If you could focus on just one area to boost your multilingual learners’ test scores this year, it should be Tier 2 vocabulary . These are high-utility academic words— analyze, contrast, establish, infer —that show up in every subject area. They’re the “middle tier” between basic conversational words (Tier 1) and content-specific terms (Tier 3). Often, they are the hidden key to unlocking test success. The problem? Many districts unintentionally put Tier 2 vocabulary on the b

Every summer, administrators and teachers sit down with stacks of state testing data, hoping to find clear answers about how to support their multilingual learners next year. But there’s a problem—these tests aren’t giving them the data they need. The results are vague, outdated, and often misleading. How can teachers plan targeted instruction when the only data available is five or six months old? Worse yet, the tests don’t break down which specific skills students need to d

When I first became a high school English Language teacher, I had my hands full. I was new to the school, still learning the ropes of the...