The Rooted Report

Why Differentiation Matters for ELL Students

In the last two decades, the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools has grown by more than 28% (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). Today, nearly one in ten students is identified as an English learner. These students bring incredible cultural and linguistic assets—but they also face unique barriers when instruction is not adapted to their needs.

Research shows that when instruction is not differentiated, ELL students experience lower academic achievement and higher dropout rates (Callahan & Shifrer, 2016). Differentiating instruction is therefore not just a best practice—it is an equity imperative. Teachers who intentionally adjust content, process, product, and environment enable students to engage meaningfully with grade-level learning.

Understanding English Proficiency Levels

Before diving into strategies, it’s essential to understand that not all ELL students are at the same stage of language acquisition. Frameworks like WIDA’s English Language Development standards identify stages from Entering to Bridging.

For example, in a science classroom:

• A student at the Entering stage may record lab data using pictures or single words.
• A student at the Expanding stage might write a full paragraph comparing results with peers.

Knowing these stages allows teachers to calibrate supports without lowering expectations. Research on scaffolding suggests that appropriately tiered support accelerates both language and content learning (van Lier & Walqui, 2012).

The Four Core Ways to Differentiate for ELL Students

Differentiating Content

Teachers can adapt what students learn by adjusting the materials and texts without diluting rigor.

• Provide bilingual glossaries for academic vocabulary.
• Use leveled texts or news articles at multiple reading levels.
• Incorporate visuals, timelines, and diagrams to anchor meaning.

A literacy study found that ELL students with access to scaffolded texts achieved significantly higher comprehension scores compared to peers with unadapted materials (Droop & Verhoeven, 2003).

Differentiating Process

Process refers to how students make sense of new information. For ELL students, this often means structured opportunities to use language in low-risk ways.

• Think-Pair-Share with sentence frames (“One thing I noticed was…”).
• Jigsaw activities where each student becomes an expert on one part of the material.
• Modeling academic talk before asking students to engage.

Differentiating Product

ELL students benefit when they have multiple options to show what they know. Instead of requiring only a written essay, teachers might allow:

• Oral presentations or podcasts.
• Illustrated explanations.
• Short video responses.

This flexibility reduces the language barrier and emphasizes conceptual understanding. A meta-analysis by Hall (2012) confirmed that varied assessments improve both engagement and accuracy of measurement for multilingual learners.

Differentiating Learning Environment

Finally, environment matters. Classrooms that normalize risk-taking with language increase student participation.

• Display word walls and anchor charts.
• Seat ELLs near peer models of academic language.
• Establish routines where mistakes are reframed as learning steps.

Creating such environments aligns with research showing that classroom climate strongly predicts ELL academic growth (Zhang & Slaughter-Defoe, 2009).

Subject-Specific Differentiation Strategies

Differentiation for ELL Students in Reading

Reading instruction is often the biggest challenge for ELL students. Effective strategies include:

• Previewing key vocabulary before reading.
• Using reciprocal teaching strategies (predict, question, clarify, summarize).
• Small guided reading groups targeted at language proficiency.

A 2015 study in Reading Research Quarterly found that reciprocal teaching significantly improved comprehension outcomes for ELL students when combined with explicit vocabulary instruction (Palincsar & Schutz, 2015).

Differentiation for ELL Students in Science

Science offers rich opportunities for hands-on, visual learning. Strategies include:

• Providing lab word banks with sentence starters.
• Using graphic organizers like cause-and-effect charts.
• Encouraging oral explanations paired with diagrams.

In one middle school classroom, a teacher adapted an ecosystems unit by allowing beginning ELL students to draw food chains while advanced students wrote comparative paragraphs. Both groups engaged with the same standard at their language level.

Differentiated Instruction for ELL Students in Math

Language barriers in math often arise from academic vocabulary (“factor,” “divisor,” “sum”). Teachers can differentiate by:

• Providing sentence frames for reasoning: “I solved this problem by…”
• Using manipulatives and visuals before moving to abstract symbols.
• Encouraging multiple solution methods (drawings, equations, verbal explanations).

Research indicates that visual supports in math significantly improve ELL achievement, especially for students in early proficiency levels (Moschkovich, 2010).

Real-World Example: One Teacher’s Approach

Maria Lopez, a seventh-grade science teacher, faced a challenge when six newcomers enrolled mid-year. Her initial lab write-ups left these students disengaged—they copied sentences without comprehension.

She shifted her approach:

• Introduced illustrated vocabulary cards for each lab.
• Allowed students at lower levels to submit labeled diagrams instead of paragraphs.
• Paired newcomers with bilingual peers during data collection.

Within weeks, participation increased. By the end of the unit, students were not only conducting experiments but also explaining findings orally in English. Differentiation allowed them to access grade-level science without being left behind.

Evidence From Research

Differentiation for ELL students is not anecdotal—it’s supported by decades of scholarship:

• Droop & Verhoeven (2003) demonstrated that scaffolded texts significantly improved comprehension for ELL students.
• van Lier & Walqui (2012) emphasized that scaffolding tied to proficiency stages accelerates both content and language learning.
• Moschkovich (2010) highlighted the role of visual and multimodal supports in improving math outcomes for ELLs.

Together, these findings show that intentional differentiation is among the most effective strategies for supporting multilingual learners.

Conclusion: Differentiation as a Path to Equity

Differentiation is not about lowering expectations—it is about providing equitable access to grade-level learning. By adapting content, process, product, and environment, teachers ensure that ELL students can succeed alongside their peers.

When we differentiate for ELL students, we are not making the work easier—we are making success possible.

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