPA21 frameworks, which are designed to support the simultaneous development of academic language and grade-level proficiency. It also means choosing materials that have been vetted for quality and backed by research. Certifications like Digital Promise’s Research-Based Design offer a powerful benchmark, signaling that a program is not only pedagogically sound but built to drive results for diverse learners.
6. Data Should Be an Engine, Not an Endpoint
Progress monitoring must go beyond compliance checkboxes. Educators need real-time insight into where MLLs are growing, where they need support, and how instruction is moving the needle. Dashboards and reports must make that insight actionable, giving teachers and leaders clarity around student needs and confidence in their strategy.
The Ideal System Already Exists. You Don’t Have to Build It Alone.
Designing this kind of support system may feel daunting. But the good news is: You don’t have to assemble it from scratch. Edmentum’s comprehensive K–12 platform already delivers each of these critical components in one unified solution set that’s built for impact.
Whether you're accelerating growth with Exact Path, measuring progress with Standards Mastery, providing first-time credit, credit recovery, or career-connected learning with Courseware, expanding district enrollments with EdOptions Academy, or scaling intensive intervention through Targeted Skills Instruction, every piece works together to support access, opportunity, and success. And because our content is aligned to WIDA and ELPA21 frameworks and holds the Digital Promise Research-Based Design Certification, you can be confident it meets the highest standards for delivering real results for multilingual learners.
Together, we can ensure multilingual learners don’t just participate in school—they thrive in it. Explore our full MLL support suite.