Multilingual Learners (MLL)

WELCOME to the Multilingual Learners (MLL) Department at Highland Park Senior High School!
*Our department was known in the past as the English Language Learner (ELL) Department. Currently, the department name has changed throughout the entire district to MLL.

Highland Park's Department of Multilingual Learning assists students whose primary language at home is not English. Students are assisted in language development to help them succeed and thrive with the difficult academic language of high school. Many students who have been in the country for a few years can speak the social language well, but can struggle with academic vocabulary and language knowledge to understand the texts and content that they encounter in high school. The 14th amendment of the Constitution ensures equal protection under the law, which means equal access to public goods like education. That means that if the curriculum of the school is in English only, students who do not speak it have a right to gain the language knowledge to access the curriculum.

Students who speak a different language at home must take a test called the WIDA English Language Proficiency Test (ACCESS), and the score on the test informs the servicing level for the student. The MLL department carefully follows the WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards as well as the MN classroom content Standards for grades 9 - 12. Some students might receive focused instruction in English Language Development (ELD) classes, and others might have some co-taught classes where the language of the content is made more visible and taught more explicitly to foster language growth. 

Classes where a student might receive co-taught MLL services include: 

• English 9, English 10, English 11, English 12
• Integrated Science 1, Biology
• Critical Ethnic Studies, Human Geography, World History, US History, Economics, US Government
• Integrated Math 1, Integrated Math 2

Any questions can be directed to members of the MLL department staff.