The power of amplification: High-impact instruction for multilingual learners

Multilingual learners (MLL) bring incredible linguistic assets to the classroom, but they also face distinct challenges that require thoughtful, evidence-based instruction. As more schools embrace the science of reading, it’s critical to ensure that MLLs receive instruction that both honors their backgrounds and pushes them toward grade-level success. This article breaks down key obstacles, practical classroom strategies, and essential policy considerations for supporting MLLs effectively.

What is a multilingual learner (MLL)?

A multilingual learner (MLL) is a student who is developing proficiency in one language while maintaining one or more other languages. Often referred to as emergent bilinguals or English Learners (ELs) in the United States, these students bring rich cultural and linguistic backgrounds that can enhance the learning environment. The term “multilingual learner” reflects a more holistic view of these students’ language capabilities, recognizing that multilingualism is an asset rather than a barrier.

Key challenges faced by multilingual learners

Multilingual learners are often widely misunderstood—both by teachers and through traditional assessments. A key challenge they face is that their instructional needs can differ significantly from those of monolingual students, requiring tailored pacing and structured supports that recognize the dual task of acquiring both content knowledge and a new language.

Dr. Antonio Fierro, Vice President of Professional Learning at 95 Percent Group, elaborates. “Many assume that the greatest challenge lies in teaching multilingual learners the foundational skills necessary for reading and writing proficiency in English. But that is only half the challenge. While these skills are essential, equally critical is the intentional development of language woven throughout every aspect of instruction.”

While MLL students may face double the cognitive load, they also have unique strengths. One particularly damaging misconception is that English learners are inherently behind their monolingual peers. In reality, MLLs arrive with a rich tapestry of linguistic knowledge, additional vocabulary, and cross-cultural concepts that can propel their academic growth when leveraged effectively.

Rather than slowing down instruction to “meet them where they are,” educators should focus on amplifying language exposure and providing rigorous, scaffolded practice that challenges MLLs to meet high expectations. By doing so, teachers not only honor students’ backgrounds but also unlock their full academic potential.

Additionally, the 2006 report by the National Literacy Panel for Language examines the following challenges multilingual learners face:*

Gaps in teacher training and professional learning

High-quality instruction is essential for multilingual learners, who benefit from thorough and focused instruction on content and close progress monitoring. However, many teachers lack the skills to help students connect their native language to English, target key learning areas, and distinguish between language barriers and true reading difficulties. According to The National Council of Teacher Quality, 88% of prep programs have no practice opportunities for teaching English learners.

The need for hyper-personalized learning techniques

Each language has its own phonology, morphology, syntax, orthography, and semantics. For this reason, each MLL language group will benefit from different types of classroom instruction. Young Spanish-speaking students learning to read in English, for instance, will benefit from focusing on combinations of phonemes in English that do not exist in their home language.

Additionally, while MLLs often keep pace with word-level skills (like decoding, word recognition, and spelling), they tend to require extra attention with text-level skills (like reading comprehension and writing). This is why amplifying oral language development is key.

Age is another factor that comes into play. An adolescent English learner has plenty of their own experiences to draw on, which teachers can leverage to build background knowledge, strengthen comprehension, and make reading tasks more meaningful.

Weak assessments of skill level

The report also found that it’s difficult to gauge individual strengths and weaknesses in MLLs. At times, reading difficulties may be a function of individual differences rather than a language-minority status. They all typically struggle with phonological awareness and working memory. These underlying processing deficits, rather than surface-level word-reading issues, point to the need for targeted interventions that strengthen oral language skills and amplify students’ access to academic language, enabling them to build the foundational processing systems essential for literacy success.

Classroom solutions for multilingual learners

The best way to support multilingual learners is to understand the skills and proficiencies they already possess in their native language and use those as a foundation for further growth. Additionally, teachers shouldn’t wait for students to master a language before incorporating reading skills. Dr. Antonio Fierro states, “We have to embed language development within the teaching of these skills. So it’s a two-prong approach: we’re teaching the skill, and we have to support it with language.”

Fortunately, many of the strategies that benefit multilingual learners also strengthen instruction for monolingual students and would be considered best practices for both.

• Start reading early: Rather than waiting for students to become fully proficient in English before introducing literacy, it’s more effective to develop language and literacy skills simultaneously.
• Amplify, don’t simplify: View MLLs as students with rich linguistic assets. Provide rigorous, grade-level content that challenges and engages them.
• Connect learning to the real world: When teaching new vocabulary, extend learning across topics to deepen understanding, letting the content drive the rigor of vocabulary being learned. For example, if you’re teaching about turtles, explore their role in their habitat and their contribution to the ecosystem. This approach boosts both engagement and comprehension.
• Identify gaps: Teachers should pinpoint areas where English differs from students’ native languages and focus instruction on those contrasts. For instance, Spanish-speaking students often benefit from focused instruction on English final consonant sounds, which are much less common in Spanish. Practicing words like “cold” or “jump” helps them master ending blends that don’t typically occur in their native language.

Policy and programmatic support

Robust school policies are essential to create an inclusive and equitable environment for MLLs. As highlighted in Language Magazine’s 2024 article, evidence-based reading instruction aligned with the science of reading benefits all learners, including MLLs.

Policies should:

• Mandate structured literacy: Implement research-backed frameworks that emphasize phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and critical thinking through instruction that is explicit, systematic, cumulative, scaffolded, and highly interactive.
• Ensure equity in assessments: Provide accommodations that reflect MLLs’ needs.
• Foster family engagement: Design communication strategies that bridge language and cultural gaps.
  At the classroom level, establishing clear routines and language-rich environments can dramatically improve outcomes for MLL students.

Professional development and teacher training

Professional learning is the key to empowering teachers to help multilingual learners meet their full potential. Effective training helps educators navigate the complexities of students’ diverse language backgrounds and connect that understanding to effective literacy instruction. According to Dr. Fierro, “Working with English Learners requires two key understandings: first, a strong knowledge base of how all aspects of language function; and second, an awareness of the wide variability in the linguistic repertoires that children bring with them to school.”

Professional development is most effective when it includes hands-on practice and personalized coaching or workshops. Collaboration with special education teachers and resource specialists can also enhance instructional quality. Finally, involving external experts, such as university researchers, can help teachers continue to use modern research and improve.*

How 95 Percent Group supports MLL success

Empowering multilingual learners starts with empowering their teachers. 95 Percent Group offers comprehensive professional learning, evidence-based instructional tools, and diagnostic assessments designed to help educators meet the diverse needs of multilingual learners. Our classroom resources—such as Sortegories, which reinforces phonics and word recognition through engaging, hands-on activities—are especially effective for helping MLLs strengthen connections between phonemes and graphemes and build vocabulary. Our mission is to equip teachers with research-based practices that lead to real results, ensuring all students, regardless of language background, have the opportunity to thrive.

Expert Biography

Antonio A. Fierro, Ed.D, Vice President of Professional Learning and Academics, 95 Percent Group

Antonio A. Fierro is a former Texas State Teacher of the Year and is currently the Vice President of Professional Learning and Academics with the 95 Percent Group. For almost 20 years, he was a member of the national LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) cohort of literacy consultants led by Dr. Louisa Moats and sits on the advisory board of LETRS 3rd edition.

Dr. Fierro has contributed to several literacy curricula for English learners and is co-author of Kid Lips®, a curriculum that teaches the articulatory features of English phonemes. His areas of interest include early literacy instruction, improving the learning experience of pre-service teaching candidates, and research and practice that impacts English learners. He is also dedicated to advancing the knowledge base and understanding of dyslexia and other reading disabilities, as his son, Antonio Jr., has dyslexia. Dr. Fierro currently sits on the national board of The Reading League.

Sources

*August, Diane, and Timothy Shanahan. 2006. “Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth.” Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, January. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED556105.