Mathematics for Multilingual Learners

This page focuses on how to meaningfully engage multilingual learners in mathematical thinking. Mathematics is a powerful space for sense-making, reasoning, and communication and multilingual students bring valuable linguistic and cultural assets to that work.

Resources here emphasize:

• Mathematical discourse and academic talk
• Visual models and representations that support conceptual understanding
• Strategies for teaching word problems without turning math into a reading test
• Assessment practices that distinguish math reasoning from English proficiency

This page also addresses a critical systems question:
How do schools appropriately place older multilingual students—especially newcomers—in secondary mathematics courses?

Included resources support:

• Thoughtful math placement for high school newcomers and late-arriving students
• Avoiding over-remediation that limits access to grade-level content
• Designing pathways that balance language development, prior schooling, and graduation requirements

The goal is to ensure students are placed where they can learn, contribute, and progress, not where language barriers unintentionally restrict opportunity.

Core Strategy Areas

Key Resources

• National Academies of Sciences (2018) - English Learners in STEM Subjects
• Stanford – Understanding Language (Math) - Math tasks and discourse strategies for multilingual learners
• WIDA – Mathematics Language Supports
• Achieve the Core – Supporting ELs in Math - (Strategy briefs; curriculum-agnostic)
• National Academies (2018): English Learners in STEM Subjects - Emphasizes removing barriers and ensuring ELs have access to rigorous STEM learning opportunities (good for arguing against “language-based tracking” in math) Main Report Read-online chapter view
• California Dept of Education – Academic Access guidance for ML/Newcomer students - (states EL students can’t be denied access to core courses; provides links to placement guidance and transcript evaluation)