Mastering foundational math and science concepts is key to success in many college and career pathways, but the specialized vocabulary required in these subject areas can be a barrier for students whose native language is not the primary instructional language used in school. Asset-based pedagogical approaches that help students use their native language to understand technical vocabulary in English are a promising strategy for supporting deeper learning of math and science in high school and beyond.
Project ACCESS (Acquisition of Curricular content for Exceptional Success in STEM) is an initiative to improve math and science outcomes for native Spanish-speaking students in the Rio Grande Valley through two related strategies: 1) creating a consortium to examine P-16 STEM education practices in the RGV and 2) developing, implementing, and testing the use of multiple vocabulary strategies in high school math and science classrooms. This series of papers describes lessons learned from the work.
Project ACCESS: High School Student Learning of Academic Vocabulary in the Rio Grande Valley
