New York is shifting how language proficiency is measured for multilingual learners. Learn how Summit K12 supports ENL educators with professional learning, aligned practice, and a proven guarantee of student growth.
As New York state prepares for the transition to a new way of measuring language proficiency, the expectations for multilingual learners are shifting in ways that go far beyond the assessment format. This is a fundamental reimagining of how language development is approached and supported across every classroom, every subject, and at every proficiency level.
At Summit K12, we already partner with many districts across the consortium New York is joining. We know what this transition asks of educators, administrators, and students. And we’ve proven what it takes to get strong results.
Our commitment to the community of New York is simple: no teacher, and no student, should feel left behind in this transition.
Whether it's through aligned practice, real-time data, or hands-on support, our goal is to turn the complexity of the key shifts you're about to experience into a clear, manageable path for ENL student growth.
With the right knowledge and tools, this shift isn't a hurdle — it's an opportunity to unlock deeper potential in every multilingual learner across the state of New York.
If you missed our webinar, Preparing Learners for New York's New Expectations, the recording is available below. In it, Rebecca Elias — Summit K12 Executive Director of Professional Learning — walks through the three key shifts that define this transition and what they mean for the way we target instruction.
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The most significant shift is also the most empowering: language is no longer the sole responsibility of ENL teachers. Under this new framework, language development takes place through Science, Math, Social Studies, and ELA. As Elias explains in her recent companion post, New York's Big Shift: you don't learn to play basketball by reading about it. You learn by being on the court. For New York's multilingual learners, the classroom is that court, and every subject is an opportunity to practice, build, and stretch their language in real and meaningful ways.
Students aren't just learning English. They're learning to argue like a scientist, inform like a historian, explain like a mathematician, and narrate like an author.
Every teacher becomes a language teacher. Every lesson becomes an opportunity.
We've had the privilege of working with over a million Multilingual Learners across the country and if there's one thing that experience has taught us, it's this: real readiness doesn't come from test prep. It comes from building a connected, sustained system where data informs every lesson, teachers feel supported, and every learner is seen as an individual from day one.
We've seen what works. And we've built our entire approach around it. Here's what that looks like now for New York.
The assessment transition doesn't begin when students sit the new assessment. It kicks off on day one in the classroom, where teachers deserve to feel ready before they're expected to lead.
Our professional learning pathways aren't something we save for after adoption. We've already curated sessions for New York ENL leaders and educators to help prepare for this shift.
Whether or not you choose to use our products, our team is committed to helping you understand what the new expectations mean for you, your students, and your teaching practice. From day one, we promise that with our support, you’ll have exactly what you need to support your students with confidence.
Explore Professional Learning Options for New York Educators
From FREE foundational webinars on the three key shifts to in-classroom coaching and collaborative Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), we build the kind of instructional capacity that means you're ready to guide every student toward the new assessment expectations right out of the gate.
We're committed to ongoing partnership for New York educators — connecting professional learning directly to solutions that are proven to accelerate student outcomes within this new language development framework. Lasting growth requires lasting support. That's a commitment we've honored across more than 1,000 districts nationwide and one we're bringing to New York as we support this transition.
When educators are ready for a fully aligned program, Connect to Literacy™ is built to support them there. Rather than replacing what's already working, it deepens the ENL instruction you already provide — re-invigorated to develop the language skills measured by the new assessment across all four domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
Here's what that looks like in practice. Students don't follow a one-size-fits-all path. Each learner works through a personalized learning pathway aligned to their current proficiency level in each of the four domains. They practice digital text navigation, extended written responses, and audio-based listening tasks in a format that mirrors common assessment items. As they work, they receive real-time feedback that actively guides their output, helping them produce more of what the assessment is looking for, whether that's greater linguistic complexity, stronger use of evidence, or more purposeful academic language.
By the time test day arrives, the format isn't new to your students. The expectations aren't surprising. The only thing they have to focus on is demonstrating what they’ve learned and practiced all year long.
Transitions are challenging. Questions don't wait for scheduled check-ins. They come up on a random Tuesday afternoon, in the middle of a lesson, or when something isn't working the way it should.
We provide extensive, consistent support to each of our partners and it's one of the things they value most. Our customer success team is made up of former ENL educators who understand your world because they've lived it.Our incredible 99.4% customer satisfaction rate doesn’t happen by chance. It's the result of a team that shows up for teachers, administrators, and for the families walking this road alongside their students. Not because everything always goes perfectly. But because when it doesn't, we’re there to problem solve with you.
To us, that's what true partnership looks like and that feeds into our promise.
We don't ask New York educators to take our word for it.
At Summit K12, we believe every student deserves the chance to reach their personal summit. That belief backs everything we do, including a firm guarantee that as a result of close partnership, every Multilingual Learner will gain at least one proficiency level per year. Not as a hope. As a promise.If they don't, you don't pay. It’s that simple.Ten years of proven outcomes across the consortium give us the confidence to make that promise. And we're extending it now to New York.
The assessment transition is a significant milestone — and an exciting opportunity to elevate what's possible for every Multilingual Learner in New York. We promise to walk alongside you, bringing proven experience, deep expertise, and the kind of partnership that puts your educators and students first. One that feels as valuable in years to come as it did when you joined your first webinar session.
On that note: watch the webinar recording above to hear Rebecca Elias walk through the key shifts in detail. Then, whether you're ready to see Connect to Literacy™ in action or want to talk through what this transition means for your district, we invite you to reach out.
Summit K12 and Connect to Literacy™ are not affiliated with or endorsed by WIDA™ or the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. ACCESS™ and WIDA™ are federally registered trademarks of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.