English Language Learners and Special Education

“To challenge the labeling of students from minority groups as disabled, assessment must focus on (a) the extent to which children’s language and culture are incorporated into the school program, (b) the extent to which educators collaborate with parents in a shared enterprise, and (c) the extent to which children are encouraged to use both their first and second languages actively in the classroom to amplify their experiences in interaction with other children and adults.”  (Cummins, 1991)  Assessment must go beyond psychoeducational considerations to include the entire learning environment.

“Developers of bilingual special education programs need to weigh three factors for each student: degree of disability; level of language proficiency in both English and the primary language; and intellectual capacity.”  (Baca & Cervantes, 1991)

“Public Law 94-142 (1975) mandates that testing and evaluation procedures be nondiscriminatory. Evaluating school aged children who are bilingual and suspected of having a communicative disorder requires that an accurate picture of their communicative abilities be obtained in both the native and second language.  This requires the use of nonbiased procedures or assessment procedures so that both languages are fully and fairly evaluated.”  (Hernandez, 1994)

Language proficiency and development are in a constant state of fluctuation.  Language dominance depends on the context in which it is assessed.  Bilingual development is sometimes one-half year behind monolingual development. Some aspects of language can be transferred from one language to another correctly.  When aspects of one language are inserted into the other language incorrectly, we call this interference.  Children learning two languages develop a unique awareness of language.  The use rules of one language to communicate in the other. (Hernandez, 1994)

Code switching, alternating between languages, is often seen as an indication of an undeveloped language system.  Switching can happen when meaning cannot be easily conveyed in one language. Sometimes it is done to emphasize a point. Sometimes a vocabulary word doesn’t actually exist in one language or is unknown. (Hernandez, 1994)

References

Baca, L. M., & Cervantes, H. T. (1991). Bilingual special education. ERIC Digest #E496.

Barrera, I. (1995). To refer or not to refer: Untangling the web of diversity, “deficit,” and disability. New York State Association for Bilingual Education Journal, 10, 54-66. Retrieved October 2004 at http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/nysabe/vol10/nysabe107.htm

Cummins, J. (1991). Empowering culturally and linguistically diverse students with learning problems.  ERIC Digest #E500.

Hernandez, R. D. (1994). Reducing the bias in the assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse populations. The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 14, 269-300.  Retrieved October 2004, from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/jeilms/vol14/hernand.htm

Ortiz, A. A. (1992). Assessing appropriate and inappropriate referral systems for LEP special education students. Proceedings of the Second National Research Symposium on Limited English Proficient Student Issues: Focus on Evaluation and Measurement. Retrieved on October 7, 2002, from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/symposia/second/vol1/assessing-discussants.htm

Ruiz, N. T. (1991). Effective instruction for language minority children with mild disabilities. ERIC Digest #E499.

Other Resources