Schools need good information to understand how effectively their practices are meeting the needs of multilingual learners. But looking only at practices specific to multilingual learners may not always provide the full picture.

This can be especially important in schools where multilingual learners make up a relatively small percentage of the student population. School leaders may be compelled to examine the quality of their programs and practices for these students, while also understanding how those practices fit within teaching and learning across the school.

The question is not only “What is happening for multilingual learners?” It is also “How does that compare with what is happening throughout our school?”

Context Can Change How We Interpret Data

Consider a school where teachers report limited opportunities to collaborate around instruction for multilingual learners.

That finding is useful, but it raises another question: Is collaboration around multilingual learner instruction the specific concern, or do teachers have limited opportunities for meaningful instructional collaboration in general?

If collaboration is strong across the school but weaker when it comes to multilingual learner instruction, leaders may want to focus specifically on strengthening collaboration around the needs of those students.

If collaboration is limited for teachers more broadly, the school may be looking at a larger issue with its structures for instructional collaboration.

The same finding can lead to different conclusions depending on the broader context.

Look at Practices, Not Just Outcomes

Student outcome data are essential, but they tell only part of the story.

Schools can also benefit from examining the practices and conditions that contribute to teaching and learning. These might include professional learning, instructional collaboration, use of data, access to expertise and resources, instructional expectations, and opportunities for educators to participate in decision-making.

Looking at these practices can help school leaders move from identifying an area of concern to identifying something they can act on.

For multilingual learners, this means asking not only how students are performing, but also whether the school has the practices and systems in place to help educators meet their needs.

Some practices may be strong throughout the school, including those related to multilingual learners. Others may be areas for growth school-wide. And in some cases, a school may discover that a practice is well established generally but less developed when applied to multilingual learners.

Those distinctions matter because they can lead to different improvement priorities.

A Needs Assessment Designed to Provide Both Perspectives

The Comprehensive Coaching Needs Assessment (CCNA) was designed to provide this type of contextual information.

CCNA is a school-wide needs assessment that focuses on leadership and instructional practices, with particular attention to teaching and learning for English Learners (ELs). The assessment gathers perspectives from educators across the school and examines practices related to leadership, teaching and services, professional capacity, and an inclusive learning environment.

An important feature of CCNA is its use of comparable questions about EL-focused and general school practices. This allows leaders to examine areas of strength and need related to English Learners while also considering the broader instructional context in which those practices occur.

CCNA uses the term English Learners (ELs) in its assessment. The broader term multilingual learners is used here to recognize the terminology commonly used by many schools, districts, and states.

Use the Comparison to Ask Better Questions

A needs assessment should do more than identify strengths and areas for improvement. It should help school teams ask better questions about what is happening and why.

Comparing multilingual learner-focused practices with school-wide practices can prompt questions such as:

Where are strong practices evident across the school? Where do practices for multilingual learners differ? Are some areas for growth specific to multilingual learner instruction, or do they reflect broader school-wide needs? Which practices should we prioritize for improvement?

For schools seeking to strengthen teaching and learning for multilingual learners, understanding the broader context can make the difference between simply identifying a concern and understanding where to begin addressing it.

Sometimes the clearest picture comes from looking at both.

Learn more about the CARE Coaching Needs Assessment (CCNA).