Who Are Multilingual Learners Colorín Colorado

Who are multilingual learners (MLs)? Why use the strengths-based term "multilingual learner"? This excerpt from Colorín Colorado's updated policy guide, Serving Multilingual Learners: Laws, Policies, and Regulations, provides a helpful overview of this diverse and dynamic population, along with the rationale for using this term and... Image credit: Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages Multilingual learners [MLs] are one of the fastest growing and most diverse populations in our nation's schools. While they represent more than four hundred different language groups, 75% are Spanish speakers and 2% are Arabic, Chinese, or Vietnamese speakers.

The primary language that a student speaks is but one descriptor. Students who speak Spanish, for example, have richly distinct cultures and dialects and represent many countries; they may also include Indigenous students for whom Spanish is a second or third language. For additional information, see What You Need to Know About ELLs: FAQs. The term multilingual learner [ML] refers to a diverse group of students enrolled in public and public charter schools whose primary language is other than English. Several acronyms are used interchangeably to refer to MLs, including: The strengths-based term multilingual learner is used throughout this document to recognize and value students' existing language abilities and highlight what they know.

Check to see which terms are used in your district and state. Many federal documents use the terms "English learner" and "Limited English Proficient students." Dr. Christina Cipriano from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence explains why social-emotional learning for diverse language learners cannot simply be a translation of emotions, words, and terms since it wouldn't take into account the... To help learners from all cultures and backgrounds, the first and primary part of the SEL program approach includes full family engagement instead of considering it as an after-thought or add-on. See the full interview with Dr.

Cipriano on Reading Rockets. Serving Multilingual Learners: Laws, Policies, and Regulations is a guide from Colorín Colorado that provides an accessible summary of federal laws governing the education of Multilingual Learners [MLs]. The first edition of this guide provided a comprehensive, user-friendly resource about the latest laws, regulations, research, and evidence-based strategies of effective language education programs for MLs. Since then, several significant developments have occurred, including: This second edition incorporates these changes, supporting school and district leaders, teachers, specialists, and other stakeholders in creating high-quality language assistance programs for the growing population of multilingual learners. It begins with an overview of the nation's MLs and educators, followed by the importance of a strengths-based approach.

The guide then reviews federal laws and regulations, with the following goals: While each section of this guide can be a stand-alone resource, we encourage educators and administrators to read the entire guide for a more comprehensive overview. In addition, regulations and policies are updated over time. This guide is current as of Fall 2025. The first edition is available as a resource for reference and archival purposes, but we strongly encourage educators and administrators to review the updated edition when looking for policy guidance. Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.

The number of Colorado students who are learning English as a new language is expected to continue to increase – and State Board members are taking a closer look at their performance. The Colorado Department of Education on Wednesday presented a State of the State on multilingual learners — the term the state uses to identify students who need services as they learn English as a... The presentation signals a greater interest from the State Board in how those students are doing. In the 2023-24 school year, Colorado identified 114,482 multilingual learners, up from 109,780 in 2022-23, but still lower than 122,976 identified in 2019-20. Those latest numbers mean about 13.4% of all Colorado students are learning English as a new language, similar to 13.9% in 2019-20. One difference in the population, however, is that a larger portion of those students are considered not-English proficient, meaning they are at the lowest level of fluency, just starting to learn English.

In 2023-24, there were 38,036 students identified as not-English proficient, up from 29,147 in 2019. Serving Multilingual Learners: Laws, Policies, and Regulations is a guide from Colorín Colorado that provides an accessible summary of federal laws governing multilingual learners' education. In addition, the guide describes ten common compliance issues related to the education of multilingual learners. The summary of each issue also includes strategies, actions steps, and resources for schools and districts. (Note: For additional information, see the federal English Learner Toolkit). To learn more about this guide, listen to this podcast episode on Tan Huynh's Teaching MLs podcast:

Our guide describes ten issues in ML education and also offers strategies and actions steps for following the laws. These federal resources feature additional information:

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