Special Education Special Education Evaluation of Evaluation of

English Language English Language Learners (ELLs)Learners (ELLs)

Criselda Guajardo Criselda Guajardo AlvaradoAlvarado

Requisite Information and Requisite Information and Considerations Before Special Considerations Before Special

Education ReferralEducation Referral

Second Language Acquisition ProcessSecond Language Acquisition ProcessAlternative Language ProgrammingAlternative Language Programming

Bilingual EducationBilingual EducationTransitional Bilingual EducationTransitional Bilingual EducationMaintenance or Developmental Bilingual EducationMaintenance or Developmental Bilingual EducationTwo-way Bilingual or Dual Language Two-way Bilingual or Dual Language

ESL pull-out/contentESL pull-out/contentNewcomer InstitutesNewcomer Institutes

Legal RequirementsLegal Requirements

JIM CUMMINS’ ICEBERG METAPHORJIM CUMMINS’ ICEBERG METAPHOR

Conversational Language (1 to 3 years to acquire)Conversational Language (1 to 3 years to acquire)

Academic Language (5 to 7, even up to 10 years to Academic Language (5 to 7, even up to 10 years to acquire)acquire)

Common Underlying

Proficiency

L1 L2

CONVERSATIONAL LANGUAGECONVERSATIONAL LANGUAGElanguage proficiency in everyday language proficiency in everyday communication, acquired naturally communication, acquired naturally without formal schooling; peer-without formal schooling; peer-appropriate conversation.appropriate conversation.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGEACADEMIC LANGUAGElanguage proficiency in academic language proficiency in academic situation, emerges & becomes distinctive situation, emerges & becomes distinctive with formal schooling; classroom-with formal schooling; classroom-appropriate language.appropriate language.

FACTORS INFLUENCING 2ND FACTORS INFLUENCING 2ND LANGUAGE LEARNINGLANGUAGE LEARNING

General Intellectual AbilityGeneral Intellectual Ability MotivationMotivation PersonalityPersonality Auditory MemoryAuditory Memory Auditory DiscriminationAuditory Discrimination Opportunity Opportunity Quality of InstructionQuality of Instruction First Language SkillsFirst Language Skills Etc.Etc.

SECOND LANGUAGE SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THEORIESACQUISITION THEORIES

TIME ON TASK THEORYTIME ON TASK THEORYThe amount of exposure to the new language is The amount of exposure to the new language is directly related to the learning of that language.directly related to the learning of that language.

THE MORE ENGLISH, THE BETTER ENGLISHTHE MORE ENGLISH, THE BETTER ENGLISH

FACILITATION THEORYFACILITATION THEORYThe level of development of the first language The level of development of the first language is directly related to the learning of the second is directly related to the learning of the second language.language.

THE MORE SPANISH, THE BETTER ENGLISHTHE MORE SPANISH, THE BETTER ENGLISH

Bilingual ConditionsBilingual ConditionsADDITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTADDITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The second language is added, while first The second language is added, while first language is maintained or developed.language is maintained or developed.

Result:Result: Student becomes literate in native Student becomes literate in native language.language.

ImplicationImplication: native language has significant : native language has significant educational educational value.value.

SUBTRACTIVE LEARNING SUBTRACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENTThe first language is not actively maintained or The first language is not actively maintained or developed while a second language is developed while a second language is introduced.introduced.

Result:Result: Student is often not literate in native Student is often not literate in native language.language.

ImplicationImplication: native language has little or no : native language has little or no educational educational value.value.

Alternative Language Alternative Language ProgramsPrograms

Early-Exit/Transitional Bil. Ed.Early-Exit/Transitional Bil. Ed.Late-Exit/Maintenance/Late-Exit/Maintenance/

Developmental Bil. Ed. Developmental Bil. Ed. Two-Way/Dual Language Bil. Ed.Two-Way/Dual Language Bil. Ed.English as a Second Language (ESL) English as a Second Language (ESL)

pull-out or content pull-out or content Newcomers InstitutesNewcomers Institutes

A National Study of School Effectiveness for

Language Minority Students. Long-Term

Academic Achievement

Funding from the Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE)

Principal Investigators:Wayne P. Thomas, George Mason UniversityVirginia P. Collier, George Mason University

Five-year research study (1996-2001)Focusing on English language learners.

(ELLs/LEPs) long-termAcademic achievement in Grades K-12 Includes qualitative and quantitative researchOver 80 primary languages were represented in

the student samplesThe total number of student records collected

was 210,054.

CREDE ReportCREDE Report

OCR v. Denver Public OCR v. Denver Public SchoolsSchools

LEP Students With LEP Students With DisabilitiesDisabilities

Language dominance was not Language dominance was not established. established.

Instead the determination of Instead the determination of language dominance was based on language dominance was based on subjective information regarding the subjective information regarding the student’s language use and student’s language use and background. Persons who determined background. Persons who determined language dominance were not language dominance were not necessarily qualified to administer necessarily qualified to administer special education instruments.special education instruments.

Sometimes LEP students were Sometimes LEP students were evaluated in English only evaluated in English only

because school staff persons because school staff persons decided that the student was decided that the student was “fluent enough in English”.“fluent enough in English”.

Diagnostic testing Diagnostic testing instruments that are instruments that are

published in English were published in English were often translated into other often translated into other

languages for students who languages for students who speak another languagespeak another language

Staff persons disregarded Staff persons disregarded advice of evaluators that advice of evaluators that unknown effects of linguistic unknown effects of linguistic differences affect the differences affect the reliability and validity of the reliability and validity of the results and should be results and should be considered when interpreting considered when interpreting test scores.test scores.

District failed to ensure District failed to ensure that language-minority that language-minority student were not assigned student were not assigned to special education to special education programs on the basis of programs on the basis of criteria that essentially criteria that essentially measure and evaluate measure and evaluate English-language skills.English-language skills.

Schools lack special Schools lack special education staff persons education staff persons who are qualified to deliver who are qualified to deliver recognized alternative recognized alternative language services.language services.

The District does not pay special The District does not pay special education teachers to receive training in education teachers to receive training in alternative language service delivery, as alternative language service delivery, as

they do alternative language program they do alternative language program teachers in the regular education teachers in the regular education

setting.setting.

Students who met the eligibility Students who met the eligibility criteria to receive dual services criteria to receive dual services (alternative language programs (alternative language programs and special education and special education programs) were not receiving programs) were not receiving both.both.

Some LEP students receiving special Some LEP students receiving special education services do not also receive education services do not also receive

alternative language services at all alternative language services at all schools. Some LEP students who did schools. Some LEP students who did

receive alternative language services, receive alternative language services, receive less service time when qualified receive less service time when qualified

for special education.for special education.