At some point in their careers, teachers will have had a multilingual student in their class. This isn’t just an assumption, but a reality, as the number of English learners in US K-12 schools continues to grow every year — from the latest available data, the number of students whose first language wasn’t English grew by over 10% from 2011 to 2021, making it over five million students across the country.
While teachers do their best to prepare appropriate lessons with the tools at hand, not many are equipped to support multilingual learners. In fact, a 2025 study found that around half of teachers serving this type of student don’t feel prepared or only somewhat prepared to teach them.
This lack of support is unfortunately reflected in literacy rates, in which multilingual learners are among the students with the most declines, according to the NAEP. They’re also the most neglected when it comes to evidence-based reading instruction, since only 10 out of the 45 states enforcing this reading legislation include programs for English learners.
Enter edtech. As a sector determined to bridge gaps and build more inclusive education, it also focuses on the needs of multilingual learners and helps teachers meet them where they are when the available tools aren’t enough. Let’s explore some of the ways tech is getting English learners closer to excelling in learning outcomes.
Understanding Speech Development in Multilingual Learners
When making their first connections with language, children begin to mouth words instinctively. This is because oral language is the foundation of all languages. It’s the same for English learners who usually emigrate to the country without prior knowledge of the language. Slowly but surely, they begin to make sense of the words they hear, mimicking accents and saying sentences.
This is because, according to experts, spoken language is hardwired in the brain, becoming the driver of language comprehension before the structure of grammar and spelling come into the picture.
With this notion in mind, when starting in US schools, English learners can more easily develop through dialogical activities that also support their writing and reading proficiency foundations. By expressing their thoughts aloud in the language they’re learning, multilingual learners are developing ideas and improving their English skills as they go.
Unlocking Multilingual Learners’ Potential with STT
Being able to express ideas orally shows teachers whether students have understood a topic or need further explanation. And this isn’t just the case for multilingual learners, but for students with all kinds of skills in the classroom. Oracy is, ultimately, a seminal soft skill for students to develop — to express their ideas clearly, debate opposing points of view, persuade others at work, and simply to live a better life through better communication.
Arguably, speaking is even more important for multilingual learners whose first exposure to a new language comes in spoken form. In the classroom, these students might absorb tons of information from their teachers, but fail to flesh them out aloud due to common lecture-like dynamics. Although many teaching frameworks support discussions in class to help students make sense of new concepts and exercise cumulative knowledge, not all teachers design lesson plans with speaking activities in mind.
EdTech for Multilingual Learners
This is where technology can fill in the gaps to support multilingual students.
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) encourages students to use speech-to-text (STT) tools to practice their fluency when conversing with others isn’t possible. These exercises can strengthen their speaking test scores and help tie together the grammar and spelling concepts they’ve learned through practicing their reading and writing.
For instance, students can open an online transcribing tool and speak to it, seeing their words reflected on the screen. This will inform their pronunciation and sentence structure skills. Beyond that, they’re also improving their reasoning and going from thought to voice, which takes knowledge from a mere idea in their heads to actions — it all starts with the ease of communication.
Adapting Assessments to Learners’ Needs
Tests and overall writing activities can be complex tasks for English learners who are just getting a grasp of reading and writing, but this shouldn’t impede their ability to demonstrate their knowledge in a given subject.
There was a time when teacher aides could give students an extra hand during class. However, ongoing budget cuts that have led to mass layoffs in the education sector mean some of the first positions to be slashed are vital teacher aides. Edtech leaders are building technology that can solve this issue and level the playing field for all students, whether they live with a disability or are multilingual learners, regardless of the presence of teacher aides.
For example, embedding STT options into tests and written activities for multilingual learners to speak into their microphones and express their ideas, which then turn into text, can be a game-changer in all classrooms, not just ESL. Likewise, text-to-speech (TTS) options that allow students to listen to questions as they learn to read help them make sense of written words and keep up with tests or activities. This way, teachers won’t need aides who do the writing or explaining for students, and can easily understand English learners’ answers.
Moreover, making assessment tools more flexible with personalized accommodations for each student is another way edtech companies are improving classrooms and test-taking. Beyond STT and TTS options, giving multilingual learners extra time to answer questions is key to their success. Ultimately, this aid reflects that English learners’ knowledge can’t be measured by their speed but rather by the accuracy of their answers, however long it may take to read, understand, and answer them.
Building inclusive education tools helps unburden both teachers and multilingual learners by giving everyone the support they need to excel in their tasks. For students learning English, small changes like STT and extra time transform how they perform in school, regardless of their language skills. Breaking the rigidity of common classroom dynamics with more oracy activities and test-taking strategies can move the needle for this group of learners who simply need the right tools to thrive.
At Quizli, we’re building a more inclusive assessment platform that saves time for teachers and supports every student’s needs. Are you ready to test it and provide us with feedback? Schedule a demo with us today and get started improving your classroom dynamics with Quizli!
