Researching How to Support Emergent Bilingual Students in Texas Middle Schools
Emergent Bilingual (EB) students are one of the fastest‑growing student groups in Texas. Today, about 1.2 million EB students attend schools across the state, and districts are seeking more effective ways to support both these students and their teachers.
To address this need, the Texas Center for Educator Excellence (TxCEE) at Region 18 Education Service Center received a federal grant to develop and implement the Middle School Collaborative Language Acquisition Strategies (MS CLASS) program. AIR is partnering with TxCEE to study how MS CLASS is implemented and how it affects teachers and students.
About the MS CLASS Program
MS CLASS helps Grade 6–8 teachers learn credible, effective strategies to enhance their general instruction while also supporting EB students.
The program has three primary goals:
- Help teachers learn and use evidence‑based instructional strategies in math and English language arts;
- Increase teacher retention; and
- Improve all student outcomes in math and English language arts, including EB students’ English language development.
AIR's Impact and Implementation Study
AIR is conducting a two‑cohort randomized controlled trial with 50 Texas middle schools. Half of the schools are implementing MS CLASS, while the others continue their usual professional learning. The study spans the 2025–26 and 2026–27 school years.
The study examines both implementation and impact. Findings will inform continuous improvement of the program and assess its effectiveness for teachers and students.
AIR is exploring impacts on:
- Teacher attitudes, beliefs, and retention;
- Math and English language arts instruction;
- Student achievement in math and English language arts; and
- English language proficiency for EB students.
To answer these questions, our researchers are conducting teacher interviews, administering teacher surveys, and analyzing student scores from Texas state math and English language arts assessments and the Texas English language proficiency assessment.
Next Steps
The study team is currently collecting data from schools participating in MS CLASS during the 2025–26 school year and preparing for a second cohort of schools to begin in 2026–27. Early insights and preliminary findings will be shared as they become available.
