Hello again,
It is already the middle of the school year. Time to look back and look ahead. Earlier this month I read Colleen Elep’s piece “Knowing The Learner Matters: All About Multilingual Language Learner (MLL/ELL Variability)” on this blog with much interest.
The opening paragraph stands out immediately and invites readers to think deeper and look inward at assumptions we may tend to make or others have made and passed on to us: “When we think about Multilingual Language Learners, also known as MLLs (or ELLs), it can be tempting to view them as a uniform group with similar needs and experiences. In reality, nothing could be further than the truth. MLLs are an incredibly diverse group of students who bring a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, identities, educational histories, and lived experiences to their learning”
Although the writing outlines many signposts and how-to aspects that are very helpful to classroom practice, I went looking for something that connects the writer’s entry point with mine because I wanted to not just read – I also wanted to sharpen my skills. And I stopped here…
Supporting Multilingual Language Learners with Possible Special Education Needs
This resource, shared in October 2025, has an easy to understand, conversational title that considers possibilities and also highlights partnerships. It is an invitation to collaborate and to sit together as teachers to think through students’ strengths, needs, family background, educational experiences, migrations trajectories and do something about it – together and professionally.
The starting lines indicate that “This member-developed resource provides useful information about how to support MLLs with possible special education needs. The program brief may be leveraged when MLLs are not experiencing success with ongoing ESL/ELD supports” which means that the ESL/ELD supports have to be implemented first.
The link to the resource brings the reader to a document that states this important aspects right at the outset which we all need to remember because there may be a risk of rushing which though well intentioned mostly, can be premature identification into special education programmes and states this: “When multilingual language learners (MLLs)1 are developing the English language skills required for success with the Ontario curriculum, it can be difficult to determine if some of these learners may also have additional learning needs, such as an Ontario Ministry of Education-recognized exceptionality”
The definitions of exceptionalities are important to review and there is also a caution there, as teachers, as educators, we do what we are trained to do – we teach, we gather evidence, we collaborate with colleagues who can guide out practice and we seek support in collaboration with families and other experts in our school districts.
We do not offer diagnoses. This resources helps greatly to keep us on our path.
Also, educational work is best done in community with collaborative colleagues. This we know.
The Multi-Tiered Approach
- A Multi-Tiered Approach to Supporting Multilingual Language Learners Infographic
- Multi-Tiered Approach to Supporting Multilingual Language Learners Video Series
I especially liked the info-graphic and the video series. The former makes it easy to understand what is needed at each stage and the page states that more resources will be added, so let us check in regularly as we learn together. The video series allowed me to see the possibilities of rich and respectful professional conversations on how to support at Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 that are also known as Good for All, Necessary for Some and Essential for a Few. It is always professionally strengthening to hear ETFO colleagues talk about the rich possibilities available to us in the work we do.
I invite you to engage with Colleen’s blog post and then make your way to the resources shared above. Do share back how this worked for you in your spaces. And please share this piece with others who may be interested to read and learn …
With You, In Solidarity
Rashmee Karnad-Jani
