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Home REL Northeast & Islands About REL Northeast & Islands Connecticut Partnership to Support Multilingual Learner Mathematics Outcomes

Connecticut Partnership to Support Multilingual Learner Mathematics Outcomes

Mathematics teachers in Connecticut do not have adequate resources and training to ensure access to rigorous mathematics learning opportunities for the multilingual learners (MLs) in their classes, with results reflected in recent standardized assessments. In 2018/19, about 5 percent of middle grade MLs met or exceeded the Connecticut Smarter Balanced Assessment for Mathematics, and nationally MLs’ scores are significantly below those of non-MLs on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and statewide assessments. In Connecticut there are few professional development opportunities for teachers to better support ML students’ successful mathematics participation and learning. The Connecticut Partnership will address these needs.

In this partnership, REL Northeast & Islands will collaborate with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and representatives from several organizations in Connecticut that focus on mathematics education and teaching and learning for MLs. The partnership is currently working on a training project to support district leaders to analyze data, learn about mathematics research-based strategies for MLs, and create logic models and action plans to improve mathematics learning for middle grade MLs in their districts. REL Northeast & Islands is also helping CSDE conduct an applied research study focused on teacher and student outcomes of a professional learning program for grade 7 mathematics teachers with MLs in their classes. Furthermore, REL Northeast & Islands and its partners will co-develop a dissemination plan to spread awareness and deepen understanding about, support access to, and facilitate sharing of partnership study findings, implications, and resources, using strategies such as webinars, fact sheets, infographics, stakeholder briefings, and videos.

Current Projects

This applied research study is focused on the Visual Access to Mathematics professional development program (VAM PD), an eight-month online and face-to-face professional learning experience designed to support middle grades mathematics teachers who have both multilingual learners and monolingual students in their classes. Specifically, the study will investigate how VAM PD impacts teachers’ ability to analyze students’ mathematical thinking and their content knowledge related to proportional reasoning and the impacts of teachers’ participation in VAM PD on their students’ proportional reasoning problem-solving ability, facility in using visual representations in the problem-solving, and mathematics attitudes.
This project will enhance the knowledge and skills of Connecticut district and school leaders so they can make plans and enact strategies to strengthen middle grade math instruction for multilingual learners (MLLs)—sometimes labeled English learners—in their districts. Through a series of workshops during the 2022/23 school year, mathematics coaches, MLL specialists, math department heads, curriculum directors, and other leaders with responsibilities for supporting middle grade math teachers will create logic models, analyze district data, learn about evidence-based practices, and create district action plans to support improvements in the mathematics learning experience for middle grade MLLs.

No completed projects at this time.

Event Type: Training Material | Event Date: May 08, 2023
During this session, district teams will learn to use a consultancy protocol to solve a dilemma they may have related to multilingual learners in middle grades mathematics. Participants will also develop action plans based on their logic model and data...
Event Type: In-person Event | Event Date: March 13, 2023
This session will introduce the data inquiry cycle and analyze district data using the data-driven dialogue. Participants will also develop next steps for action plans.
Event Type: Training Material | Event Date: February 07, 2023
This session will provide an opportunity for teams to complete their logic models. Participants will review problem statements, elements of a logic model, and develop their district logic models.
Product Type: Blog | Publication Date: January 01, 2023
This blog post discusses efforts underway to support students, families, and educators in the process of post-pandemic healing and recovery and the importance of focusing on students’ and families’ assets.
Event Type: Training Material | Event Date: December 01, 2022
This session will feature a guest speaker on research-based practices on the teaching and learning of Multilingual Language Learners (MLLs). Participants will see videos of classrooms with MLL students and engage in breakout rooms to plan upcoming lessons...
Product Type: Blog | Publication Date: November 17, 2022
This blog discusses strategies for placing equity at the forefront of our REL activities and explores two examples of how REL Northeast & Islands is partnering with education leaders to put equity at the center of our project work.

REL Northeast & Islands Logic Model (461 KB)

REL Northeast & Islands Logic Model