Multilingual Learners and Math: Analyzing Access to High-Quality Core Curricula

The Center for Education Market Dynamics • December 04, 2024

The number of multilingual learners (MLLs) in the United States is increasing rapidly. Currently, over 10% of students in a quarter of US states are MLLs; it’s estimated that by 2025, one in four students will be an MLL. As the number of MLLs continues to surge nationwide, understanding their curricular experience in math is a key priority for many K–12 district leaders who are focused on addressing inequities and supporting systemic improvements in math education.

When it comes to core math products, what level of access do multilingual learners have to high-quality instructional materials (HQIM)? Accompanying the findings in our latest market reports on the footprint of high-quality K–8 math products nationally and by region, this blog analyzes curriculum selection trends as they impact K-5 students who are learning math in more than one language. Specifically, this analysis examines the top 10 elementary core math curricula available to multilingual learners, using EdReports’ quality ratings to assess their overall quality. (For more information on CEMD data collection, districts sampled, and analysis, see the regional report and FAQ.)

* CEMD Data Collection, 2023–24 on district selection of core math curriculum. Source for demographic information: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), school year 2021–22 data. Student count is based on district MLL enrollment at the elementary grade band.

Key Findings

• MLLs have access similar to the US student population as a whole regarding high-quality K–5 math curricula. There is considerable overlap among the products accessed by elementary MLLs and other elementary students.
• Nearly half of all MLL students in the CEMD sample set of districts have access either to enVision Mathematics or the Eureka Math curriculum.
• State adoptions and district selections in Texas, California, and Florida likely are drivers of these trends—not only because of these states’ outsized influence on the curriculum market as a whole, but because of their growing populations of MLLs. Texas and California are among the states serving the greatest percentage of MLL students in the country, at 20.2% and 18.9%, respectively.

What type of supports for MLLs do these curricula offer? How well do they align with the English Learners Success Forum’s math guidelines? To learn more about the national reach of high-quality math curriculum, read CEMD’s 2024 market report on the state of district-led selection of K–8 math curricula along with our regional analysis, which delves into geographical variation in K–8 math curriculum selection.