Ed 607738

Impact
Published by the Institute on Community Integration (UCEDD) & Research and Training Center on Community Living
Feature Issue on Educating K-12 English
Language Learners with Disabilities
Volume 26 · Number 1 ·Winter/Spring 2013
From the Editors

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities
are a growing part of the K-12 school population
nationwide. According to one calculation, over
500,000 students with disabilities in U.S. schools
have limited English proficiency. These are students
whose first language is not English, and in school
they have the dual challenges of learning in a new
language while navigating the education system as
students with disabilities.
The available knowledge on how to effectively
educate K-12 English language learners with
disabilities, and measure their progress, is
small but growing. However, many educators
and families have pressing questions. How
can educators distinguish between language-
Monica Sanjur (center back) and her family have traveled a long road to finding the right education setting for Patxi related needs and disability-related needs when
(center front), a multilingual child with Down syndrome. See story below. Photo courtesy of Rachel Whitson/Rachel
Whitson Photography. evaluating and teaching these students? How do
these students fit into and benefit from current
teaching approaches? How can schools create
Following Patxi’s Lead: A Child-Centered more collaboration between language-related
Journey of Learning and Language and disability-related services in meeting the

complex needs of ELLs with disabilities? And, for
their parents, how do the special education and
by Monica Sanjur
English as a second language systems work, what
My son, Patxi, was diagnosed with Down syndrome two days after his birth. He con- are their child’s options and rights, and what is the
fused the medical staff by passing his Apgar tests and breastfeeding right after birth. family’s role in Individualized Education Programs
It wouldn’t be the first time he was underestimated. Our family’s journey to find the and other aspects of their child’s education? In this
right educational setting that would nurture Patxi’s abilities has been a long road. In
Impact we offer some responses to these questions
addition, the external limitations that he has faced as a child with a disability growing
up in a multilingual environment has had its challenges. Fortuitously, our path led to and others from people around the country who
a public charter school in Washington D.C. that meets his needs and more. are helping our education system respond to the
My husband and I are immigrants. We negotiated two languages and served as needs of this growing student population.
interpreters while our parents learned English. My children are growing up in a multi-
ethnic home. They hear Spanish, Tagalog, and English on a daily basis, however, Span-
ish was their first language. And, in the case of my son, he learned it simultaneously What’s Inside
with basic American Sign Language to convey his needs. Overview Articles
Patxi received early intervention speech therapy and immediately we faced resis- How-To Articles
tance to the use of two languages. Based on his perceived cognitive limitations, profes- Resources
sionals felt it was “too much” or “too confusing,” and that we should create an “envi-
ronment for success.” This reasoning did not concur with information I had based on
current research that emphasized an inclusive attitude in the home as key to creating
an environment for success. The child with Down syndrome should not be excluded
from activities and habits typical to the family. Our expectations were very clear. We
[Sanjur, continued on page 32]
2 Overview
Who Are English Language Learners with

Disabilities?
by Elizabeth Watkins and Kristin Kline Liu
English language learners (ELLs) with across states. Federal legislation requires home language questionnaire if a child
disabilities represent an increasingly that ELLs with suspected disabilities be moves to a new district or language use
larger segment of the K-12 student assessed in both their native language patterns in the home change. Individual
population in the U.S. Because of and English to ensure that any difficul- states and school districts may ask dif-
the interaction of their disability and ties with learning are evident in both ferent questions on the questionnaire,
second-language learning processes languages and are not solely the result use a different screening assessment,
these students may have unique learning of natural second-language learning and set different score ranges to be
needs that affect teaching and also affect processes. Educators and schools report identified as an ELL. There may also be
the way students show what they have that providing appropriate assessments inconsistencies in administering the
learned. This article will explore what is in two languages and differentiating home language questionnaire to parents
language learning from language-related whose children have known disabilities.
disabilities is extremely challenging. For Variations in the special education
this reason, there is a national concern or ELL identification process may result
If you serve English language with the accuracy of special education in different groups of students being
identification rates for ELLs. This con- included in the group of ELLs with dis-
learners or students with disabilities, cerned is heightened for ELLs in some abilities in different places. An educator
racial or ethnic groups. in California and a disability advocacy
you most likely serve English Students who are ELLs are not pro- organization in West Virginia may not
ficient in English and are eligible for be talking about exactly the same type
language learners with disabilities. English language support services.1 of student when they refer to an ELL
Schools commonly provide ESL and/or with a disability.
bilingual education to identified ELLs.
ESL prioritizes language instruction
known about the prevalence of disabili-
Numbers Nationwide
while bilingual programs include con-
ties among ELLs and the characteristics tent instruction in the native language Determining the exact number of ELLs
of ELLs with disabilities. It will conclude as well as instruction in English. The with disabilities nationwide is a chal-
with recommendations for schools and goal of both types of programs is to lenge because there is a limited amount
organizations serving these students. increase students’ English proficiency of publicly-available information on
so that they can succeed in English-only students who are both ELLs and have
content classrooms. Typically, children an identified disability. Estimates may
Definition of an ELL with a Disability
are identified as ELLs through a multi- differ depending on the purpose for
Generally speaking, an ELL with a dis- step process that includes a home lan- which the information was collected,
ability is a student who is eligible for guage questionnaire parents complete and the way in which the information
both special education and English as a when children are enrolled in school. was collected. For example, the Office of
second language (ESL) or bilingual edu- If parents report that another language Special Education Programs reports on
cation services. There are different iden- is used in the home, students are then the number of students in special educa-
tification issues associated with each ser- given an English language proficiency tion for ages birth through 21 who were
vice, creating variability in the definition screening test to determine whether or also limited English proficient (LEP).2
of an ELL with a disability across the not they are eligible for ESL or bilingual This information is included in federally
country. Educators in different locales education. Parent consent for language mandated child count data provided
must be aware that they may not always screening is not required, but parents annually by schools. However, it is re-
be considering the same students when have the right to refuse ELL services. ported by school special education staff
they refer to ELLs with disabilities. While the ELL identification process and not by ESL or bilingual education
Students who are identified for spe- may appear straightforward, the accu- departments, and thus may not reflect
cial education may receive services for racy of the information gathered may be the total number of enrolled ELLs. In
any one of the 14 federally recognized compromised at several points (Bailey addition, Individuals with Disabilities
disability categories. Some variation in & Kelly, 2010). For example, parents Education Act (IDEA) data identify the
the primary disability categories occurs may provide different answers to the number of students of various racial/
Retrieved from the Web site of the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota (http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/261). Citation: Liu, K., Watkins, E., Pompa, D., McLeod, P., Elliott, J.
& Gaylord, V. (Eds). (Winter/Spring 2013). Impact: Feature Issue on Educating K-12 English Language Learners with Disabilities, 26(1). [Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community
Integration and Research and Training Center on Community Living].
Overview 3
ethnic groups in each disability category, have spent in the country, their previous speech or language impairments. It is
but do not break out the data for ELLs. educational experiences, their actual likely, then, that the largest groups of
It is possible to find national data on the levels of English proficiency, the other ELLs with disabilities could have these
number of Hispanic students with Au- languages that they speak, and the type same primary disabilities. Evidence pro-
tism Spectrum Disorders, for example, of primary disability that they have. vided in 2001-2002 by ESL departments
but not on the number of Hispanic ELLs Nationwide, the majority of ELLs in K-12 schools (Zehler et al., 2003) and
in this disability category. speak, or have exposure in the home, by a 2006 Office for Civil Rights data
We get the most comprehensive to some form of Spanish. However, collection (Office for Civil Rights, 2013)
picture of the population by piecing there may be as many as 400 different verified that these disability categories
together information from multiple language groups represented in the ELL were, in fact, common among ELLs.
sources and making some general in- population across the country (Boyle,
ferences about ELLs with disabilities Taylor, Hurlburt, & Soga, 2010). Com-
Services Received
based on what we know about ELLs and mon language groups for ELLs with dis-
about students with disabilities overall. abilities most likely reflect the common In 2006, the Office for Civil Rights
However, this type of approach must be languages spoken by ELLs overall. For reported that, nationwide, only about
interpreted with some caution. Some the 2009-2010 school year, the largest 88% of students with disabilities who
estimates of the population size are pro- language groups reported by states were in need of ESL or bilingual instruc-
vided below based on a combination of included speakers of Arabic (29 states), tion actually received it (Office for Civil
information from multiple U.S. Depart- Chinese (32 states), Hmong (7 states), Rights, 2013). State level data can show
ment of Education sources for the 2009- Russian (7 states), Somali (10 states), variations among ELLs with disabilities
2010 school year: and Vietnamese (31 states).4 Different who received language support services
• About 9.3% of K-12 students in areas of the country had concentrations across racial and ethnic groups. For ex-
U.S. schools were identified as ELLs of different language groups repre- ample, in one Midwestern state 60% of
(roughly 4,647,016 out of 49,788,000).3 sented in that year. For example, Somali students with disabilities in the Hispanic
was among the largest language groups ethnic group reported that their home
• According to IDEA child count data
in the ELL populations of 10 states. language was Spanish. However, only
for the 2009-10 school year, 518,088
Schools and advocacy organizations 58% of these Spanish-speaking students
students with disabilities were clas-
in these states could expect to serve were classified as ELLs and the remain-
sified as limited English proficient
Somali ELLs with disabilities and could ing 42% were classified as English profi-
(LEP). This represents approximately
anticipate the need for Somali-speaking cient. Of the students who were classi-
8.5% of all students with disabilities
staff, as well as the need for materials in fied as being eligible for ELL services, 7%
(Data Accountability Center, 2013a).
Somali. However, Somali was not one of did not receive them. This information
• Of the 518,088 LEP students reported the largest language groups in the other raises questions regarding the accuracy
as receiving special education ser- states, perhaps due to different patterns of the disability identification, the accu-
vices, 200,347 were in California, rep- of Somali refugee resettlement and mi- racy of procedures to determine English
resenting 39% of the national total. gration. Global events are also a factor proficiency, and whether students were
Only 2% of all ELLs in the state are in predicting what groups will require being denied services for which they
identified as having disabilities, how- services as a result of trends in immigra- were eligible.
ever, compared with 4.8% of English tion and refugee resettlement.
proficient students. Among all states, National data on students in special
California identified the highest Program and Service Considerations
education do provide data on primary
percentage of ELLs with disabilities. disabilities for all students (Data The information presented in this ar-
More than half of all states report Accountability Center, 2013b). From ticle shows the diversity of ELLs with
that they provide special education the data on all students with disabilities disabilities and some of the variation
services to less than 0.5% of the ELL we can make some inferences about in this student population across states
population. ELLs with disabilities. In 2009-2010 and across types of organizations serv-
approximately two-thirds of all students ing the students and their families. It is
with disabilities ages 3-21 were identi- important for educators and others who
Service-Related Characteristics fied with Specific Learning Disabilities work with ELLs with disabilities to en-
ELLs with disabilities have a number of (SLD), Speech/Language Impairments sure they understand the characteristics
characteristics that vary across students. (SLI), Mental Retardation (MR), and of students in general and specifically of
By definition they are all limited in their Emotional Disturbance (ED). The larg- the population in the area they serve.
English proficiency, but students may est group of students had specific learn- Several recommendations are provided
vary greatly in the amount of time they ing disabilities, followed by those with here to consider in developing programs
[Watkins and Liu, continued on page 33]
4 Overview
The Present and Future of Bilingual/ESL

Special Education
by Roberto Figueroa, Janette Klingner, and Leonard Baca
Over the past 45 years, educators have unless the special education interven- categories (i.e., learning disabilities,
come to recognize the unique needs tion actually eliminates the students’ intellectual disabilities, and emotional
of culturally and linguistically diverse academic problems, they will still experi- disturbance). Though overrepresentation
students with exceptionalities (CLDE). ence difficulties during that part of the had been a concern for more than three
This awareness helped establish the field day when special help is not available. decades (Dunn, 1968), the phenomenon
of bilingual/ESL special education. This Therefore, consultation seeks to modify came under increased scrutiny with the
interface between bilingual, English as a the students’ classroom experiences on a publication of a National Research Council
second language (ESL), and special edu- full-time basis by collaboration between report in 2002 (Donovan & Cross, 2002).
cation has attempted to address the edu- specialists and classroom teachers. Ide- The report showed dramatic overrepre-
cational needs of these CLDE students. ally, this helps not only the students sentation among African American stu-
This article focuses on students learning with special needs in particular, but also dents in the intellectual disabilities and
a second language with a disability, the provides indirect assistance for other emotional disturbance categories, and
present state of practice, and recommen- students who are not officially eligible wide variability across and within states
dations for future practice. for special services, and provides direct in placement rates among Latino stu-
support for the teacher. Language/ESL dents in the learning disabilities category.
specialists are part of this collaborative Since the publication of that report,
What is Bilingual/ESL Special Education? model as they support classroom teach- additional research has pointed to im-
Bilingual/ESL special education may be ers and special educators. portant differences in special education
defined as “...the use of the home lan- placement rates among different subpop-
guage and the home culture along with Current Issues in Practice ulations of ELLs. In their investigation of
ESL in an individually designed program special education placement rates among
of special instruction for the student” The educational landscape has changed ELLs in several school districts, Artiles,
(Baca, n.d.). Its theoretical framework is a great deal since the passage of the Rueda, Salazar, and Higareda (2005)
based on three fundamental perspectives: Individuals with Disabilities Education found that older ELLs were overrepre-
• Sociocultural theory: The manner in Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004). More sented in special education, but younger
which learning is connected to stu- and more states are following a Response students were not. ELLs in English-only
dents’ cultures and communities. to Intervention (RTI) process to decide programs were more likely to be over-
which students qualify for special educa- represented than students in programs
• Cultural capital and funds of knowledge tion. No longer is eligibility determined with some native language instruction.
of the community: The resources that by establishing a discrepancy between Sullivan (2011) recently examined place-
come from the students’ cultures and students’ potential, as measured by ment patterns in Arizona and found that
communities. an intelligence test, and their achieve- ELLs were more likely to be identified as
• Principles of effective learning: The ment. Thus, RTI addresses some of the having learning or intellectual disabilities
principles that include teachers and long-standing concerns about biased than in previous years (prior to English-
students producing work together, assessment procedures with ELLs (Eng- only legislation) and less likely to be
developing language and literacy lish language learners). Yet RTI tends served in the least restrictive educational
across the curriculum, connecting to be implemented in one-size-fits-all environments relative to White peers.
school to students’ lives, teaching ways that do not adequately take into The majority of students in special
complex thinking, and teaching account the diverse needs of these stu- education have reading disabilities.
through instructional conversations. dents (Klingner & Edwards, 2006). And Although they are still in the process of
The collaborative consultative model although intelligence tests are not acquiring English as a second or addi-
has become a central tenet of bilingual/ administered with the same frequency tional language, they are more frequently
ESL special education. Rather than as in the past, some problematic assess- taught in English than other CLDE stu-
special educators being responsible for ment procedures continue. dents, typically without support for their
direct provision of services to students One reason for moving to RTI was to English language development (Zehler
with special needs, these specialists work address overrepresentation of culturally et al., 2003). There are multiple reasons
as consultants to general educators. This and linguistically diverse students in for this. One is that too few special
idea stems from the realization that high-incidence special education education teachers have been trained in
Overview 5
English language acquisition and lack the assessments, a monolingual student is not being misdiagnosed with disabilities
skills needed to help their ELL students. considered to be at the correct devel- and placed into special education. Once a
Another is the misguided belief by some opmental level if, for example, she can student is found to have a disability, a dif-
that once CLDE students receive assis- name five colors in English. However, ferent approach from “business as usual”
tance in special education, all of their the bilingual student who knows three is needed. Teachers must be trained in
needs can be met by special educators. colors in English and three colors in language issues so that they can support
Rarely are the special education services Spanish would be considered as lacking CLDE students in the acquisition of Eng-
they receive optimal. or behind when looking at her knowl- lish though a variety of culturally and lin-
edge in only one language, when in fact guistically responsive teaching methods.
she has a more extensive vocabulary And, more research is needed on high lev-
The Future of Bilingual/ESL Special (six colors altogether). By improving el teaching practices that are effective for
Education assessment practices, hopefully fewer CLDE students. As educational practices
Looking forward, special education for bilingual students will be placed in spe- shift, special education for bilingual stu-
CLDE learners requires reforms to better cial education for needs they do not have. dents can become more supportive of the
meet their needs. The focus of reforms Also important is the manner in challenges they face and more cognizant
should be on assessment as well as on which CLDE learners’ needs are sup- of the many strengths and rich potential
instruction and support services, with ported in the classroom. When ELLs are they bring to the classroom.
the goal of creating a more equitable identified as having disabilities, their
References
system for all students in education by need for instruction in English language Artiles, A. J., Rueda, R., Salazar, J. J., & Higareda, I. (2005). Within-group
making sure students’ needs are accu- development does not end. In other diversity in minority disproportionate representation: English language
learners in urban school districts. Exceptional Children, 71 (3), 283-300.
rately identified and that those needs are words, ELLs with disabilities need the Baca, L. (n.d.) Approaches and strategies for serving English language
addressed through high quality instruc- services entitled to students with dis- learners with disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/Media/
Conferences_and_Events/pdf/ELLsympsium/Baca_Leonard.pdf
tion. The first facet of reforming the way abilities as well as the services designed Donovan, M. S., & Cross, C. T. (Eds.) (2002). Minority students in special and
educational systems address CLDE stu- to support ELLs. They benefit from: (a) gifted education. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
dents in special education is the accurate culturally and linguistically responsive Dunn, L. M. (1968). Special education for the mildly mentally retarded: Is
much of it justifiable? Exceptional Children, 23, 5-21.
assessment of disabilities that takes into teachers, (b) culturally and linguistically Figueroa, R., & Newsome, P. (2006). The diagnoses of LD in English
account the process by which a second responsive and relevant instruction, (c) Language Learners: Is it nondiscriminatory? Journal of Learning
Disabilities, 39, 206-214.
language is acquired. A reason for the a supportive learning environment, (d) Grosjean, F. (1985). Multilingualism and language norming. Journal of
overrepresentation of bilingual students assistance with English language acquisi- Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 477, 467-477.
Hakuta, K., Butler, Y.G. & Witt, D. (2000). How long does it take English
in special education is that the traditional tion (such as oral language, vocabulary, learners to attain proficiency. Santa Barbara: University of California,
assessment process cannot adequately and academic language development), Linguistic Minority Research Institute.
Klingner, J. K., & Artiles, A. (2003). When should bilingual students be in
distinguish between language acquisi- (e) support in the general education special education? Educational Leadership, 61(2), 66-71.
tion and learning disabilities. Evaluations classroom to help them access the Klingner, J. K., & Edwards, P. (2006). Cultural considerations with response
to intervention models. Reading Research Quarterly, 41, 108-117.
for learning disabilities give insufficient general education curriculum, and (f ) Klingner, J. K., & Harry, B. (2006). The special education referral and
consideration to the effects of language intensive research-based interventions decision-making process for English Language Learners: Child study
team meetings and placement conferences. Teachers College Record, 108,
acquisition on learning or on the assess- designed to help them improve their 2247-2281.
ment process (e.g., Figueroa & Newsome, academic skills in targeted areas. Sullivan, A.L . (2011). Disproportionality in special education identifica-
tion and placement of English language learners, Exceptional Children
2006; Klingner & Harry, 2006). English language learners without dis- 77(3), 317-334.
Secondly, creating valid assessments abilities, on average, require three to five Zehler, A., Fleischman, H., Hopstock, P., Stephenson, T., Pendzick, M., &
Sapru, S. (2003). Policy report: Summary of findings related to LEP and
of bilingual academic proficiency is inte- years in order to become orally fluent SPED-LEP students. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office
gral to halting the overrepresentation of in English as a second or additional lan- of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic
Achievement of Limited English Proficient Students (OELA).
bilingual students in special education guage, and four to seven years to become
(Klingner & Artiles, 2003). A common academically proficient in the language
Roberto Figueroa is a Doctoral Student in
misconception is that a bilingual stu- (Hakuta, Butler, & Witt, 2000). This
Bilingual Special Education, University of
dent is a combination of two languages highlights the need for instruction in a
Colorado Boulder. He may be reached at
operating independently in the student, student’s primary language to support
roberto.i.figueroa@colorado.edu or 916/290-
rather than recognizing the dynamic in- their learning while they are acquiring
3044. Janette Klingner is Professor of Bilingual
terplay of different languages (Grosjean, English, especially for students with dis-
Special Education, University of Colorado
1985). Instead of evaluating the entirely abilities who may require more time to
Boulder. She may be reached at janette.klingner
unique system of bilingual language become proficient in a second language.
@colorado.edu or 303/492-0773. Leonard
acquisition, bilingual students are mea- These examples present a clear direc-
Baca is Professor of Bilingual Special Educa-
sured in terms of their proficiency in one tion for bilingual/ESL special education.
tion, University of Colorado Boulder. He may
language only in comparison with mono- Revised assessment practices are needed
be reached at leonard.baca@colorado.edu or
lingual peers. According to traditional to make sure that bilingual students are
303/492-3353.
6 Overview
The Legal Obligations of Education Systems to

Serve English Learners with Disabilities
by Joanne Karger
The number of English learners (ELs) that receive federal funding.1 The Office • After a sufficient time, does the
enrolled in the public schools has been of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department program show that the language
increasing rapidly over the past decades. of Education is the federal agency that barriers facing ELs are actually being
Along with this increase, more ELs are enforces Title VI.2 In investigating com- overcome? 7
being identified for special education. plaints under Title VI, the office has
The Office of Civil Rights has applied
The relationship between language de- noted that Title VI does not require a
these same three factors to the investiga-
velopment and disability is complex. In particular program of instruction such
tion of complaints under Title VI.8
some instances, ELs may be improperly as English as a Second Language. How-
labeled as having a disability. In other ever, once a district offers a bilingual
instances, these students may not re- program, at a minimum, the teachers Responsibilities Under the Elementary
ceive the special education and related should be able to speak, read, and write and Secondary Education Act
services that they need. both languages and should have re-
Originally passed in 1965 as part of
There are two types of laws that ceived adequate instruction in bilingual
President Johnson’s War on Poverty, the
address the education of ELs with dis- education.3
Elementary and Secondary Education
abilities – those that pertain to language The Equal Educational Opportunities
Act (ESEA) is the major federal education
learning, and those that pertain to the Act (EEOA) is another civil rights law
statute that focuses on the education of
provision of special education services. that requires states and school districts
all students in grades K-12. It emphasizes
The first part of this article discusses to take appropriate action to overcome
high standards and accountability.
language barriers that impede the equal
Under Title I of the ESEA, as
participation of ELs in instructional pro-
amended by the No Child Left Behind
grams.4 This law was originally passed
It is important for educators to be in 1974, the same year as the Supreme
Act of 2001, states are required to adopt
challenging academic content and
Court’s decision in the Lau v. Nichols case.
aware of their legal obligations and In this case, the Supreme Court conclud-
achievement standards for all children
in the state.9 Title I also requires states
ed that the San Francisco school system
to work collaboratively with families had failed to provide non-English speak-
to conduct yearly academic assessments
that are aligned with these standards10
ing Chinese students with equal educa-
in implementing these obligations. tional opportunities under Title VI.5
and report on the progress of students
in certain subgroups, including race/
The Civil Rights Division of the
ethnicity and limited English profi-
U.S. Department of Justice enforces
ciency.11 English learners (referred to in
the EEOA and investigates complaints
the ESEA as “limited English proficient
obligations with respect to all ELs, in- that states or districts are not provid-
children”) must be assessed in a valid
cluding ELs with disabilities, under Title ing appropriate services to ELs.6 The
and reliable manner with reasonable ac-
VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Department of Justice has pointed out
commodations, including (to the extent
Equal Educational Opportunities Act, that the EEOA does not require educa-
practicable) assessments in the language
and the Elementary and Secondary Edu- tional agencies to use a particular type
and form most likely to yield accurate
cation Act. That is followed by a discus- of language program such as English
data on what these students know and
sion of specific obligations pertaining to as a Second Language. Rather, courts
can do until they have achieved English
ELs with disabilities under the Individu- typically use three factors to determine
language proficiency.12 ESEA regulations
als with Disabilities Education Act. whether the educational agency acted
also permit states to exclude from the
appropriately:
reading/language arts assessment an EL
Requirements of Title VI and the Equal • Is the program based on sound who has attended school in the United
Educational Opportunities Act educational theory? States for less than 12 months.13
• Is the program reasonably calculated
Title III of the ESEA focuses on
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
to carry out this educational theory ensuring that ELs, including immigrant
(Title VI) is a civil rights law that prohib-
effectively? children and youth, attain English pro-
its discrimination on the basis of race,
ficiency and meet the same challenging
color, or national origin in programs
Overview 7
academic content and achievement Rights Under the Individuals with is not feasible to do so.27 Similarly, when
standards that other students are Disabilities Education Act the district provides parents with a no-
expected to meet.14 Title III provides The Individuals with Disabilities Educa- tice of procedural safeguards, this notice
grants to states, which award subgrants tion Act (IDEA) is the federal special must be written in the parents’ native
to districts and other eligible entities to education statute. IDEA is both a fund- language, unless it clearly is not feasible
improve the education of ELs.15 The law ing statute and a civil rights statute to do so. 28
does not specify what type of instruc- that was enacted under the Fourteenth
tional program a district must use, as Amendment. IDEA includes several pro- Conclusion
long as the program is “based on scien- visions that pertain to the evaluation and
tifically based research.” 16 identification of ELs with disabilities. All of the above requirements are in-
Under Title III, states must establish These provisions are intended to ensure tended to help improve the provision
English language proficiency standards that ELs are not identified inappropri- of services to ELs with disabilities. In
that are based on the four language do- ately for special education. In conducting order to address the needs of this popu-
mains (speaking, listening, reading, and special education evaluations, school dis- lation more effectively, it is important
writing) and that are aligned with the tricts must ensure that assessments and for educators to be aware of their legal
state’s content and achievement stan- other evaluation materials are selected obligations and to work collaboratively
dards for all students.17 States must also and administered in a manner that is with families in implementing these
assess the English proficiency of stu- not discriminatory on a racial or cultural obligations.
dents served under Title III on an annual basis.21 In addition, these assessments
basis.18 Moreover, states are required to Notes
must be administered in the language
1. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.
establish annual measurable achieve- and form that is most likely to provide 2. See http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/eeolep/index.html
ment objectives that include: accurate information about what the 3. See http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/lau1991.html
• Annual increases in the number or child knows and can do, unless it is not 4. 20 U.S.C. § 1703(f).
percentage of children making prog- feasible to do so.22 Moreover, trained and 5. 414 U.S. 563 (1974).
6. See http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/edu/types.php
ress in learning English. knowledgeable personnel must admin-
7. Castaneda v. Pickard, 648 F.2d 989 (5th Cir. 1981).
• Annual increases in the number or ister the assessments.23 The Act further 8. See http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/lau1991.html
percentage of children attaining specifies that a child must not be found 9. 20 U.S.C. §§ 6311(b)(1)(A)–(B).
English proficiency by the end of eligible for special education services 10. 20 U.S.C. § 6311(b)(3)(A).
each school year. under IDEA if the determining factor is 11. 20 U.S.C. §§ 6311(b)(2)(C)(v), (G).
12. 20 U.S.C. §§ 6311(b)(3)(C)(ix), (III).
limited English proficiency.24
• Progress for ELs in reading/language Several IDEA provisions relevant to
13. 34 C.F.R. § 200.6(b)(4)(iv).
14. 20 U.S.C. § 6812(1).
arts and mathematics.19 ELs with disabilities pertain to the de- 15. 20 U.S.C. §§ 6821, 6825.
Beginning in 2011, the U.S. Depart- velopment of Individualized Education 16. 20 U.S.C. § 6812(9).
ment of Education has offered states Programs (IEPs). IDEA requires that, in 17. 20 U.S.C. § 6823(b)(2).
the opportunity to request flexibility 18. 20 U.S.C. § 6823(b)(3)(D).
the development of an IEP for a student
19. 20 U.S.C. § 6842(a)(3)(A).
to waive certain requirements of the with limited English proficiency, the IEP 20. U.S. Department of Education (2011), ESEA Flexibility: Frequently
ESEA. To receive flexibility, each state team consider the language needs of the Asked Questions. Available at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/
guid/esea-flexibility/index.html.
must submit a waiver request that ad- child.25 In addition, districts must take 21. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(b)(3)(A)(i).
dresses several principles for improving whatever action is necessary to ensure 22. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(b)(3)(A)(ii).
academic achievement and increasing that the child’s parents understand what 23. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(b)(3)(A)(iv).
the quality of instruction. In providing is happening at the IEP meeting, includ- 24. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(b)(5)(C).
guidance on what states must include in 25. 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)(3)(B)(ii).
ing arranging for an interpreter if the
26. 34 C.F.R. § 300.345(e).
their waiver requests, the department parents’ native language is not English.26 27. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(b)(3),(4).
has noted that “English Learners are cov- Additional requirements pertain to 28. 20 U.S.C. § 1415(d)(2).
ered by all the principles of this flexibil- communication with parents of ELs
ity.” The guidance also included ways in with disabilities. Districts must provide Joanne Karger is a Policy Analyst and
which states could address ELs in their parents prior written notice when the Research Scientist with CAST, an educational
waiver requests, including potential district proposes to initiate or change research and development organization focus-
changes concerning the third objective (or refuses to initiate or change) the ing on Universal Design for Learning, and
identified above on progress in reading/ identification, evaluation, educational based in Wakefield, Massachusetts. She is
language arts and mathematics.20 placement, or provision of a free appro- also an attorney who has worked extensively
priate public education. IDEA specifies in the area of education law. She may be
that this notice must be provided in the reached at jkarger@cast.org or at 781/
parents’ native language, unless it clearly 245-2212.
8 Overview
The Common Core State Standards and

English Language Learners with Disabilities
by Delia Pompa and Martha Thurlow
Led by the National Governors Asso- are viewed as more coherent, meaning the new generation of technology-based
ciation and the Council of Chief State that they are logically organized across assessments may remove that limitation.
School Officers, and working with grades to reflect increasing levels of
content-area experts, new standards for knowledge and skills without a lot of
CCSS Challenges for ELLs with Disabilities
English language arts and mathematics repetition and review. The CCSS are
were developed in 2010. The new stan- viewed as being internationally bench- Educators across the country are chal-
dards are known as the Common Core marked so that students who meet these lenged by the new standards for English
State Standards, or CCSS for short. standards are more likely to be college language arts and mathematics, even
and career ready and competitive in a when they are just thinking about typi-
global economy when they complete the cal students – those without disabilities
K-12 education system. or those whose English skills are well
New standards for English The CCSS are also viewed as being established. Implementation requires a
dependent on understanding the English shift in their thinking about the content
language arts and mathematics language as well as the content of English itself and about when certain topics
language arts and mathematics. This need to be taught.
developed in 2010 have been means that there are inherent challenges For ELLs, challenges surround the
for students who are learning English. It reliance on English skills. Major ini-
adopted by 46 states.What do also means that there are challenges for tiatives, such as the Understanding
students who have disabilities that may Language initiative out of Stanford
they mean for English language interfere with their access to the content University (see http://ell.stanford.edu),
or with demonstrating their knowledge confirm that ELLs need more than a
learners with disabilities? and skills in the content. focus on language acquisition indepen-
dent of content learning. They need im-
proved instruction in the content areas
CCSS Promise for ELLs with Disabilities
These standards have now been adopted of English language arts and mathemat-
by 46 states, replacing the reading and The promise of the CCSS for English ics, as well as science, but they also need
math standards that states had identified language learners, students with dis- continued work on English skills that are
for themselves. abilities, and students who are both is aligned to the CCSS so that they have ac-
What do these new standards mean that they are fewer and deeper. Teach- cess to the CCSS instruction.
for English language learners (ELLs) with ers will no longer have to attempt to For students with disabilities, chal-
disabilities? How are they related to the cover a large number of standards, but lenges surround their ability to access
English proficiency of ELLs with disabili- can spend more time on each concept. the curriculum with the supports and
ties? Do they really change anything? To Teachers also can embed formative as- accommodations needed to reduce any
answer these questions, it is necessary to sessments in their instruction to check barriers to learning due to their disabili-
say just a bit more about the CCSS and on student progress. Creating formative ties. Barriers to learning might include
their implementation. Then we address assessment lessons can deepen students’ learning disability issues, language dis-
some of the promises and the challenges understanding of mathematics and Eng- ability issues, emotional or behavioral
that may come with the CCSS as we edu- lish language arts. issues, or a variety of sensory and intel-
cate ELLs with disabilities. Finally, we Consortia of states are in the process lectual disability issues.
identify some next steps for educators of developing new technology-based For ELLs with disabilities, the chal-
and parents of ELLs with disabilities. assessments for the CCSS. These as- lenges are two-fold: They involve both
sessments hold the promise of being language acquisition and disability is-
a new generation of assessments that sues. These dual challenges require that
CCSS for English Language Arts and Math
truly measure the academic achieve- educators and parents be aware of the
The CCSS have been described as being ment of ELLs with disabilities. Current needs of ELLs with disabilities as the
“fewer, clearer, and higher.” Most states assessments are limited in the number CCSS are implemented.
agree that the standards are more rigorous of items that measure achievement on
than their current state standards. They either end of the achievement spectrum;
Overview 9
Steps for Educators and Parents as CCSS instruction, and formative assessment • Monitor and provide feedback so
are Implemented aligned to those standards. that there is a continuous emphasis
It is imperative that educators working • Use data to determine the needs of in- on improvement and change in the
with ELLs with disabilities, and the par- dividual students, as well as program- instruction of ELLs with disabilities.
ents of ELLs with disabilities, be aware matic needs of ELLs with disabilities.
of the CCSS. They also need to be attuned • Focus instructional goals so that edu- Conclusion
to both the challenges and opportuni- cators and parents have a common
ties that the CCSS create for ELLs with States and educational organizations are
purpose – improving the access and
disabilities. Recommendations for next recognizing the importance of the CCSS
success of ELLs with disabilities in
steps for educators and parents of these for all students. Ensuring that ELLs with
achieving the CCSS.
students include: disabilities realize the promise of the
• Ensure that evidence-based practices CCSS will require that educators and
• Make yourself familiar with the are used to reach the targets identified
CCSS, and how they are linked to parents work together toward this end.
by the CCSS, while at the same time
college and career readiness. Two recognizing the language and disabil-
useful resources are the CCSS Web Delia Pompa is Senior Vice President of
ity needs of ELLs with disabilities. Programs with the National Council of
site (www.corestandards.org) and
a parent/teacher resource from the • Implement the appropriate strate- La Raza, Washington, D.C. She may be
Council of Great City Schools (www. gies deeply. This requires a focus on reached at dpompa@nclr.org or 202/785-
cgcs.org/Domain/36). core, effective strategies that blend 1670. Martha Thurlow is Director of the
language and content instruction, and National Center on Educational Outcomes,
• Ensure that educators working with leaving behind extraneous activities Institute on Community Integration,
ELLs with disabilities are trained in that may be fun but that do not ad- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She
the CCSS, and have an understand- dress the instructional needs of ELLs may be reached at thurl001@umn.edu or
ing of how to develop curriculum, with disabilities. 612/624-4826.
Resources on English Language Learners with Disabilities

for Professionals and Families
The following resources from around the country information useful to professionals and par- professionals in both Spanish and English.
may be of interest to readers of this Impact issue: ents within Minnesota and elsewhere. Among It includes information on different types of
• NCEO English Language Learner Resources the online resources are information on staff learning disabilities, perspectives of parents
(http://www.nceo.info). The new report, development for interpreters working with raising children with learning disabilities,
“Assessment Principles and Guidelines for English language learners with disabilities, explanations of different types of education
ELLs with Disabilities,” (www.cehd.umn.edu/ glossaries of special education terminology in practices and services, and tips on planning
nceo/onlinepubs/partners.html) is among the Hmong and Somali, plus a brochure on how to for life after high school.
extensive resources about English language hold IEP meetings with an interpreter. • Special Education: What Do Parents
learners (ELLs) with disabilities available • English Learners with Special Needs Need to Know? (http://www.pacer.org/
on the Web site of the National Center on (www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/uploads/17/ publications/specedrights.asp). This free,
Educational Outcomes (NCEO) at the Institute Accellerate_3_3.pdf). This issue of online presentation for parents is available in
on Community Integration, University of AccELLerate!, the Spring 2011 quarterly re- Hmong, Somali, Spanish and English. It was
Minnesota. Among the topics addressed in view produced by the National Clearinghouse created to help parents of children with dis-
the online resources are accommodations, for English Language Acquisition, addresses abilities understand what special education is,
accountability, graduation requirements, theory, research, and practice related to how a child might get into special education,
standards, and Universal Design. English learners with special needs. how to resolve disagreements, and what role
• English Learner Disability Resources • National Center for Learning Disabilities parents play. Developed by PACER Center, a
(http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/ Spanish Web site (http://www.ncld.org/ resource center for families of children with
SchSup/SpecEdComp/EngLearnDisabiRes/ recursos-en-espanol). The center offers disabilities, whose Web site also offers many
index.html). This Web site from the much of its Web site and extensive informa- other materials for families in Hmong, Somali,
Minnesota Department of Education offers tion on learning disabilities for parents and Spanish and English. Their phone number is
888/248-0822 (U.S.) and 800/537-2237 (MN).
10 Overview
Accommodations Considerations for

by Martha Inez Castellón and Sandra Hopfengardner Warren
classrooms across all subject areas” Standards (i.e., the English Language
The American education system has
(Quinn, Cheuk, & Castellón, 2012, p. ii). Learners and Assessing Special Educa-
always faced the challenge of educating
In English language arts, for example, tion Students collaboratives) undertook
students who are not yet proficient in
students will have to comprehend and the task of creating the new resource,
English. Likewise, it has always faced
evaluate complex texts across a range of Accommodations Manual: How to Select,
the challenge of educating students who
types and disciplines, construct effective Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accom-
experience a disability. Recent reforms
arguments, and convey intricate and modations for Instruction and Assessment
around accountability have drawn atten-
multifaceted information (National Gov- of English Language Learners with Dis-
tion to the instructional and assessment
ernors Association Center for Best Prac- abilities (CCSSO, in press). Its purpose is
needs of students who fall into both
tices & Council of Chief State School to establish general guidelines for states
Officers, 2010a). In math, mathemati- and districts to use. When published in
cally proficient students will be able to its final form, states and districts will be
The CCSSO Accommodations understand and use stated assumptions, able to adapt the manual (adding their
definitions, and previously established respective policies and procedures) to be
Manual establishes general results in constructing arguments; they followed by educators at the school and
will be able to make conjectures and district levels charged with making ac-
guidelines for states and districts build a logical progression of statements commodations decisions.
to explore the truth of their conjectures;
to use in selection, administration, and they will be able to justify their con-
and evaluation of accommodations
clusions, communicate them to others, Use of accommodations is one
and respond to the arguments of others
for instruction and assessment of
(National Governors Association Center critical way of offering these
for Best Practices & Council of Chief
ELLs with disabilities.
State School Officers, 2010b). students increased access to
Further complicating matters, ELLs
with disabilities must take two differ- sophisticated content and “a high
ent types of assessment for account-
categories. In this article, we address ability purposes: content assessments level of discourse in classrooms
several key considerations that educa- in which knowledge of the practices of
tors at all levels – state, district, and the discipline is measured, and language across all subject areas.”
school – must keep in mind when mak- proficiency assessments in which profi-
ing instructional and assessment-related ciency in discipline-specific language is
decisions for English language learners measured. English language proficiency
assessments are now required to corre- The manual presents the following five-
(ELLs) with disabilities.
spond with the types of texts, problems, step process for schools and districts
and tasks that students must perform (CCSSO, in press):
The Current Assessment Context on content assessments. Hence, charac- 1. Expect English language learners
The new Common Core State Standards teristics of language found on language with disabilities to achieve grade-
in English language arts and mathematics proficiency tests will mirror the types of level academic content standards.
place an unprecedented emphasis on language used in content assessments as
2. Learn about accommodations for
language. As noted by the Understand- never before.
instruction and assessment.
ing Language initiative co-leaders Kenji
3. Select accommodations for
Hakuta and María Santos, the Common CCSSO’s Accommodations Manual for instruction and assessment of indi-
Core State Standards “raise the bar for ELLs with Disabilities vidual students.
learning, call for increased language
capacities in combination with in- In 2012, two Council of Chief State 4. Administer accommodations dur-
creased content sophistication, and School Officers (CCSSO) State Collab- ing instruction and assessment.
call for a high level of discourse in oratives on Assessment and Student
Overview 11
5. Evaluate and improve accommoda- • Audio description of instructional instructional and assessment practices.
tions use. or test content for students who are However, “having” data and “using” data
visually impaired. in thoughtful, proactive ways that may
In the remainder of this article we pro-
• Calculation assistance (i.e. the use improve student learning are different.
vide an overview of steps 2 and 5.
of a calculator, abacus, or arithmetic Before the “evaluation” process
table) for students whose disability can begin, it is important for decision
Learn About Accommodations for affects mathematics calculation but makers to give careful thought to the
Instruction and Assessment (Step 2) not reasoning. purpose and components of the “evalu-
ation” so it can inform practices at the
The accommodations manual defines It is important to note that accom- district and school levels as well as at
accommodations as “procedures and modations do not remain static through- the student level. Making such decisions
materials that increase equitable access out a student’s education. As ELLs with prior to implementation of accommoda-
during instruction and assessments for disabilities become more proficient in tions makes it possible to collect data
ELLs with disabilities and generate valid English, their need for language-related that will inform subsequent evaluation
assessment results that show what ELLs accommodations may decrease (CCSSO, and decisions.
with disabilities know and can do.” in press). The same is not necessarily The manual identifies seven key
(CCSSO, in press). The manual makes true of disability-related accommoda- questions to consider at the district or
clear that accommodations provided to tions. For example, a student who is school level (CCSSO, in press):
students on assessments must also be blind will always require some sort of
provided during classroom instruction. 1. Are policies in place to ensure ethi-
accommodation in order to have access
In certain instances, some accommoda- cal testing practices, standardized ad-
to instructional tasks and test items,
tions may not be appropriate for use on ministration of assessments, and test
even though the specific accommoda-
certain statewide assessments (e.g., read security practices are followed before,
tions may change.
aloud on reading assessments). Educa- during, and after the day of the test?
Educators need to carefully consider
tors should consult their state policies students’ strengths and needs with 2. Are procedures in place to ensure
about the appropriate use of accommo- respect to language and disability in test administration procedures are
dations on assessment. selecting an appropriate suite of accom- not compromised with the provision
Accommodations for ELLs with dis- modations for each student. According of accommodations?
abilities should be selected based on an to the manual, accommodations deci- 3. How many ELLs with Individual-
individual student’s needs. Therefore, a sions should be individualized based on ized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504
particular student may have accommo- the particular language- and disability- plans are receiving accommodations?
dations identified for ELLs as well related challenges faced by ELLs with 4. Are students receiving accommo-
as students with disabilities. Examples disabilities. Students with high English dations as documented in their IEP
of accommodations for ELLs include language needs and low disability-re- and 504 plans?
(CCSSO, in press): lated needs will require more language-
5. Are procedures in place to ensure
• The use of English language refer- based accommodations, while their
test administrators adhere to direc-
ence materials in which students are counterparts with high disability-related
tions for the implementation of
allowed to look words up in a diction- needs and low English language needs
accommodations?
ary or glossary. will require more accommodations that
remove disability-related barriers 6. What types of accommodations
• Oral response in English in which
(CCSSO, in press). are provided and are some used more
students are allowed to give their an-
than others?
swers orally as opposed to in writing.
7. How well do students who receive
• Written translation in which students Evaluate and Improve Accommodations
accommodations perform on state
access instruction and assessment Use (Step 5)
and local assessments? If students
content through a translated version
Step 5 in the manual highlights key con- are not meeting the expected level of
in their native/home language.
siderations in evaluating and improving performance, is it due to the students
Examples of accommodations for stu- use of accommodations during instruc- not having had access to the neces-
dents with disabilities include (CCSSO, tion and assessment. Particularly with sary instruction, not receiving the
in press): the advent of technology-based assess- accommodation, or using accommo-
• Use of an alternate location to mini- ments, it is possible to collect powerful dations that were not effective?
mize distractions for students who are data that can support decision making Questions to guide evaluation at the
easily distracted by other students. regarding policy development and im- student level may include the following
plementation, resource allocation, and (CCSSO, in press):
[Castellón and Warren, continued on page 34]
12 How-To
Utilizing Differentiated Instruction for

by Robi Kronberg
As more educators face the challenging embodies both a set of principles and text choices and the visual organizer.”
and often daunting task of teaching a repertoire of instructional practices Good teaching for a few is most often
English language learners (ELLs) with that are proactively implemented for the good teaching for all.
disabilities, it is becoming increasingly purpose of meeting the varied needs of The remainder of this article discusses
imperative that teachers are equipped all students. Non-negotiables of differen- and illustrates how several constructs of
with sound pedagogy as well as a wide tiated instruction could be considered to differentiated instruction can be utilized
repertoire of instructional tools and include respecting individuals, owning to support ELLs with disabilities.
strategies designed to create accessible student success, building community,
and successful learning opportunities providing high quality curriculum, utiliz-
Knowing and Respecting Your Students
for all students. Principles of differenti- ing assessment to inform instruction,
ated instruction and universal design for implementing flexible classroom rou- Quality differentiation for all students
learning, as well as the methodology tines, creating varied avenues to learning, must be rooted in a knowledge of
and strategies inherent in our collective and sharing responsibility for teaching and respect for specific students. This
and learning (Tomlinson, Brimijoin, & knowledge base includes students’ prior
Narvaez, 2008). academic experiences, cultural beliefs
Some educators believe that differen- and practices, linguistic strengths and
A primary goal for all educators tiated instruction is difficult to empiri- needs, learning preferences, interests,
cally validate as it includes an amalgama- and prior and current academic per-
who aim to differentiate is to tion of many different teaching theories formance. When teaching ELLs with
and practices. Other researchers and disabilities additional information is
create access to curriculum and practitioners point to a history of stud- essential. It is important for teachers
ies that validate components inherent in to know each student’s level of English
instruction so all students can be differentiated instruction and conclude language proficiency (Fairbairn & Jones-
that differentiated instruction has a Vo, 2010). Knowledge of each student’s
challenged, but not overwhelmed, positive basis in research. In spite of the linguistic proficiency in the student’s
ongoing debate, many school districts native language, as well as the student’s
by academic demands. have embraced differentiated instruction prior experiences with formal schooling,
as a professional development focus and are also important. Relative to informa-
have encouraged teachers to implement tion about disability, it is essential for
educational practices that embody the educators to know specific information
knowledge base of English language principles of differentiated instruction. about each student’s disability; how the
acquisition and special education, have Because of the significant recognition disability impacts learning, including
the potential to provide a useful combi- of differentiated instruction as a viable language learning in both their native
nation of theory and practice to support means to meet the needs of diverse learn- language and English; and the services,
successful student achievement. Imple- ers, its potential to be effectively utilized goals, and accommodations/modifi-
menting these educational frameworks with ELLs with disabilities is worthy of cations that are described in the IEP
with fidelity requires educators to think continual examination. (Individualized Education Program). A
thoroughly and intentionally about who A positive note for educators: the vast teacher who knows his or her students
they teach, what they teach, and how majority of the principles and strategies well is far likelier to create respectful and
best to teach. deemed to support ELLs with disabilities engaging learning opportunities for all
transcend applicability to only one type students, including those with diverse
of student. In short, many of the princi- language and learning needs.
Differentiated Instruction Overview
ples and strategies represent sound edu-
Much has been written and debated cational practice for all students. It is a
Creating Varied Avenues to Learning
about differentiated instruction in the daily occurrence to hear a teacher remark,
past 10 years. While different definitions “I differentiated today’s lesson specifically A primary goal for all educators who
exist, many scholars and practitioners for six students and realized that my other aim to differentiate is to create access
agree that differentiated instruction students also benefitted from the varied to curriculum and instruction so that
How-To 13
all students can be challenged, but not vocabulary and therefore benefit from as repeatedly hear the terms. Another
overwhelmed, by academic demands. explicit instruction on essential vocabu- student might benefit from placing
Determining an appropriate level of lary words as well as the language used the sequencing words on the floor and
challenge within academic content can to demonstrate understanding of a retelling the key events in chronologi-
be particularly challenging for ELLs as specific focus skill. An example involves cal order while stepping on the correct
linguistic proficiency plays a significant the focus skill of sequencing. For students sequencing term. Yet another student
role in the ability to understand academ- learning about the sequence of events might need a color coded visual organiz-
ic content. English language learners face in a historical context, students must er which lists key events in chronologi-
challenges in all four areas of language: understand the academic terminology cal order and includes a word bank of
reading, writing, speaking and listening. inherent in the time period being stud- appropriate sequencing terms for later
These challenges are made more complex ied. Additionally, in order to speak of, use in a writing task. Still other students
when combined with students’ specific write about, or read and comprehend may benefit from a picture dictionary or
disabilities (e.g., storing or retrieving in- text it will be necessary for students to a captioned video highlighting the social
formation, focusing attention, spatial re- also understand the language used to
lationships, abstract reasoning, language articulate events in sequential order. A
processing, visual-perceptual processing) student with emergent language skills
and the effect of the disability on educa- may benefit from being explicitly taught Because of the significant
tional performance. basic sequencing words such as first,
When designing lessons, the teacher next, then, and last. A student with more recognition of differentiated
rooted in the framework of differentiated advanced English language skills might
instruction continually utilizes assess- benefit from explicit instruction in more instruction as a viable means to
ment data to guide upfront instructional sophisticated sequencing terms such as
planning as well as day-to-day instruc- initially, in the interim, towards the end, meet the needs of diverse learners,
tion. Of particular importance when and finally. Designing instruction that
planning instruction for ELLs with dis- addresses the academic content (histori- its potential to be effectively utilized
abilities are decisions about frontloading cal time period), as well as the focus skill
instruction. Frontloading introduces stu- (sequencing) and the language used to with ELLs with disabilities is
dents to important aspects of the soon- communicate both requires thought-
to-be taught curricular content in order ful and intentional lesson planning. A worthy of continual examination.
to increase understanding of the content. teacher might choose to frontload the
Teachers can choose to frontload such terminology of sequencing and several
topics as: critical academic vocabulary; targeted vocabulary words from the
big ideas; essential understandings; social studies lesson. Ongoing instruc- studies topic being studied. As with
specific purposes for reading, speaking, tion would include repeated exposure the previous example, these instruc-
listening, or writing; and text structures to academic content as well content- tional options may be specifically imple-
that will be encountered. When front- embedded language in text material, mented to meet the needs of targeted
loading for ELLs with disabilities, teachers teacher presentation, and student dis- students, but could be made available
should consider language-related needs as course. Some students who are native should other students find these varied
well as disability-related needs. English speakers may also benefit from approaches helpful to facilitate their
the same frontloaded lesson and could own content understanding.
be easily included in targeted small When instructional planning in-
Planning Effective Instruction
group lessons. cludes attention to both linguistic needs
When planning effective instruction for Relative to disability-related needs, and disability-related needs, it is likely
ELLs with disabilities, it is important it is important for the teacher to plan that a teacher will incorporate instruc-
to be cognizant of two distinct areas of instruction that will address learning tional strategies that are responsive to
need – linguistic needs and disability- strengths and needs as specified on the range of learner needs. Two of the
related needs. Relative to linguistic students’ IEPs. Using the above lesson many strategies that are frequently dis-
needs, it is important for a teacher to focus, a teacher could further differenti- cussed in the literature of differentiated
consider what specific academic language ate the lesson to include accommoda- instruction, instruction for ELLs, and
students will need to know in order to tions and/or modifications needed individualized instruction for students
understand the content and communi- by certain students. For example, one with disabilities are instructional scaf-
cate mastery of the focus skill/s. English student requiring multisensory presen- folding and collaborative peer instruction.
language learners, both with and without tation might need to see the sequenc- Instructional scaffolding involves pro-
disabilities, often struggle with academic ing terms in repeated contexts as well viding temporary support to a student
[Kronberg, continued on page 35]
14 How-To
Considerations for Including English Language

Learners in a Response to Intervention System
by Julie Esparza Brown
Education has long been considered the research base (Sanford, Brown & Turner, is likely an ineffective and inappropriate
great equalizer. However, current data 2012). To address their specific instruc- curriculum for ELLs rather than a within-
indicate that English language learners tional needs an overview of RTI will be student problem.
(ELLs) are achieving far below their provided here and then four questions Posing the following four questions
English-only counterparts in reading posed that can guide the provision of will guide educators in considering each
and math. It is obviously in the best instruction and intervention for ELLs. ELL student’s ecology when planning
interest of our nation to ensure that all instruction and interventions:
students reach proficiency standards. • Have you had the opportunity to fully
Beyond the obvious linguistic di-
RTI at a Glance
know your students?
versity, ELLs differ in culture, educa- RTI is conceptualized as a three- or four-
• Has the student had sufficient oppor-
tional backgrounds, immigration status, tiered system of support where each
tunity to learn grade level skills and
socio-economic status and life experi- tier aligns with the intensity of support
content?
ences, challenging schools to provide needed (National Center on Response
appropriate and effective instruction to Intervention, 2010). Across all tiers, • How can the family support their
evidence-based instruction and interven- child’s education?
tion are delivered with fidelity. In general, • Is your system culturally responsive?
RTI has changed the focus to Tier 1 is the general education classroom
These will be discussed in the remainder
using the core curriculum. Approxi-
of this article.
ensuring appropriate evidence- mately 80% of students should be suc-
cessful in this scenario. Tier 2 provides
based instruction and intervention. a “double dose” of intervention for the Do You Know Your Students?
15-20% of students moved from Tier 1
First, teachers need to know their ELL
However, appropriate instruction to Tier 2. Tier 2 instruction is generally a
students. Information is best gathered
small group pull-out and may use specific
through home visits, file reviews, and col-
and curriculum cannot be assumed intervention programs not used in the
laboration with the district bilingual/
classroom but targeting the same grade-
bicultural staff identified to work with
for English language learners. level skills. Tier 3 provides the highest
specific cultural communities. For exam-
level of support for the approximately 5%
ple, a foreign-born student who moved to
of students below grade level. Tier 3 may
the U.S. just prior to kindergarten would
or may not include evaluation for and
likely have developed age-appropriate
for them. Recent changes in federal provision of special education services.
first language abilities in their home
policy, however, outlined a framework In four-tiered models, Tier 4 is special
country. Thus, the child can build on a
of instructional support where strug- education services.
firm first language foundation to develop
gling learners are identified, and teams Missing from the above descriptions
their second language (Goldenberg,
(which may include general and special of RTI is the inclusion of culturally, lin-
2008). On the other hand, ELL students
educators) plan instruction matching guistically and experientially responsive
born in the U.S. often have limited expo-
the level of student need and monitor instruction. Without instruction that is
sure to standard English, particularly if
progress to determine student response adjusted to meet each ELL student’s lan-
their parents are also acquiring English
(IDEA, 2004). This framework, known guage needs, incorporate cultural views
skills. They may hear a mixture of lan-
as Response to Intervention (RTI), has and beliefs of the students, and build
guages from birth. Lack of exposure must
changed the focus from identifying requisite background knowledge of the
not be confused with a language-based
within-child weaknesses to first ensuring content, they are not likely to fully ben-
disorder. Consultation with the ELL spe-
the provision of appropriate evidence- efit from instruction nor make expected
cialist for instructional strategies is highly
based instruction and intervention. gains (Orozco & Klingner, 2010).
recommended as well as seeking profes-
However, appropriate instruction and There is an additional caution when
sional development opportunities.
curriculum cannot be assumed for ELL identifying students needing support.
Of course, there will be ELL students
students because very few curricular If all of the students scoring at the bot-
with intrinsic language disorders. For
programs have included them in their tom 20% are ELL students, the problem
example, if a child did not begin to speak
How-To 15
any language until age three, this delay Further, many teachers with ELL stu- How Can the Family Support Their
may signify a disorder (Kohnert, 2008). dents in their classrooms have little or no Child’s Education?
In this case, a team meeting that includes preparation in teaching ELLs (Giambo Third, we know that students achieve
a speech and language specialist would & Szecsi, 2005) and consequently are higher success when their parents are
be appropriate. Below are examples of unfamiliar with the concept of adjusting partners in the educational process. Be-
information to gather in order to know instruction to match these students’ lan- cause of language barriers and cultural
your students: guage proficiency. Another consideration misunderstandings, diverse parents and
• Student Information is a student’s language(s) of instruction. families are sometimes reluctant to take
– Country of birth For example, if students have received part in school activities. Understand-
native language literacy instruction in a ing each family’s cultural beliefs, family
– Immigration history (if relevant)
bilingual program, they may have skills constellation, and ways in which they
– Health status only in that language and score very low can support their children’s learning will
– Developmental milestones on English-only screeners and assess- help facilitate stronger partnerships. For
– Does the student receive free and ments. Thus, native language assess- example, knowing parents’ literacy lev-
reduced lunch? ments must be administered to identify els will allow teachers to ask the parents
• Language Development the knowledge already developed in to support their child in appropriate
– What was the first language spoken their first language. Research is clear that ways. Many ELL families come from
and at what age? most literacy skills transfer from first to cultures with strong oral traditions.
– What was the second language? Is second language with explicit instruction Storytelling and helping their children
there a third language? When was the (Durgunoglu, 2002). Finally, but perhaps memorize family and traditional tales
second language introduced? At what the most critical, is the cultural relevancy is one literacy practice most families
age was the second language spoken? of the instructional materials (Sleeter, would enjoy. Below are examples of
2012). Below are examples of informa- information that can be gathered to help
• Language Use in the Home
tion to gather regarding instructional teachers learn about each family:
– What language does the child prefer to experiences:
speak at home? In the community? • Literacy Use in the Home
• Educational Background – Father’s highest grade attended
– What language(s) is/are used in the
home by parents? – Preschool experiences – Mother’s highest grade attended
– What language(s) is/are used in the – Grades attended in native country – What reading materials are available
home by siblings? (if applicable) in the home (e.g., newspaper, maga-
• Current Language Proficiency Data – Grades attended in U.S. zines, books)?
– Proficiency in first language – If child was enrolled in a bilingual • Culture
– Proficiency in second language program in the U.S., identify the – What is the family constellation and
model: Dual language, Late exit, structure?
Early exit, ESL push-in, ESL pull-out
– What are the roles and duties of the
Has the Student Had Sufficient • Language of Instruction student at home?
Opportunity? – What is the student’s proficiency in – What does the family believe
Second, it’s important to ask whether the the language of instruction? their role is in the education of their
student has had sufficient opportunity to – How is classroom instruction children?
learn grade level skills and content. All adjusted to the student’s language – What cultural group does the
students are screened annually to identify proficiency level? family identify with?
those needing additional support. In an • Culturally Responsive Instruction – Does the culture focus on individual
RTI framework, it is assumed that the evi- – Is the student’s culture reflected in the or group achievement?
dence-based core instruction taught with curriculum?
fidelity is effective and appropriate for all – Are instructional groupings aligned to
students, and the lowest achievers likely student cultural learning preferences? Is Your System Culturally Responsive?
have learning challenges (National Center
on Response to Intervention, 2010). The – When instructional groupings and The fourth area, sometimes overlooked,
practices are unfamiliar to students, is the cultural responsiveness of the
curriculum used within the classroom,
does the teacher offer explanations educational system beyond just the
however, may not be specifically designed
and modeling? classroom. This demands that educators
for and researched on ELL students.
Thus, it may not provide enough language – Does the teacher bridge the student’s evaluate their own response to cultural
support and may assume knowledge of background experiences to assumed and linguistic differences and work from
uniquely American concepts. knowledge in the curriculum? a platform of reciprocity. Below are
[Brown, continued on page 35]
16 How-To
The Roles of Interpreters and Speech-Language

Pathologists for ELLs with Disabilities
by Henriette W. Langdon
There are an estimated 4.6 million stu- school, Ms. Smith, speaks some Span- Language-Hearing Association, which
dents who are English language learners ish, but her proficiency is not adequate is the agency regulating certification of
(ELLs) in K-12 schools in this country to conduct a full assessment in that lan- speech-language pathologists and audi-
(Watkins & Liu, 2013). Manuel Chávez* guage. Collaboration with an interpreter/ ologists, makes the following statement
is one of those children. Manuel, an translator (I/T) will be necessary. (American Speech-Language-Hearing
only child, is a 5-year-old growing up Manual’s story serves as an illustra- Association, n.d):
in a bilingual Spanish-English environ- tion of an occurrence in many schools When evaluating English language
ment. His family immigrated from across the country. Throughout the learner (ELL) students, it is important
Puerto Rico three years ago, and Spanish remainder of this article the process of for speech-language pathologists
is spoken in the home, but his parents collaboration between the SLP and an (SLPs) and audiologists to carefully
have a fairly good command of English. I/T to assess a student will be illustrated review the child’s language history
His kindergarten class is conducted in by using Manuel’s story, with additional to determine the language of assess-
English only; Manuel’s parents would suggestions for how schools can best ment. If it is determined that the child
have preferred to enroll him in a bilin- engage in this process. should be evaluated in a language
gual class but there were no such pro- other than English, the SLP must use
grams in their community. Manuel tries The Bilingual Speech-Language all available resources, including inter-
Evaluation Process preters when necessary, to appropri-
ately evaluate the child (p.2).
The number of certified speech-language
Working as an interpreter, and pathologists who are bilingual is only
7% out of a total of about 150,000 mem- Interpreter/Translator Characteristics
with an interpreter, is quite bers, with Spanish being the most com-
Working with an I/T to bridge the com-
mon language spoken by those individu-
complex and requires ongoing munication between two parties that do
als (American Speech-Language-Hearing
not share the same language or mode of
Association, 2012). As noted earlier, Ms.
training on the part of the speech- communication is not a new process. It
Smith, the SLP in Manuel’s school, does
has been followed in many contexts such
not speak sufficient Spanish to conduct
language pathologist and the as interpreting for the Deaf, international
the assessment; other bilingual SLPs in
conferences, healthcare, education, and
the district do not speak Spanish at all.
interpreter/translator. the courts. Training and certification exist
The Individuals with Disabilities Educa-
in some states for I/Ts working in legal
tion Act (IDEA 2004) includes specific
and healthcare arenas, as well as those
federal guidelines for the identifica-
working with Deaf individuals, but not
to interact in English with his peers, yet tion, assessment, and intervention for
for those working in educational settings.
his progress in acquiring more complex children with educational needs, and
Although many qualities desired in I/Ts
language has been slower than expected. it indicates that in the case of ELL stu-
for the schools are similar to those who
He has been attending an after-school dents “a child shall not be determined
work in other contexts, I/Ts who work in
program with other English-speaking to be a child with a disability if the
educational settings need to understand
children to enhance his communication determinant factor for such determina-
child development, school structure, and
skills, but he does not interact with them tion is limited English proficiency” [20
general academic requirements, and need
as much as other children. He prefers to U.S.C.§1414(b)(5)(C)]. The statute also
to be able to work easily with children of
play alone and needs to be redirected to requires that schools ensure that assess-
various ages. Those working in special ed-
the activities that are offered. The school ments and other evaluation materials
ucation also need to understand various
assessment team, with his parents’ in- are provided and administered in the
learning challenges, due process proce-
put, recommended a bilingual speech language and form most likely to yield
dures, key terminology related to speech
and language evaluation for Manuel to accurate information “unless it is not
and language development and disorders,
document his general communication feasible to so provide or administer”
names of assessment tools, how to elicit
skills in both Spanish and English. The [20 U.S.C.§1414(b)(3)(A)(ii)]. An IDEA
and transcribe a language sample, as well
speech-language pathologist (SLP) at his brief drafted by the American Speech-
as have command of specific vocabulary
How-To 17
used in writing speech and language those tests and that she has been taught positive and challenging aspects of the
goals and objectives. how to obtain a representative language experience. They may also brainstorm
There are several different types of sample in Spanish. about ways to improve procedures for a
interpretation/translation in which I/Ts During the Briefing segment of the future assessment on another child.
engage. Interpretation means conveying process, Ms. Smith will meet with Ms.
an oral message from one language to Ortiz prior to the actual testing date to
Conclusion
another; translation means the same, but prepare her adequately to use the avail-
using written messages. Simultaneous able tests, and to ensure that she follows This scenario illustrates that being bi-
interpretation means that the message is the directions of the tests accurately and lingual is not sufficient in ensuring that
translated orally into a second language that she records all responses verbatim. an individual will be a successful I/T.
at the same time as it is conveyed in the Ms. Ortiz must feel secure in establish- Being bilingual also means being biliter-
first language. Sequential interpretation ing rapport with Manuel and in redirect- ate. Working as an I/T and with an I/T
is when the oral message in the first lan- ing him to the task at hand if he is not are quite complex and require ongoing
guage is heard and then conveyed in a responding as expected. In addition, Ms. training on the part of the SLP and the
second language. Sight translation means Ortiz needs to be knowledgeable about I/T. School personnel should never ask a
that the written text is interpreted (if test terminology, district procedures, bilingual person to interpret or translate
rendered orally) or translated into a sec- and confidentiality, and must feel com- without appropriate training or prepa-
ond language as it is read by the I/T. petent in eliciting and transcribing a ver- ration. The skills of an I/T working in
batim language sample in Spanish. For an educational setting require special
Ms. Ortiz, as for other I/Ts in a similar preparation. It is also important that
Collaborating With an I/T in an
setting, oral proficiency is not sufficient; SLPs be trained to effectively collaborate
Educational Setting: The Process
the bilingual I/T must be proficient in with I/Ts when assessing and working
Interpreters and translators working in reading and writing the language. And with ELL students who might have dis-
special education settings collaborate it is essential that both professionals abilities. And, because the collaboration
with other professionals and with fami- have been trained adequately to work process is lengthy and involves addition-
lies to gather background information together to ensure a successful collabo- al costs, procedures should be in place
about students, plan interventions, test ration (for more detail see Langdon & to facilitate the hiring and compensation
students, and share results from the Cheng, 2002). of adequately prepared I/Ts by schools
assessments. In all cases, the meetings During the Interaction segment of and districts. This collaboration process
should consist of three segments: Brief- the testing process Ms. Ortiz should not is key to fulfilling the legal mandate to
ing, Interaction and Debriefing (BID pro- carry out any of the assessment tasks ensure that ELL students with disabili-
cess). Written guidelines exist for prac- without Ms. Smith’s presence. During ties are fairly assessed and served.
ticing interpreters and SLPs (Langdon, the assessment, Ms. Smith will observe
2002). How they may play out in that Ms. Ortiz to ensure she does not use Note
three-part process is illustrated below unnecessary cues or repeat instruc- * Pseudonym

using Manuel’s case history where a tions when not called for, and that her References
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (August, 2012).
bilingual assessment was recommended. interaction with Manuel is proceeding Demographic profile of ASHA members providing bilingual services.
Ms. Smith, the SLP in Manuel’s smoothly. Ms. Smith’s presence is very Retrieved from http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/Demographic-
Profile-Bilingual-Spanish-Service-Members.pdf#search=%22languages
school, assessed him using tests in English important for three additional reasons: %22%20
to establish a baseline of his skills in (1) to observe Manuel’s assessment be- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Culturally and lin-
guistically diverse students (IDEA Issue Brief). Retrieved from http://www.
the language, and she also elicited and haviors, such as possible distractibility asha.org/uploadedFiles/advocacy/federal/idea/CLDStudentsBrief.pdf
transcribed a representative language or perseveration; (2) to note his use of Langdon, H.W. (2002). Interpreters and translators in communication
disorders: A handbook for practitioners. Eau Claire, WI: Thinking
sample. Because there are some test nonverbal communication (e.g., more Publications.
materials in Spanish that have been gestures than words); and (3) to describe Langdon, H.W., & Cheng, L.R. (2002). Collaborating with interpreters and
translators: A guide for communication disorders professionals. Eau Claire,
normed on bilingual Spanish-English verbal patterns such as excessive pauses WI: Thinking Publications.
children, Ms. Smith is the professional and hesitations when trying to express Watkins, E. & Liu, K.K. (2013). Who are English language learners with
disabilities? Impact: Feature Issue on Educating K-12 English Language
responsible to select those that are most himself, or use of what may appear as Learners with Disabilities, 26(1), pp 2-3. [Minneapolis, MN: Institute on
Community Integration].
appropriate tests to assess Manuel in very brief answers.
Spanish. In addition, she is in charge During Debriefing , Ms. Smith and
of selecting the procedures to be fol- Ms. Ortiz need to review and analyze Henriette W. Langdon is Professor of
lowed and for interpreting the results Manuel’s responses, including the tran- Communicative Disorders and Sciences at
of Manuel’s assessment. Finally, she scription of the language sample. Ms. San José State University, San José,
must ensure that Ms. Ortiz, the I/T, has Smith will document Ms. Ortiz’s impres- California. She may be reached at Henriette.
received adequate training to administer sions of the entire process, noting both Langdon@sjsu.edu or 408/924-4019.
18 Overview
Issues in the Education of Deaf and Hard of

Hearing K-12 English Language Learners
by Barbara Gerner de García
According to the Gallaudet Research Outside of these jurisdictions, however, those deaf and hard of hearing children
Institute, nationwide 23% of deaf and there are few special services for K-12 “who have a language other than English
hard of hearing K-12 students are cat- ELLs who are deaf and hard of hearing. as a native language” would be ELLs.
egorized as English language learners In preparing this article, I contacted Due to a shortage of bilingual and
(ELLs) under No Child Left Behind, and schools with large numbers of deaf multilingual professionals to assess
over 30% are Latino (Gallaudet Research and hard of hearing students from im- the language skills of immigrant deaf
Institute, 2011). However, deaf and hard migrant families to ask what they were and hard of hearing students, it is dif-
of hearing ELLs continue to be largely currently doing to meet the needs of ficult to determine a student’s native or
invisible, with few advocates, in our edu- these students, and to identify issues. I dominant language and their level of
cational system. Given the large num- learned that some schools provide im- language development. Under-schooled
bers of deaf and hard of hearing ELLs, mersion American Sign Language (ASL) immigrant deaf and hard of hearing stu-
the time is ripe for a national response. classes, and some provide English for dents may not have any well-developed
Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) language. Even those immigrant deaf
or transition programs to newly arrived students who come with knowledge of
The Current Situation
students. Others provide accommoda- a sign language other than ASL may be
For over 25 years, as an urban public tion during school-wide testing by labeled as “having no language” (Gerner
school teacher, university professor, and providing foreign language translators de Garcia, 2012). When a new student
researcher, I have focused on Latino deaf for students who understand spoken is seen as “language-less”, he or she may
and hard of hearing students. Many language. I also have had contact with be placed in a class for deaf students
issues that impact these students also af- many classroom teachers in online and with additional disabilities, and have
fect other immigrant deaf students. For face-to-face courses who teach ELLs who even less language stimulation. More
example, many meet the Title III* defini- are deaf and hard of hearing, and they aware educators may work in collabora-
tion of ELLs: report having few resources and limited tion with local immigrant deaf adults
...not born in the United States, support. There is a limited research or trilingual sign language interpreters
and/or whose native language is oth- and documented practice to provide who may know the same sign language
er than English, and lack of English guidance for classroom teachers, and (for example Mexican Sign Language,
proficiency is a barrier to learning in national conferences on deaf education or LSM), to gauge the new arrival’s lan-
classrooms where the instruction is and teacher preparation in the field con- guage development.
in English, and to meeting state sistently neglect the topic.
assessment levels of proficiency.
(U.S. Department of Education, 2013)
Instruction, Evaluation and Outcomes
Who Gets the Deaf ELL Label?
They are therefore ELLs who are deaf Low test scores continue to plague
and hard of hearing. They need appro- The categorization of deaf and hard of schools and programs for deaf students.
priate instruction by teachers trained hearing ELLs is challenging. For exam- Under No Child Left Behind, the major-
to work with deaf and hard of hearing ple, bilingual deaf education programs ity of schools for the deaf do not meet
students to meet their English learning that use American Sign Language and federal requirements for demonstrating
needs, and specialized services from oth- English consider their deaf and hard of the academic progress of all students
er professionals such as audiologists and hearing students to be English language (Cawthorn, 2011). A few schools for the
school psychologists. Another issue is learners whose first language is ASL. deaf provide special programming for
that their parents commonly experience However most of these students do not ELLs who are deaf and hard of hearing,
language barriers in trying to access meet Title III definitions of ELLs, which but many don’t. While there is national
services, as well as a lack of culturally- are tied to national origin. In early 2011, data on the demographics of K-12 deaf
appropriate services. In some school the U.S. Department of Education, in a students (Gallaudet Research Institute,
districts, services provided to ELLs who letter to Title III directors, clarified that, 2011), these data are not separated out
are deaf and hard of hearing are a result in general, deaf and hard of hearing stu- in a way that tells us how deaf ELL stu-
of lawsuits in which the school district dents cannot be considered ELLs (or lim- dents are doing in regular public schools
agreed to take certain actions to remedi- ited English proficient) simply due to their or how they are being served. Despite
ate the situation, without admitting fault. reliance on ASL for communication, but the dramatic increase in the numbers of
Overview 19
deaf and hard of hearing K-12 students working with ELL deaf students. We Note
who are ELLs, a trend that has been hope to have it ready in the fall of 2013. * Title III in Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
noted since the 1970s, we have not re- Concurrent with this effort, I plan to References
sponded with changes in teacher educa- conduct a nationwide study of teach- Cawthorn, S.W. (2011). Education of deaf and hard of hearing students
and accountability reform: Issues for the future. American Annals of the
tion, special programming, or services ers of ELL deaf and hard of hearing Deaf,156 (4), 424-430.
for families (Gerner de García, Cobb- students, a collaborative effort with Gallaudet Research Institute. (April 2011). Regional and national sum-
mary report of data from the 2009-10 Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard
Morocco, & Mata-Aguilar, 2006). researchers in two other universities. of Hearing Children and Youth. Washington, DC: Gallaudet Research
Institute, Gallaudet University.
This nationwide needs assessment will Gerner de García, B. A.( 2012). Creating language in a vacuum: Deaf chil-
also provide empirical data to help dren as creative communicators. In A.S. Yeung, C.F.K. Lee & E.L. Brown
Responding to the Issues (Eds.), Communication and language, vol. 7. International advances in
identify potential sites for a follow-up education: Global initiatives for equity and social justice. Charlotte, NC:
What are some immediate steps that we study of teachers’ strategies for educat- Information Age.
Gerner de García, B.A, Cobb-Morocco, C., & Mata-Aguilar, C. (2006).
can take to address these issues for deaf ing deaf ELL students. By learning about Literacy for Latino deaf and hard of hearing English language learners:
and hard of hearing ELLs? One of the teachers’ challenges, we hope to create Building the knowledge base. Final report. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and
first is development of an online portal awareness of the growing deaf ELL Office of English Language Acquisition.
for teachers of deaf immigrant students population, and identify and dissemi- U.S. Department of Education. (2013). Title III Part A programs. Retrieved
from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/legislation.html
that can serve as a place of support for nate strategies that teachers are develop-
teachers. This online community, which ing to work with these students. These
I am developing with a colleague at efforts can help raise awareness of these Barbara Gerner de García is a Professor in
Texas Christian University, will link students, and support the teachers and the Department of Education at Gallaudet
teachers, many of whom work in rural other service providers working with University, Washington, D.C. She may be
areas and in public schools, with others them. reached at barbara.gerner.de.garcia@
gallaudet.edu or 202/651-5207.
Resources for Families, Educators, and Other Professionals

The following resources from around the country • Hearing Loss in Children (www.cdc.gov/ • ELLs (English Language Learners) in the
may be of interest to readers of this Impact issue: ncbddd/hearingloss/freematerials. Schools (http://www.asha.org/practice/
• Raising Deaf Kids (www.raisingdeafkids. html). A variety of free materials for families multicultural/ELL/). These Web pages from
org). This Web site for parents is available in and health professionals, many available in the American Speech-Language-Hearing
English and Spanish, and provides extensive both English and Spanish, can be found on Association include links to You Tube videos
information on various aspects of hearing loss this Web page from the Centers for Disease for speech-language pathologists on how to
in children, including growing up with hearing Control and Prevention. Among the resources support parents in raising children bilingually,
loss, learning, communicating, and getting is “Guía para Familias de Niños con Pérdida as well as other resources for professionals.
help. It also offers opportunities for parents to Auditiva,” (“Guide for Families of Children with • National Dissemination Center for Chil-
share their stories, questions and experience Hearing Loss”). dren with Disabilities (http://nichcy.org).
with others. • Autism Speaks: Resources for Non- This Web site is available in English and Span-
• Supporting Young Children who are Dual English Speaking Families (http://www. ish, and offers a wealth of information on
Language Learners With or At-risk for autismspeaks.org/family-services/ disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and
Disabilities: Young Exceptional Children non-english-resources). On this Web page youth. It includes easy-to-read information
Monograph 14 (http://www.dec-sped.org/ from this national advocacy organization are on IDEA, the law authorizing early interven-
store/YEC_Monograph_series). This collec- resources in 13 languages for families and tion services and special education, as well as
tion of articles from the Division for Early Child- professionals, including toolkits, checklists, State Resource Sheets that help users connect
hood (DEC) explores contemporary perspectives and guides related to Autism Spectrum Disor- with the disability agencies and organizations
on strategies to support young children who are ders. Resources vary by language. in their states. It also includes dozens of pub-
dual language learners served in inclusive early • Colorín Colorado (www.colorincolorado. lications about specific types of disabilities,
childhood settings. The information is useful for org). Among the topics on this bilingual education practices, and laws.
professionals and families. (Spanish/English) Web site for families and
educators of English language learners is
“Learning Disabilities,” which contains over 30
articles on the topic.
20 How-To
Meeting the Educational Needs of English

Language Learners with Learning Disabilities
by Brenda-Jean Tyler and Shernaz B. García
Mr. Santos is a 4th grade bilingual teacher general and special educators in creating accurate decoding. Poor decoding
in a large urban school district. His a culturally/linguistically responsive and skills result in slow, dysfluent read-
classroom includes Spanish-speaking inclusive learning environment (García ing, limited vocabularies, and, often,
students, some of whom receive special & Tyler, 2010). Since learning disabilities below-grade level comprehension
education services. Although well-pre- is the largest disability category, serving (Hock et al., 2009). Learning dis-
pared to meet their educational needs roughly 40% of all K-12 students with abilities also affect other areas critical
based on their English proficiency and disabilities (Aud et al., 2012), we focus to school success, such as working
cultural backgrounds, he is unsure how on ELLs with learning disabilities, but memory and information process-
to be responsive to their disabilities. Ms. many of the considerations are relevant ing. Further, students with learning
Green, a special educator with whom he for ELLs with other disabilities. disabilities often lack self-monitoring
collaborates at his school, is a monolin- skills, and may not use the learn-
gual English speaker. She wishes that her ing strategies they have been taught
The Interface Between Disability, (Shippen, Houchins, Steventon, &
Second Language Status, and Culture Sartor, 2005).
When ELLs are not making sufficient • Learning in a second language. ELLs
Many teachers find themselves progress in school, it can be difficult to are a heterogeneous group, represent-
locate the underlying source(s) of their
inadequately equipped to meet academic difficulties, and to determine
ing many languages, nationalities,
and immigrant or refugee experiences.
the relative influence of a possible (or
the educational needs of English identified) learning disability, language
Whereas most ELLs acquire basic
conversational English in a relatively
dominance and proficiency, and socio-
language learners who also cultural experiences. Complicating the
short time, proficiency with the more
complex, abstract vocabulary and
issue is the fact that difficulties experi-
have a learning disability. enced by ELLs functioning in English
concepts inherent in academic con-
tent can take up to 10 years or more
can look very similar to learning dis- to acquire (Collier, 1995). Moreover,
abilities (Salend, 2008). Additionally, learning to navigate schooling in a
teacher education program had taught instruction in each of the programs in second language draws on more than
her how to adapt special education which such students might participate – knowledge of grammar and vocabu-
instruction to students’ levels of English general education, ESL services, and spe- lary; ELLs must understand linguistic
proficiency and to make instruction cial education – often fails to adequately subtleties and implications often
more meaningful for students from dif- account for all their learning needs be- conveyed through culturally-based
ferent cultural backgrounds. cause each program focuses on only one references assumed to be background
Like Mr. Santos and Ms. Green, or two aspects of students’ identities. knowledge for all students. Chal-
many teachers find themselves inade- Clearly, disability, socio-cultural, and lenges associated with learning in a
quately equipped to meet the educational linguistic characteristics are integrally second language are increased when
needs of English language learners intertwined. To identify more clearly the the student has a learning disability,
(ELLs) who have a disability (Mueller, role of each for ELLs with learning dis- given the language-based nature of
Singer, & Carranza, 2006). Teaching abilities, they are separated for discus- learning disabilities. Cognitive de-
this population requires educators to sion as follows: mands of a lesson increase to a degree
be responsive to students’ needs related • Key characteristics related to learn- not experienced by native English-
to their disability, language proficiency ing disabilities. According to IDEA speaking counterparts.
in the native language and English, as (2004), learning disabilities affect a • The socio-cultural contexts of education.
well as their socio-cultural identities student’s ability to understand and/ Students from non-dominant socio-
(Cloud, 2002). Failure to address all or use language effectively. Although cultural and linguistic communities
aspects could create barriers to learning students with learning disabilities are often enter school with world views,
for ELLs with disabilities, particularly a heterogeneous group with differing information processing styles, and
when they are taught in English. In this strengths and needs, they frequently communication patterns that vary
article, we provide a framework to guide experience difficulty with fast and considerably from those expected at
How-To 21
school (Hollins, 2008). When students’ barriers to learning, and (2) selecting English speakers and the reading level
life experiences and identities are instructional approaches, materials and of the texts they use. The second sec-
only minimally reflected in classroom other resources that will provide com- tion offers strategies and considerations
discourse, instruction, and materials, prehensible input, make learning acces- targeted at making instruction and as-
students may encounter schooling sible, and foster student engagement signments comprehensible to ELLs with
practices that not only create barriers and motivation to learn. learning disabilities. In the third section,
to learning, but which may appear Table 1 identifies several factors that we address the accessibility of content,
unwelcoming, thereby affecting their teachers should consider when plan- assignments, and instructional activities
achievement motivation, and con- ning instruction so that the learning en- for students who are non-native speak-
tributing to feelings of alienation or vironment meets the educational needs ers of English and who have learning
marginalization. of ELLs with learning disabilities. These disabilities. Finally, the last section
recommended practices and strategies addresses student motivation and en-
have been organized into four sections. gagement in ways that are particularly
Responding to the Interface The first section identifies key elements salient for students with disabilities
Ensuring that the classroom environment that may increase the level of difficulty from diverse socio-cultural and linguis-
provides equitable opportunities to learn of classroom materials for ELLs with tic communities.
for all students involves a two-step plan- learning disabilities, prompting special
[Tyler and García, continued on page 34]
ning process: (1) identifying potential educators to think beyond their native
Table 1: Factors to Consider During Instructional Planning for ELLs with Learning Disabilities
1. Determine difficulty level of materials. o Tap students’ prior knowledge, including that o Modify the test format (read questions to
o Students’ reading skills vs. reading level of texts. acquired in their native languages. students, allow extra time, performance-
o Pay attention to lesson delivery (e.g., use of based assessment, multiple choice vs. essay
o Shifts in reading level and academic difficulty
multi-media material, simpler vocabulary, questions).
within and across instructional materials.
reiteration, repetition, slower speech). o Make available peers and/or other adults to
o Aspects of the lesson, related concepts, and
o Provide access to materials in students’ native support learning (e.g., heterogeneous group-
assumed background knowledge that will be
languages to reinforce academic concepts ing, peer- or cross-age tutoring).
unfamiliar to ELL students.
taught in English (e.g., use their native languages
o Cognitive demand involved for ELLs who are to preview and review concepts, use cognates 4. Foster student engagement and motivation
simultaneously learning a new concept and shared in their native languages and English to to learn.
its English term (vs. only learning the English teach reading in English). o Use developmentally appropriate content
term). for ELLs, given their previous curriculum and
o Provide access to native-language speakers
o Likely impact of the learning disability on who can provide native-language support school experiences.
students’ ability to retain skills and information during instruction and outside the classroom o Select materials that allow students to draw
previously taught. (e.g., bilingual peers, paraprofessionals, other on socio-cultural knowledge and life experi-
teachers, parents/family members, community ence to engage with the texts.
2. Select and use instructional approaches,
materials, and assignments that provide volunteers). o Foster meaningful dialogue about the content
comprehensible input for ELLs with o Use strategies and materials that support of the lesson (e.g., instructional conversations).
learning disabilities. comprehension, cognitive development, o Affirm and use students’ native languages to
o Pre-teach vocabulary associated with the and information processing (e.g., advance support learning, even when the language of
content area (e.g., discipline-specific language; organizers, story maps, KWL charts). instruction is English.
the language of symbols in math, science). 3. Ensure that the content, assignments and o Use materials that support positive identity
o Preview and pre-teach additional terms, activities are accessible. development, for example accurate portrayals
expressions, and grade-level vocabulary that of diverse groups, including people with dis-
o Reduce information to be generated indepen- abilities; contemporary as well as historical
are expected knowledge for native-English dently (e.g., provide detailed outlines, checklist
speakers but may not be familiar to ELLs. perspectives; contributions of under-repre-
of steps to be followed, peer assistance with sented groups in math, science, and other
o Preview key concepts before lesson (in students’ note-taking during lectures). areas; materials and language that are free
native languages when available). o Offer alternate ways to acquire new informa- from bias (omissions, distortions, racism,
o Ensure students have linguistic skills needed to tion (listening v. reading, oral v. written). sexism, ableism).
effectively engage with and learn the new o Embed new learning in tasks that connect o Facilitate meaningful interactions with peers
material (e.g., paraphrasing and summarizing, school to students’ lives and socio-cultural and adults in the classroom that promote
use of logic to organize and express ideas, phenomena. satisfying social relationships in the classroom
reasoning, analysis, inference, interpretation).
community.
22 How-To
Educating ELLs with Significant Cognitive

Disabilities: Lessons Being Learned in One State
by Audra Ahumada and Leila E. Williams
Arizona, like many other states, has (IDEA) – mandate that ELL students and also ELLs has presented some instruc-
adopted the Common Core State Stan- students with disabilities participate in tional challenges for some educators. For
dards (CCSS), and educators across the state achievement assessments and are instance, a small number of students in
state are implementing them in their instructed on grade level academic stan- this population have a limited symbolic
daily instruction to ensure that all stu- dards. IDEA further mandates that state communication system. There is a need
dents have the academic knowledge and education agencies develop alternate to assist educators to identify an effective
skills they need to be ready for career, assessments based on alternate achieve- communication system for those students,
college, and life (see http://www.azed. ment standards (AA-AAS) for students continue to move them through the other
gov/azcommoncore/). The local educa- with significant cognitive disabilities stages of communication, and improve
tion agencies, in partnership with the who cannot demonstrate their knowl- their language abilities. When students
Arizona Department of Education, are edge on general state assessments, even do not have effective communication
focused on how to support all students with accommodations. To comply with systems in place, how can they show what
– including English language learners federal mandates, the State of Arizona they know? The true language supports or
(ELLs) with disabilities – to experience developed an alternate assessment known needs of ELLs with significant cognitive
academic success. However, ELLs with as Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Stan- disabilities may be overshadowed by the
disabilities continue to lag behind their dards Alternate (AIMS A). Approximately, desire to work on non-academic skills and
peers in making adequate educational 8,000 students with significant cognitive not build language acquisition skills.
gains in the traditional instructional disabilities are assessed with the AIMS A,
models. And, ELLs with significant and approximately 1,500 of them are ELLs.
cognitive disabilities may experience
Looking at Our Data
In Arizona, all educators must have
additional challenges if they have limited a Structured English Immersion (SEI) In 2012, Arizona and four other states
or no communication systems. endorsement to their teaching licenses. participated in an Enhanced Assessment
Educators examine and use various SEI-endorsed teachers are able to provide Grant titled, “Improving the Validity of
types of data to help improve achieve- instruction to ELLs in the English Lan- Assessment Results for English Language
ment for students with significant cogni- guage Proficiency programs. All Arizona Learners with Disabilities (IVARED)” and
tive disabilities. However, the availability educators, whether they are SEI classroom based at the National Center on Educa-
of an appropriate English language pro- teachers or instructional personnel, are tional Outcomes, University of Minnesota.
ficiency assessment is lacking for these trained to support students’ instruction as Through IVARED, which is funded by
students. This article will highlight some it relates to English language acquisition. the U.S. Department of Education, the
of the critical issues in this regard for Students identified as ELLs receive five states (Minnesota, Arizona, Maine,
educators whose primary focus is to de- specialized instruction by an ELL teacher Michigan, and California) work together
liver meaningful instruction. It will focus in a SEI program. However, language to address the assessment challenges for
in particular on how English language and instructional decisions for students ELLs with disabilities and seek to improve
proficiency of ELLs with significant cog- with significant cognitive disabilities the validity for results from large-scale
nitive disabilities is being monitored and who are identified as ELLs are made by content assessments that aim to include
language development being determined the student’s Individualized Education the full range of learners (see http://
in Arizona. The lessons being learned in Program (IEP) team, which includes an www.ivared.info/). Many of the findings
our state reflect the fact that all states ELL coordinator. Ultimately the IEP team from this research have shed light on the
are in the process of discovering how to determines the students’ placement as performance of ELLs with significant
improve instruction and assessment for well as the educational program to in- cognitive disabilities on the AIMS A.
these students. clude language acquisition instruction. After participating in the IVARED
Language acquisition for these students project, the Assessment Unit of the
is often related to their communication Arizona Department of Education delved
Fulfilling the Federal Mandates
needs including response mode, evolving deeper into the state’s 2010 and 2011
Several federal laws – the Elementary communication systems, and opportu- alternate assessment data, including the
and Secondary Education Act, English nities for meaningful communication number of students identified at any time
Language Acquisition Act, and Indi- exchanges. Supporting students with as students having a Primary Home
viduals with Disabilities Education Act significant cognitive disabilities who are Language Other Than English (PHLOTE),
How-To 23
and their performance on the alternate disabilities whose home language is Eng- Arizona, as in many other states, we
assessment. When PHOLTE was a proxy lish or non-English. The students whose have not effectively supported educators
for ELL identification, these students home language is English perform better on how to ensure they provide a bal-
showed proficiency in their alternate than their ELL peers. anced curriculum that includes language
assessment scores over the last three As a result of the Arizona Depart- acquisition as part of the instructional
years. One reason ELL students with ment of Education’s involvement with planning for these students. While
significant cognitive disabilities may IVARED, the next steps for the state we have learned that more training is
have shown progress on the AIMS A is include developing clear guidance on required to support the implementa-
that there is great flexibility in the use how accommodation decisions are made tion of appropriate accommodations
of accommodations and adaptations and implemented for all students with that support academic and language
to the assessment (e.g., visual supports, language needs, including ELLs with acquisition, we have to also help teach-
plug-ins, read aloud, and prompting and significant cognitive disabilities, both ers for ELLs with significant cognitive
levels of supports for the performance in the instructional and assessment set- disabilities integrate English language
tasks). Many of these accommodations tings. Recently, the department’s Alter- instruction into their communication
can support both ELLs and students nate Assessment unit has added greater and content instruction. As mentioned
with significant cognitive disabilities. emphasis on ensuring that professional earlier, the IEP teams of some ELLs with
In addition, state data in all three development for educators includes disabilities may discuss how to best
years of the study shows a discrepancy strategies to support students who are measure their English proficiency. Per-
between the number of students with also ELLs. In addition to professional haps Arizona’s next step is to consider
significant cognitive disabilities enrolled development and accommodation guid- how to monitor students who are unable
in an ELL program and the number of ance, procedures are being established to demonstrate their language skills on
students identified as having a PHLOTE. in partnership with the state’s Office of our English language proficiency test be-
Typically ELLs with significant cognitive English Language Acquisition Services cause of their severity of their disability.
disabilities are receiving their academic (OELAS) to help guide IEP teams to en- States that joined an English language
and language instruction in a self-con- sure students receive needed language proficiency consortium (World-Class
tained classroom with a special educator instruction. OELAS and the Exceptional Instruction and Design and Assess-
who is SEI endorsed. This is in contrast Student Service Division have worked ment) are developing and implementing
to ELLs with a learning disability who collaboratively to train special educa- alternate English language proficiency
could receive part of their instruction in tors and ELL coordinators to ensure assessments for ELLs with significant
an English learner program and receive students’ language acquisition needs are cognitive disabilities (see http://www.
special education support through a being considered and to integrate the wida.us/assessment/alternateaccess.
pull-out or resource setting. Because of SEI models into their instructional plan- aspx). Lessons learned from the consor-
the extent of the students’ disabilities, ning, especially for those students who tia work and ongoing research will help
the IEP teams for ELLs with significant are in more restrictive special education states like Arizona better support the
cognitive disabilities determine both programs. Because all Arizona educators instructional programs for our English
how the student can demonstrate Eng- are SEI trained this can be accomplished language learners with significant cogni-
lish proficiency and the language skills by special educators in partnership with tive disabilities.
most appropriate for the student to con- the content teachers.
tinue to acquire as part of their special Audra Ahumada is Director of Alternate
education program. Assessment, Arizona Department of
Moving Forward
However, there were nearly 1,000 stu- Education, Phoenix. She may be reached at
dents with significant cognitive disabili- Although Arizona’s educators are SEI Audra.Ahumada@azed.gov or 602/542-
ties identified as ELLs based on their endorsed, and the expectation is that 4061. Leila E. Williams is Associate Super-
PHLOTE survey that were not identified ELLs with significant cognitive dis- intendent for Assessment and Accountability,
as ELLs within our student account- abilities will receive instruction that will Arizona Department of Education. She
ability system that uses ELL program facilitate English language acquisition, may be reached at Leila.Williams@azed.
enrollment as its criteria. This raises the many of the teachers for these students gov or 602/364-2811.
question of whether we (teachers) are focus on the students’ educational
truly considering these students’ lan- needs, specifically related to academic
guage needs or is our emphasis only on and functional skills. The state is now
their academic needs. moving toward putting greater em-
Finally, the alternate assessment data phasis on ensuring that students with
from 2010-2011 provide a comparison significant cognitive disabilities have
of students with significant cognitive a communication system. However, in
24 How-To
Working Together: One District’s Transformation

in Teaching English Learners with Disabilities
by J. Valerie Brewington, Karla Estrada, and Hilda Maldonado
In 2011, the Los Angeles Unified School LAUSD’s agreement with OCR that centered on improving the language
District (LAUSD) addressed the lack of included a specific section on meeting acquisition and English proficiency
access and services English learners (ELs) the ELD needs of ELs with disabilities. needs of ELs with disabilities. As the
with disabilities were experiencing in This section of the agreement called creation of this staff development for
English language development (ELD). for the district to “provide both special special education teachers continued,
Central to the district’s response was the education services and English learner the team found it challenging to address
design of targeted staff development for services to each EL student in special each of the language domains (listening,
special education teachers, and collabora- education in a manner appropriate to speaking, reading, and writing) while
tive steps by the departments responsible the student’s individual needs, regardless still meeting the student’s individual
for ELs and students with disabilities. of the nature or severity of the student’s learning needs. For example, how do I
A compliance review of educational disability as defined by the student’s teach reading to an EL with an auditory
programs for ELs conducted in the IEP.” The agreement also called for a spe- processing disorder when strategies call
district by the federal Office for Civil cific and immediate implementation of for the use of listening and speaking
Rights (OCR) in 2011 concluded that professional development for all special activities or strategies? OCR was very
the district’s services and supports for education teachers in LAUSD, and a re- clear in informing the district that there
write of the English Learner Master Plan is no room for negotiating the student’s
to include ELs with disabilities. In order rights in both language and learning.
to address the actions outlined in the Keeping an instructional focus on de-
Through joint efforts by student- agreement, collaborative planning activi- veloping a second language, while also
ties were organized between the district’s meeting the specific learning needs of
centered staff, innovative thinking Division of Special Education and the an EL with a disability, required those
Language Acquisition Branch (recently with language acquisition and special
on how to meet the language and renamed Multilingual and Multicultural education expertise to work through
Education Department, MMED). each aspect of the staff development
learning needs of English learners content together. Although this was suc-
cessfully integrated, the need for more
with disabilities and transform Collaborative Staff Development
evidence-based methods of accomplish-
In LAUSD, over 45% of students with dis- ing this integration still remains and
student learning has occurred. abilities are also ELs (over 38,000). The requires further research.
interface between educational programs
for ELs and for students with disabilities
was going to be critical in meeting lan-
Differentiated Staff Development
ELs, especially at the secondary level and
including students with disabilities, were guage and learning needs of ELs with Of the approximately 30,000 teachers
in need of improvement. Particular areas disabilities. The partnership between in LAUSD, 3,000 are special education
to be addressed specifically regarding EL these departments generated a cultural teachers. Analysis of training atten-
students with disabilities were the lack of shift and an integration of common dance data prior to October 2011 for
delivery of both special education services initiatives began to take shape. The team ELD instruction training revealed that
and English learner services (e.g., ELD acknowledged that past practices in deliv- most Secondary Resource (750) and
and access to core content instruction). ering both professional development and Mild to Moderate Special Day Program
In addition, access by students with dis- implementing newly adopted curriculum teachers (1000) had not participated
abilities to EL intervention programs that had been done in silos. It was also deter- in the ELD instruction professional
targeted students not making adequate mined that a lack of appropriate ELD development provided in the district.
ELD progress and ELD materials were materials and differentiated professional The reason for low attendance was that
identified. Recognizing the need to ad- development were key causes for the lack special educators, in particular Special
dress the educational program for all ELs of services and access to individualized Day Program teachers, typically were
and for students with disabilities, the ELD instruction for ELs with disabilities. not included in the invitation. This was
district agreed to enter into a Voluntary Specialists in both departments be- due to a misunderstanding that training
Agreement in October 2011. gan to meet regularly in work sessions of special educators was to be provided
How-To 25
by the Special Education Division, and to classrooms for students with moderate to examined and addressed in professional
classroom and student relevance not be- severe disabilities. Further examination development. This was also evident,
ing experienced by certain special educa- revealed that it was originally developed and set a precedent, by having the pro-
tors attending the training. This revealed for ELs. It addressed the four language fessional development co-taught by
the need for inter-office collaboration and domains, was primarily picture based, specialists in EL and special education. A
commitment between MMED and the and could be differentiated to meet the student’s cultural and linguistic needs do
Division of Special Education to provide multiple learning needs of ELs with not stop being important once they have
special educators with targeted profes- moderate to severe disabilities. This an Individualized Education Program,
sional development addressing key con- curriculum was reviewed and approved which speaks to an ongoing challenge in
tent and language acquisition topics, while by EL and special education specialists, the field: We need to recognize that it is
also differentiating to ensure relevance including those of moderate to severe not a language vs. disability issue but a
and meet the needs of special educators. programs. Two-day professional devel- language and disability need.
Data also revealed that elementary opment training was created based on Another critical element in imple-
and secondary Moderate to Severe Spe- this material and centered on the needs menting the professional development
cial Day Program teachers (approximate- of EL students with moderate to severe was instructional and fiscal commit-
ly 825) had not participated in district disabilities, including students who are ments by department leadership. Instruc-
ELD training. Since the learning needs of low or non-verbal and may use alternate tionally, ongoing partnership and collab-
ELs with disabilities vary, differentiated forms of communication. Objectives for oration in policy setting between MMED
professional development was created the staff development were comprised of and the Special Education Division, most
and provided to Secondary Resource evaluating and monitoring ELD progress recently in the ELD program placement
teachers, Mild to Moderate Special Day and proficiency using an alternate ELD policy for ELs with and without dis-
Program teachers, and elementary and assessment, functional communication, abilities, is underway. Fiscally, concerted
secondary Moderate to Severe Special learning and utilizing the newly identi- effort has been placed on realigning bud-
Day Program teachers. This training was fied ELD curriculum, and application gets to support prevention efforts related
co-taught by both EL and special educa- of ELD strategies. As a result of these to monitoring progress and intervention
tion instructional staff. The two-day changes in professional development, initiatives of ELs prior to being referred
professional development for teachers approximately 90% of the LAUSD special to special education, and intervention
of ELs with mild to moderate disabilities educators have now participated in the supports for ELs, including students with
focused on understanding and utilizing targeted professional development for disabilities. The Voluntary Agreement
the district’s adopted ELD curriculum, special education teachers. served as a springboard for launching this
ELD strategies, language domains, and work, but these efforts must be an ongo-
appropriate accommodations/modifica- Lessons Learned and Ongoing Work ing district priority.
tions for ELs with disabilities. Through joint efforts by student-
While the curricular materials for Key lessons learned in the implementa- centered staff, innovative thinking on
students with mild to moderate dis- tion of staff development to improve how to meet the language and learn-
abilities are typically the same as those ELD instruction by special education ing needs of ELs with disabilities and
for general education ELs, the same is teachers include the necessity for ongoing, transform student learning has occurred.
not necessarily true for students with differentiated staff development and Although the efforts continue, the founda-
moderate to severe disabilities, who may coaching support specifically targeting tion laid by this partnership will continue
be on an alternate curriculum. Special how language is developed and acquired, to guide the ongoing work.
education and EL specialists were tasked and progress monitored, and strate-
with an immediate identification of cur- gies and tools to meet ELD needs while J. Valerie Brewington is Coordinator of Eng-
riculum materials and the creation of considering the impact of the student’s lish Learner Federal and State Programs for
the professional development for these disability. During the professional de the LAUSD; she may be reached at valerie.
materials. Additionally, due to the development roll-out, a common belief brewington@lausd.net. Karla Estrada is
mands of addressing the four domains shared by many teachers was that dis- Administrative Coordinator of the Special
of language required for ELD, the team ability trumps language when working Education Service Center for Intensive Support
had to ensure that the curriculum was with ELs with special needs. ELD is a key and Innovation Center with the LAUSD; she
designed with both English learner needs content area for ELs and necessary for may be reached at karla.estrada@lausd.net.
and special education needs of students overall academic success. Equally critical Hilda Maldonado is Director of the LAUSD
with moderate to severe disabilities in to this success is special education sup- Multilingual and Multicultural Education
mind. During the search for appropriate ports and services for students with dis- Department; she may be reached at hilda.
materials, an instructional curriculum abilities. For this reason, the co-existence maldonado@lausd.net.
was identified that was being utilized in of language and disability needed to be
26 How-To
United Action for Improving Academic

Outcomes of ELLs with Disabilities
by Manuel Barrera
As students with disabilities and stu- educational process they encounter in marginally involved for “rubber stamp”
dents in general education become their schools. forms of decision-making (Liu & Barrera,
increasingly diverse ethnically and This feeling of connection is a first in press). ELL parents may feel that their
linguistically, the need for schools to be step in developing united action in ef- knowledge of the child’s native language
effective in promoting united action to fecting positive academic outcomes. skills, likes and dislikes, as well as the
improve academic outcomes for English Such connections are made effectively student’s preferred learning styles are
language learners (ELLs) with disabilities in the process of parent, educator, not taken into consideration. In addi-
has become more pronounced. There and student collaboration as students tion, these parents may feel that their
may be a misperception that parents of participate in classes or in the all too own goals for their child’s learning are
ELLs who themselves may not be literate ubiquitous standardized assessments not valued by school staff (Liu & Barrera,
in English are not likely to be helpful in that students must take as part of in press).
promoting academic outcomes in their demonstrating academic competence. On the other hand, educators may
children’s education. For teachers to be maximally effective, not be trained in working with linguis-
they require the help of parents and tically and culturally diverse parents
children’s communities to demonstrate and may have limited knowledge of
that there is no disjunction between the how parents’ cultural and educational
Ultimately, “collaboration” among goals of families for their children and backgrounds influence their desires for
the goals of educators for their students. their child’s academic experiences. Par-
parents, educators, students, However, this very need for collabora- ents may not be familiar with the terms
tion – united action – is often one of the teachers use for instructional strategies
and their communities must be most difficult tasks for educators, and or materials that will be used in the
parents, to accomplish. Three aspects classroom. Additional time must be al-
seen as engaging in our common of this problem include collaboration lowed for interpretation of IEP meetings
among parents and educators in IEPs so that interpreters can fully explain
task to realize real academic and IEP meetings; the difficulties and ideas that may not exist in the parents’
differences between general education, native language.
progress for students. special education, and ESL/bilingual
education educators; and structural is-
Differences in Training and Perspective
sues associated with schools that may
Among Educators
impede the connection with parents for
Aside from the legal necessity for united action in promoting their chil- ESL and bilingual teachers (Goldstone et
involving the child’s parents in the plan- dren’s education. al., in press; Liu & Barrera, in press) may
ning and education of a student with a have limited opportunities to collabo-
disability (IDEA, 2004), there are also rate with special education and content
professional and pedagogical reasons
Issues in Collaborating on Student IEPs teachers to plan instruction for ELLs
why parent involvement is essential for The effect of cultural and linguistic dif- with disabilities. ESL teachers, like their
effective schooling of ELLs with disabili- ferences between home and school for counterparts, are busy and may serve a
ties. These students, like all students, English language learners, especially sizeable number of students, making it
need their parents to understand the ELLs with disabilities, has been a ma- difficult for them to attend IEP meetings
importance of school, to believe that jor challenge. The primary vehicle for without explicit support and expecta-
their children can benefit from complet- fostering parent, educator, and student tion to do so. When these teachers do at-
ing an education, and to support their collaboration for children with dis- tend IEP meetings they may experience
children’s participation through moral, abilities is the process of developing the communication difficulties if they have
emotional, and physical means of Individualized Education Program (IEP). a different way of conceptualizing and
support. The more connected parents Yet, parents of ELLs with disabilities, talking about learning for ELLs. Many
and communities feel toward the schools and ESL or bilingual teachers, have often special education teachers may not be
that educate their children, the more expressed feelings of frustration at be- familiar with concepts of second lan-
connected students will feel with the ing excluded from IEP meetings or only guage teaching and learning (Robinson
How-To 27
& Buly, 2007) increasing the complexity effective parent-educator collaboration such jobs because they felt it important
of creating authentic communication on in supporting ELLs with disabilities. In to serve as a conduit for improving
a multi-disciplinary IEP team. addition to improved communication communication and knowledge among
strategies, a common point for parent parents and the schools who serve their
involvement, important approaches that children. A good first step for promot-
School Structural Issues
seem to increase and promote effective ing strong collaboration with parents
In addition, there are school structural collaboration include the following: of ELLs with disabilities is to start with
issues that may impede collaboration • Provide open-ended group meetings the collective wisdom of those educators
among educators not simply in devel- of parents to provide them with a safe who already may be involved with the
oping IEPs, but in the ultimately more environment to ask questions (safety communities of these children.
important direct service to ELLs with in numbers) of select school staff Ultimately, “collaboration” among
disabilities as IEPs are implemented and known to be especially communica- parents, educators, students, and their
students are integrated into the “free tive with parents (e.g., cultural or par- communities must be seen as engag-
and appropriate public education” these ent liaisons, student- or parent-identi- ing in our common task to realize real
students need and deserve. One major fied teachers or administrators). Such academic progress for students. Doing
structural problem is often seen as un- meetings can be used to determine so cannot simply be about feeling that
avoidable: the school day versus the time parent-identified issues of concern what has been is appropriate, but that
that parents, especially working parents, that may result in future informational it is appropriate. The only real way to
may have in participating in meetings or development sessions. accomplish this task is to think that par-
and activities typically planned by edu- ents and educators are engaged in action
• Provide possible topics for future
cators based on school working hours. and that action must be united action.
meetings such as book selections for
A second issue is the difference between
students, math or other curriculum References
how students are expected to participate
and how it is taught in the U.S., par- Barrera, M. T., & Liu, K. K. (2008). Involving parents of English
in school and what teachers must do to language learners with disabilities through instructional dialogues.
ent expectations, and community Journal of Special Education Leadership, 19(1), 43–51. Retrieved
manage the teaching of increasingly di- from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.
resources, among others. jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ804080&ERICExt
verse students. In both cases, an impor- Search_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ804080
tant amount of problem solving must • Engage parents in school site deci- Goldstone, L., Liu, K., Hatten, J., Christensen, L., & Thurlow, M. (in press).
be engaged by parents and the various sion-making bodies that are often not Practitioner recommendations for improving the validity of assessment
results for ELLs with disabilities. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota,
educators involved with their children in well known among immigrant and National Center on Educational Outcomes.
order to overcome difficult barriers. linguistically diverse communities. Harry, B. (2008). Collaboration with culturally and linguistically diverse
families: Ideal versus reality. Exceptional Children, 74 (3), 372–388.
• Assign staff or designate teachers to Liu, K. K. & Barrera, M. T. (in press). Providing leadership to meet the
work on parent-school collaboration needs of ELLs with disabilities. Journal of Special Education Leadership.
Effective Approaches to Promote United Robinson, L., & Buly, M. R. (2007). Breaking the language barrier be-
on a periodic and rotational basis
Action – Educational Dialogues tween general and special educators. Teacher Education Quarterly, 83-95.
to spread the knowledge base of cur- Vang, H., & Barrera, M. T. (2005). Hmong parents’ perceptions on instruc-
tional strategies for educating their children with disabilities. Hmong
While much of the collaboration among rent parents and parent involvement Studies Journal, 5, 1–20. Retrieved from http://hmongstudies.com/
parents of ELLs with disabilities and expertise. VangandBarreraHSJ5.pdf
Waterman, R., & Harry, B. (2008). Building collaboration between
educators remains based on a paucity • Create parent educational develop- schools and parents of English language learners: Transcending barriers,
of and very generalized research (Harry, creating opportunities. Practitioner Brief (pp. 1–24). Tempe AZ: National
ment programs on topics such as fam- Center for Culturally Responsive Educational System. Retrieved from
2008), some very good ideas have been ily literacy, family-based mathematics http://nccrest.org/Briefs/PractitionerBrief_BuildingCollaboration.pdf
generated. Some schools and individual and science, as well how to engage in
educators have tried to implement parental volunteering. Manuel Barrera is an Associate Professor
them. In my own research with parents of Urban Education at Metropolitan State
• Establish specific parent advisory
over 10 years, a common observation University, St. Paul, Minnesota, and a
boards to strengthen community-
has been that parents welcome opportu- Research Associate with the National Center
based guidance for issues related to
nities not only to discuss the issues and on Educational Outcomes, University of
ELLs with disabilities.
needs of their children with disabilities Minnesota. He may be reached at
but are often very interested in “instruc- There is a rich resource for parent mbarrera@umn.edu or 651/999-5923.
tional dialogues” very similar to those involvement resident in virtually every
of educators in the field (Barrera & Liu, staff with ELLs in their schools: teacher
2008; Vang & Barrera, 2005). assistants and others involved in pa-
The National Center on Culturally rental advocacy or “cultural liaisons.”
Responsive Educational Systems Indeed, several parents in my research
(Waterman & Harry, 2008) has com- studies (Barrera & Liu, 2008; Vang &
piled important wisdom and practice for Barrera, 2005) reported that they took
28 How-To
Advocating for Your Child: Tips for Families of

by Lusa Lo
In the U.S., schools and families are Know Your Parental Rights the progress of their child. During these
considered as equal partners in the At the beginning of the IEP process, a meetings, parents should also ask about
education of children with disabilities. copy of the procedural safeguards notice the instructional strategies that are used
Families are expected to collaborate with is provided to the parents. Parents who in their child’s school since many of
schools and be actively involved in their are not fluent in English have the right these strategies are very different from
child’s life and academic career. This to obtain a copy of this document in what they have learned in their native
expectation can be foreign to many fami- their native language. This document country. Using the same instructional
lies who are new to the country because describes parents’ rights during the strategies at home can make sure that
schools may be considered as authority special education process and important their children are not confused. Often,
figures who know best. In addition, the timelines of the process. For instance, these strategies can be used in their
lengthy and complicated special educa- parents have the right to request an native language.
tion process in the U.S. can be over- independent educational evaluation
whelming to many families of students of their child if they disagree with the Seek Support from the Community
with disabilities. This article offers fami- evaluation of their child done by the
lies of students who are English language school. If parents are unclear about any Parents should not solely rely on schools
learners with disabilities some sugges- of the information in the document, for resources and supports. Due to the
tions to help them become involved in they should contact the special educa- budget constraints, many schools do
the education process as their childrens’ tion coordinator at the school and ask not have the resources and staff mem-
advocates and decision-makers. for clarification. bers to provide parents with the types
of support they need. Parents should
consider seeking support from com-
Be Proactive Keep Good Records munity organizations. There is at least
When a student has a diagnosed dis- Each year, parents of students who are one Parent Training and Information
ability, the school is required to form an English language learners with disabili- Center in each state. Some states also
Individualized Education Program (IEP) ties receive a huge amount of written have Community Parent Resource Cen-
team. This team includes parents, their documents from schools, govern- ters that focus on reaching underserved
child (if applicable), and professionals, ment agencies, and physicians. These families of children with disabilities,
such as special educators, a speech and documents can include IEPs, evaluation such as families that are low income or
language pathologist, an occupational reports from schools and specialists, whose first language is not English (see
therapist, a physical therapist, and a progress reports, communication logs, http://www.parentcenternetwork.org
psychologist. The child’s first IEP meet- and medical records in English and for more information). All these centers
ing can be very overwhelming to many translated versions. These are important receive federal funding and are required
parents, since all the professionals will documents that parents must maintain, to support families of children with dis-
share their child’s evaluation results and since many of them can be difficult to abilities, such as offering parent educa-
discuss the types of services their child recover or recreate. Organizing these tion workshops and providing advocacy
should receive during the year. If the records by types and dates will enable in IEP meetings. For parents of students
school does not meet with parents and parents to search for information easily. who are English language learners with
explain the IEP process to them prior to disabilities, many of the centers have
the meeting, parents are encouraged to information about local parent sup-
request this meeting, with interpretation Go Beyond IEP Meetings port groups where parents can connect
support. Parents are part of their child’s A student’s IEP team is required to meet with other parents who speak the same
IEP team. They have the right to under- annually to discuss the progress the stu- language and have children with similar
stand the process and be prepared. At dent has made throughout the year and disabilities. Most of the center services
this pre-IEP meeting, parents should be if changes should be made in the pro- are free or low cost.
able to find out information, such as the vided special education services. In addi- Lusa Lo is Associate Professor and Gradu-
purpose of the IEP meeting, their role in tion to the annual IEP meetings, parents ate Program Director of Special Education,
the IEP team, what will be discussed at can request to meet with the team any University of Massachusetts, Boston. She
the IEP meeting, and who they can bring time during the year and learn about may be reached at lusa.lo@umb.edu.
to the meeting.
How-To 29
Planning for the Successful Transition From School

to Adulthood for ELLs with Disabilities
by Hyejung Kim
The growing number of English language Removing Postsecondary Barriers Isolation negatively impacts obtaining
learners (ELLs) with special education Using disability services in adulthood re- and maintaining postsecondary degrees
needs in American schools is creating quires families and youth to understand and jobs. To increase social inclusion for
an increasing need to prepare these stu- processes and eligibility requirements ELLs with disabilities, transition plan-
dents for the transition from school to that differ from entitlement programs in ning teams should:
adulthood. Legislative efforts addressing special education. Postsecondary educa- • Provide opportunities for the student
the rights of students with special edu- tion can improve adolescents’ quality to gain experience in the community.
cation needs have led to great progress of life, but attaining this goal requires • Provide instruction on using commu-
in postsecondary outcomes. However, college preparatory academics, goal nity transportation, recreation, and
youth with disabilities, their families, setting, understanding of application enrichment resources, coupled with
and educators continue to face numerous processes, and so forth (Hart, Grigal, & English language use and community
challenges during the transition process. Weir, 2010). Goals for postsecondary bilingual resources.
For ELLs with disabilities there are some education must be established early. The
additional unique challenges. recommended practices include: • Arrange for mentorship from the
adult bilingual community.
• Provide language support for
Bilingualism and Academic Performance adolescent ELLs with disabilities and Additionally, some ELLs with dis-
engage them in inclusive settings. abilities confront challenges to accessing
Research has repeatedly found that in- postsecondary services because citizen-
struction in a student’s native language • Inform the students and their fami-
lies about available postsecondary ship documentation, in addition to Eng-
assists second language acquisition and lish language fluency, may be necessary
academic achievement. However, sev- education resources for gaining infor-
mation about processes and language preconditions (Trainor, 2010). Acknowl-
eral states have passed initiatives that edging the potential challenges is the first
limit educational support for bilingual accommodations.
step in addressing these obstacles.
programs. These sorts of initiatives chal- To make informed decisions about
lenge ELLs and their families who seek work, ELLs with disabilities and their
support for bilingual education in order families need to know eligibility for Conclusion
to increase postsecondary opportunities. vocational services. The federal Benefits Although ELLs with disabilities face great
Bilingual education needs are further Planning, Assistance, and Outreach challenges in the transition process, the
complicated by disability status. Initiative aims to address barriers along outcomes can be significantly improved
Educators should consider bilingual- with the Ticket to Work and Work through the above efforts. Providing
ism as a strength of youth with disabili- Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. support for this population includes
ties, and consider the doing the following These initiatives help youth and fami- responding to bilingual strengths and
during transition planning: lies make informed choices regarding needs, sharing information about dis-
• Make sure that family members’ com- gaining and maintaining employment ability services for adults, planning for
munication regarding postsecondary (Brooke et al., 2012). To support move- the future in culturally responsive ways,
goals for their children is supported ment to postsecondary employment for and providing social skill interventions.
through interpreters or community ELLs with disabilities schools should: References
liaisons, avoid using jargon, and pro- • Ensure that teachers, transition Brooke, V., Revell, W. G., McDonough, J., & Green H. (2012) Transition
planning and community resources: Bringing it all together. In Wehman, P.
vide materials in their home language. specialists, youth and their families (Ed.), Life beyond the classroom: Transition strategies for young people with
disabilities (pp. 143-171). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.
• Invite other family members, as well understand the vocational supports Hart, D., Grigal, M., & Weir, C. (2010). Expanding the paradigm: Postsec-
as parents, to participate in transition available to ELLs with disabilities. ondary education options for individuals with autism spectrum disorder
and intellectual disabilities. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental
planning for an increased understand- • Invite members of the state vocational Disabilities, 25, 134-150.
ing of the student’s bilingualism as it rehabilitation agency to IEP meetings. Trainor, A. A. (2010). Reexamining the promise of parent participation in
special education: An analysis of cultural and social capital. Anthropology
intertwines with special needs. Leaving the school community intro- & Education Quarterly, 41, 245-263.
• Use in-depth interviewing with the duces change. ELLs with special educa- Hyejung Kim is a Doctoral Student, Depart-
student and their family to under- tion needs may experience social isola- ment of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special
stand diverse beliefs and values in tion in new contexts, and this may be Education, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
relation to the student’s future. compounded by linguistic differences. She may be reached at hkim388@wisc.edu.
30 How-To
English Language Learners with Disabilities:

What School Professionals Need to Know and Do
by Lusa Lo
As our U.S. population continues to get often used. However, the validity of the disabilities, their parental rights, how
more diverse, the number of English obtained evaluation data is a concern. they should be involved in the process,
language learners (ELLs) with disabili- There is an urgent need for universities and where to obtain resources to sup-
ties continues to grow. There is a need and school districts to collaborate to report their children. Professionals should
for schools to pay special attention to cruit, prepare, and retain culturally and take the time to explain each step of
this particular group within the student linguistically diverse teachers and spe- the IEP process to families of ELLs with
population. cialists. These professionals not only can disabilities (Lo, 2012a). Further, schools
ensure that fair and nondiscriminatory should partner with community organi-
ELL Training for Pre- and Inservice Teachers evaluations are conducted, but also pro- zations and organize parent education
vide primary language supports to ELLs workshops in their native languages so
Effective and knowledgeable teachers with disabilities. They can also ensure parents can learn how to serve as their
make an important difference in the that the special education team considers children’s advocates (Lo, 2012b).
academic careers of our students. While the cultural values and beliefs of the stu-
colleges and universities prepare most of dents and their parents when developing
the pre-service teachers each year, not all Qualified Translators and Interpreters
the special education program.
state-approved programs include course- Translators and interpreters are often
work that focuses on the pedagogy of used to bridge the communication gap
teaching ELLs. Students who are acquir- Multiple Evaluation Methods
between schools and linguistically di-
ing English language skills may appear to While nondiscriminatory evaluation verse families of ELLs with disabilities.
be experiencing a language delay or learn- tools are needed to assess ELLs, school However, many of these individuals
ing difficulty. Teachers who do not have professionals should use a variety of have never been formally trained to
sufficient knowledge and skills about assessment methods. When choosing a provide quality translation and interpre-
second language acquisition may misin- formal test, educators must review the tation. Many are also unfamiliar with
terpret this performance as a disability. examiner and technical manual carefully the field of special education. When a
Unnecessary special education referrals to ensure that: (1) the test is reliable and large amount of terminology is used
may have been made prior to implement- valid; (2) the test items and testing pro- during IEP meetings and in IEP docu-
ing proper interventions. A variety of cedures are unbiased; and (3) the norm ments, these unqualified translators
instructional strategies must be used sample of the test reflects the cultural and interpreters may not know how to
when working with ELLs. States should and linguistic background of the stu- translate and interpret. There is a need
consider requiring an endorsement in dents. Although valid and reliable formal for schools to train pools of translators
Structured English Immersion for all data are useful, informal assessment and interpreters to ensure the quality of
certified teachers and principals. data are also crucial. The administration their services. Additionally, a glossary of
procedures of informal assessments are terms commonly used in special educa-
Linguistically Diverse Professionals much more flexible than formal assess- tion should be provided to them.
ments. In addition, professionals can References
When ELLs are being evaluated for spe- frequently and quickly assess their ELLs’ Coopersmith, J. (2009). Characteristics of public, private, and Bureau of
Indian Education elementary and secondary school teachers in the United
cial education services, the IDEA 2004 performance in more natural settings. States: Results from the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (NCES 2009-
requires that evaluations be conducted 324). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute
of Education.
in the language most likely to obtain ac- Lo, L. (2009). Perceptions of Asian immigrant families of children
curate information on what the students Parent Education with disabilities towards parental involvement. In R. E. C. C. Park, New
perspectives on Asian American parents, students, and teacher recruitment
know and can do. In other words, stu- Research consistently suggests that many (pp. 1-24). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
dents whose dominant language is not immigrant families of children with dis- Lo, L. (2012a). Demystifying the IEP process for diverse parents of chil-
dren with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44, 14-20.
English should be evaluated in their na- abilities are confused with the special Lo, L. (2012b). Preparing Chinese immigrant parents of children with
tive language. Unfortunately, only 16% of education process in the U.S. and need disabilities to be school partners. In A. Honigsfeld & A. Cohan (Eds.),
Breaking the mold of education for culturally and linguistically diverse
school professionals are from diverse cul- guidance and support (Lo, 2009). Some students (pp. 95-102). Lanham, MD: R & L Education.
tures (Coopersmith, 2009), and an even may misunderstand the purpose of special Lusa Lo is Associate Professor and Gradu-
smaller number of them have special education services as additional support ate Program Director of Special Education,
education training. When bilingual evalu- for their children. These parents need University of Massachusetts, Boston. She
ators are unavailable, interpreters are information regarding their children’s may be reached at lusa.lo@umb.edu.
Overview 31
English Learners with Disabilities and

Charter Schools: The Principal Perspective
by Peggy McLeod
In 2002, the National Council of La Raza learning English language skills from the their schools. A common thread running
(NCLR), the largest national Hispanic existence of a language-based disability. through the stories was the willingness
civil rights and advocacy organization However, one of the principals indicated of all school staff to hold these students
in the U.S., established a network of 115 that this situation has improved in the to the same high expectations as all other
charter schools that serve majority Latino last few years because assessment pro- students, and to provide the extra sup-
students and high percentages of English cedures have become more accurate. port they needed to graduate from high
learners (ELs). These schools were estab- The special education team in one of school and continue with postsecond-
lished specifically to improve educational the schools uses the student’s native lan- ary education. One EL student wanted
outcomes for Latino children and for ELs guage to assess if the student needs ad- to drop out during her sophomore year
who were not successful in traditional ditional support outside EL services. An- because she struggled with a writing dis-
public schools. As publicly-funded enti- other principal believes charter schools ability. However, after putting in place
ties, the schools have an obligation to have an edge over traditional public supports for writing in all of her classes,
follow all federal civil rights legislation, schools in identifying ELs with disabili- she is now in her senior year, will gradu-
including the Individuals with Disabili- ties because their small size allows for ate on time, and will attend a community
ties Education Act. recognition of indicators of a disability college. A student who is an EL with a
NCLR schools have been successful in much earlier. All three principals report- disability at another school was far be-
serving ELs, as indicated by their average ed they are in the process of developing a hind in completing the core high school
higher academic proficiency rates and Response to Intervention framework that credits. A senior, the school staff provid-
higher graduation rates. To learn more will lead to more accurate identification ed independent studies that allowed him
about the challenges and successes of of ELs with disabilities. to gain the necessary credits. That extra
some of these schools in serving ELs with help, together with online courses, will
disabilities, principals of three high-per- allow him to graduate this year on time
Challenges Serving ELs with Disabilities
forming high schools were interviewed: and enroll in community college next fall.
Ed Mendez of Alta Vista Public Charter All the principals stated that a lack of Finally, the lack of funds experienced
School in Kansas City, Missouri; Ricardo funds is the major issue in providing by these charter schools due to their
Robles of Luz Guerrero Early College services to ELs with disabilities. For ex- small size has also led them to use all
High School in Tucson, Arizona; and ample, one school is able to employ only their internal and external supports to
Carlos Rodriguez of Houston Gateway four special education staff, of which serve ELs with disabilities. Internally,
Academy in Houston, Texas. only one is a credentialed special educa- they approach the education of ELs with
tion teacher. However, this shortage of disabilities as a shared responsibility
special education staff has also led that across all staff. Externally, they supple-
Challenges Identifying ELs with Disabilities
school to integrate students with disabili- ment what they offer by creating partner-
As local educational agencies and, ties into regular education classrooms. ships with outside organizations and pro-
therefore, not part of traditional school One principal indicated his school’s grams. Thus the nimbleness from their
districts, these three schools are respon- biggest challenge has been getting teach- small size allows them to “put everything
sible for all aspects of special education ers to implement the accommodations in place for the kids” and gives them the
programming, from initial identification on students’ Individualized Education needed flexibility to ensure that ELs with
to the provision of appropriate services. Programs (IEPs) throughout the instruc- disabilities graduate ready for postsec-
The schools vary in the percentage of tional day, rather than just during assess- ondary education and careers.
students with disabilities: 4% at Houston ments. This challenge has been met by
Gateway, 5.5% at Alta Vista, and 14% at having the school’s special education di- Peggy McLeod is an Educational Consultant
Luz Guerrero. The schools tend to have rector provide professional development with NCLR in Washington, DC. She may be
students with mild to moderate disabili- on accommodation and modifications. reached at pmcleod@nclr.org. To learn more
ties, including learning disabilities and about the NCLR charter school initiative
Autism Spectrum Disorders. and the schools profiled here visit http://
Success Stories
Among the challenges named by the www.nclr.org/index.php/issues_and_
principals in identifying ELs with dis- The three principals were asked about programs/education/.
abilities is distinguishing the process of success stories of ELs with disabilities in
32 Continuation
[Sanjur, continued from page 1]

expected Patxi to communicate with he would have greater access to the something Patxi needs to acquire new
his extended family. Coming from a curriculum with the concentrated sup- material. Also the presentation of in-
bilingual upbringing, we understood the port available in this setting. Patxi would formation in diverse arts-infused forms
cognitive advantages this choice could lose a language in order to get services. afforded him non-threatening access to
provide our son. Language was not up Patxi’s co-taught class underwent six the curriculum. But, the major success
for negotiation. staff changes. The inconsistency ampli- in reaching Patxi is the wholehearted
We sought professionals who re- fied negative behaviors and he became belief in the FloortimeTM child-centered
spected our choice and would work with self-aggressive. A placement that had approach.
us on our terms. And Patxi flourished. not been fully developed, staffed, or His case manager, Hannah Schedrick,
He was an engaged, emotionally con- conceptualized had huge repercussions calls it a humanistic and holistic ap-
nected infant with speech delays who for Patxi. He donned a coping attitude, proach whose emphasis on the emo-
responded with basic signs to requests which we called his “stoic mask:” non- tional connection to each student is
in both Spanish and English. His first verbal, glaze-eyed, non-compliant, and paramount. It was fundamental that
words were in Spanish, but he was when challenged too far, disruptive, or Patxi feel not only comfortable in his en-
cognizant of the other languages in his combative. vironment, but also feel that his choices
world. His awareness of languages was Independently we researched other were valued and heard. When given
built around the relationships he had avenues to access learning. Then we ownership of his school day, Patxi felt
with his important people. He played started FloortimeTM sessions at a therapy safe and nurtured, and he was able to
with his father in English, addressed my center and, almost immediately, we take ownership of his learning.
parents in Spanish, and babbled Tagalog saw increased interaction and commu- The classroom assistant, Katherine
sounds with my mother-in-law. nication. FloortimeTM meets children Johnson, described the first month of
This came to an abrupt halt when where they are and builds upon their school as “setting the stage.” The day
he started school. We struggled in the strengths and abilities. During each would start out with transition time
first private preschool, but he advanced. session you follow the child’s interests, in the sensory room. He was allowed
At three, he started to read a few sight strengthen an emotional connection, sensory time as well a flexible schedule
words and recognized consonant-vowel- and then challenge the child to be more to acclimate, and his teachers used this
consonant word patterns. Then he creative, which promotes intellectual time to learn his strengths and individu-
stopped. Stopped learning, stopped con- and emotional development (see http:// alize instruction to his learning style.
necting, stopped communicating, and www.stanleygreenspan.com/about- Music and movement have always
the anxiety started. His first two private floortime/). been favorite activities for him. So,
preschools failed to meet his needs; he Coincidentally, at that time we also songs are built into his day, with pro-
attended the special education public learned of Creative Minds International prioceptive activities for awareness of
preschool, then two special education Public Charter School (CMI), a newly his body positions (for example, jump-
kindergarten classes. By age five he had chartered school in Washington D.C. ing on a trampoline) and vestibular
been to five schools. Displaying signifi- that intended to apply FloortimeTM to activities for awareness of movement
cant regression, he didn’t connect to its program and that was opening in fall and direction (for example, swinging)
peers and had lost interest in learning. 2012. CMI’s mission is “to offer students to help him regulate as well as address
The school assessments were devastat- a rigorous education plan that provides several of his needs. Songs help with
ing, especially the psychological evalu- them with the skills required for suc- memorization, sequencing, articula-
ations, casting doubt on what I knew as cessful participation in a global society” tion, turn taking, and creativity. He is
Patxi’s mother. I admit, it got to me and (see http://www.creativemindspcs.org). encouraged to create his own version
I stopped speaking to him in Spanish. CMI was designed to be inclusive while of songs that address problem solving,
In his second kindergarten year, we implementing the International Primary practice shared attention, and challenge
insisted on inclusive time in the school’s Curriculum, which uses 6-8 week curric- him verbally. He displayed more inter-
dual language program. One hour a day ulum units that are thematic and com- est in reading when his favorite books
in that setting sparked his interest. How- bine several subjects in project-based, from home were used to teach literacy.
ever, Patxi was removed from the dual art-infused activities, with language He comes home with projects collabora-
language program after his first grade instruction and cultural awareness inter- tively created at school.
year. The IEP team’s decision to change woven into the curriculum. In addition, Patxi receives language
his placement from a dual language We uprooted from our Virginia instruction three days a week. Maria
classroom to a co-taught classroom suburb and enrolled Patxi in CMI to Alejandra Rivas, the Spanish and drama
(an English-only setting with a general great success. The thematic units extend teacher, quickly understood that Span-
education teacher and a special educa- instruction of subject matter, which ish was an area of strength for him to
tion teacher) drew on the belief that provides more repetition and review – draw from. She perceived it as not just
Continuation 33
a comforting reminder of home, but • Recognize that descriptions of popu- rapidly. Educators and policymakers
also a place where he can shine and feel lations of ELLs with disabilities vary must be flexible and willing to rethink
confident among his peers. Spanish- across states and programs, depend- decisions based upon changing circum-
speaking adults at school speak Spanish ing on who is identifying the size of stances and emerging information.
to him throughout his day. Finally, true the group and for what purpose. No
home/school collaboration and com- one source of information captures Notes
1
munication exists with additional sup- The term ELL is just one of many terms used by educators to refer
all of the relevant information on stu- to these students. Others include: English learners (ELs), used by the
port through school-produced blogs and dents. Each state is unique in the size federal Office of English Language Acquisition and many ESL or bilingual
programs funded by that office; and Limited English Proficient (LEP),
newsletters full of curriculum informa- and make-up of the population of used by the Office of Special Education Programs. There are also terms for
related groups such as Language Minority (LM) or Persons with a Home
tion, materials for home, and pictures ELLs with disabilities, the prevalence Language Other than English (PHLOTE) students – for those who have a
and videos of the school day. of particular home languages, and home language that is not English but who may not have limited English
proficiency – and terms like Formerly English Proficient (FEP) to refer to
For the first time in his young life my other factors relevant to providing students who have exited ESL services but are still being monitored for
their academic success. Not all terms are equivalent.
son enjoys school. And he can tell me appropriate supports and services 2
See https://www.ideadata.org/PartBData.asp, Part B Data and Notes,
about his day, and has made meaning- for students and families. It may be Child Count Data.
3
ful human connections outside of his necessary to piece together a knowl- To calculate the percentage of ELLs we divided the total number of ELLs
that states reported in 2009-2010 Consolidated State Performance Reports
family. Every day his communication edge base from multiple sources of (available at http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/consolidated/
sy09-10part1/index.html) by their projected total enrollment using
becomes more descriptive and engaged. information, but this must be done projected growth rates for Fall 2009 published in the Digest of Education
He is willing to challenge himself. I see Statistics (Table 34 available at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/
cautiously. tables/dt09_034.asp).
the boy I knew and I speak to him in • Plan for student and family sup- 4
Based on data compiled from 2009-2010 Consolidated State Perfor-
Spanish again. mance Reports (available at http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/
ports and services that meet the consolidated/sy09-10part1/index.html).
needs of the particular population in References
Monica Sanjur and her family live in your area. Having targeted services Bailey, A. & Kelly, K. (2010). The use and validity of home language
Washington, D.C. She may be reached at and supports that meet the needs
surveys in state English language proficiency assessment systems: A review
and issues perspective. Project deliverable for the Evaluating the Validity
misarango@verizon.net. of a particular language group, for of English Language Proficiency assessments (EVEA) grant project of the
Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction, State of Washington.
example, will require staff who are White paper published at http://www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/
grants/nclb/title_iii/white-paper-2010.pdf
knowledgeable about the charac- Boyle, A., Taylor, J., Hurlburt, S., & Soga, K. (2010). Title III
[Watkins and Liu, continued from page 3] teristics and needs of students and accountability: Behind the numbers. (Evaluation brief). Washington, DC:
American Institutes for Research. Retrieved from http://www.air.org/
families from that group. Developing files/Title_III_Behind_the_Numbers_043010.pdf
and services for ELLs with disabilities this type of knowledge in staff will Data Accountability Center (2013a). Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) data [data tables for OSEP state reported data]. Retrieved from
and their families: require specialized staff recruit- https://www.ideadata.org/tables33rd/ar_1-9.pdf
• Understand that if you serve ELLs or ment and training efforts within a Data Accountability Center (2013b). Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) data [data tables for OSEP state reported data]. Retrieved from
students with disabilities, you most school or organization serving indi- https://www.ideadata.org/tables33rd/ar_1-7.pdf
likely serve ELLs with disabilities. viduals with disabilities. Outreach Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education (2013). Civil
rights data collection [2006 national and state estimations: Projected
These students are a part of both materials will be needed in both the values for the nation]. Retrieved from http://ocrdata.ed.gov/
StateNationalEstimations/projections_2006
groups, but may have needs that are languages and preferred media of Zehler, A., Fleischman, H., Hopstock, P., Stephenson, T., Pendzick, M., &
different from either due to the inter- the local population. For example, Sapru, S. (2003). Descriptive study of services to LEP students and LEP stu-
dents with disabilities (Vol. 4). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Edu-
action of students’ disabilities and some groups may be more likely to cation, Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement,
access information via DVDs or local and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students.
second-language learning processes.
television while others prefer print
• Keep in mind that the labels applied Elizabeth Watkins is ELL and Minority
information. Organizations should
to students are not sufficient to Issues Specialist, Special Education Policy
also be prepared for periodic shifts
describe students’ characteristics. Section, Special Education Division,
in the language and cultural groups
Because there is a great deal of vari- Minnesota Department of Education,
requiring services, due to changes
ability in the population of ELLs with St. Paul. She may be reached at elizabeth.
that occur at the local, national and
disabilities, educators and service watkins@state.mn.us or 651/582-8678.
international level.
providers must look beyond the Kristin Kline Liu is Senior Research Fellow
group name and develop appropri- • Know that there will be ongoing
at the National Center on Educational Out-
ate ways to understand the complex issues and challenges in appropriately
comes, Institute on Community Integration,
characteristics of the students they identifying and serving ELLs with dis-
University of Minnesota. She may be reached
serve. They should be sensitive to abilities in schools. The needs of
at kline010@umn.edu or 612/626-9061.
within-group variation and to changes ELL families will fluctuate over time,
in group characteristics due to accul- particularly with newly arriving
turation that occurs over time. groups. Research in the field of ELL
special education is also evolving
34 Continuation
[Castellón and Warren, continued from page 11] [Tyler and García, continued from page 21]
facilitate this, educators and adminis-
1. What accommodations are used Conclusion
by the student during instruction trators need to consider the impact of
and assessments? their policies, resources, and practices. In summary, we have offered an integra-
Resources described in this article and tive framework for addressing students’
2. What are the results of classroom developed by the National Center on educational needs in ways that are re-
assignments and assessments when Educational Outcomes and the CCSSO sponsive to their disability in the context
accommodations are used versus State Collaboratives on English Lan- of their socio-cultural and linguistic iden-
when accommodations are not used? guage Learners and Assessing Special tities. To provide this kind of integrated
If a student did not meet the ex- Education Students offer districts and instruction, teachers must receive the
pected level of performance, is it due schools valuable tools to facilitate their support of their school administrators,
to not having access to the necessary journey to provide ELLs with disabilities who can ensure that the necessary tools,
instruction, not receiving the accom- access to instruction that will help to time, and access to resources are avail-
modations, or using accommoda- bridge opportunity-to-learn gaps and able to support collaboration and shar-
tions was ineffective? navigate the assessment experience. ing of diverse areas of expertise across
3. What is the student’s perception programs and teachers. Accountability
of how well the accommodation References for the success of all students requires no
worked? Council of Chief State School Officers (in press). Accommodations less, if we are to ensure that no child is
manual: How to select, administer, and evaluate use of accommodations
4. What combinations of accommo- for instruction and assessment of English language learners with dis- left behind.
abilities (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Assessing Special Education Students
dations seem to be effective? and English Language Learners State Collaboratives on Assessment and
Student Standards, Council of Chief State School Officers. References
5. What are the difficulties encoun- National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Aud, S., Hussar, W., Johnson, F., Kena, G., Roth, E., Manning, E., Wang, X.,
& Zhang, J. (2012). The condition of education 2012 (NCES 2012-045).
tered in the use of accommodations? Chief State School Officers. (2010a). Common Core State Standards for
English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
technical subjects. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/assets/ Education Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch
6. What are the perceptions of teach- CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf Cloud, N. (2002). Culturally and linguistically responsive instructional
ers and others about how the accom- National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of planning. In A. J. Artiles & A. A. Ortiz (Eds.), English language learners
Chief State School Officers. (2010b). Common Core State Standards for with special needs: Identification, placement and instruction (pp.107-132).
modation appears to be working? mathematics. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/assets/ Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdf Collier, V. P. (1995). Acquiring a second language for school. Directions
In addition to identifying the “right” Quinn, H., Cheuk, T., & Castellón, M. (2012). Understanding language: in Language & Education, 1(4). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
No. ED394301) Retrieved from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/rcd/
questions to ask at the “right” time, it Challenges and opportunities for language learning in the context of
Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards: BE020668/Acquiring_a_Second_Language__.pdf
is important to have the “right” people Conference overview paper. Retrieved from http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/ García, S. B., & Tyler, B.-J. (2010). Meeting the needs of English language
default/files/Conference%20Summary_0.pdf learners with learning disabilities in the general curriculum. Theory into
involved in the evaluation process. For Practice, 49(2), 113-120.
district and school level discussions, in- Hock, M. F., Brasseur, I. F., Deshler, D. D., Catts, H. W., Marquis, J. G., Mark,
dividuals charged with policy decisions Martha Inez Castellón is Executive Director C. A., & Stribling, J. W. (2009). What is the reading component skill profile
of adolescent struggling readers in urban schools? Learning Disability
regarding curriculum and instruction, of the Understanding Language Initiative Quarterly, 32(1), 21-38.
assessment, and student performance at Stanford University. She is also co- Hollins, E. (2008). Culture in school learning: Revealing the deep meaning
(2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
should be involved. When consider- advisor for the English Language Learner Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act, 20 U.S.C. §
ing effectiveness on the student level, State Collaborative on Assessment and 1400 (2004).
Mueller, T., Singer, G., & Carranza, F. (2006). A national survey of the
members of the student’s ELL/IEP Student Standards at the Council of Chief educational planning and language instruction practices for students
team(s) should be involved. The manual State School Officers (ELL SCASS). She with moderate to severe disabilities who are English Language Learners.
Research & Practices for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 31(3), 242-254.
includes adaptable forms/tools that can may be reached at mcastel@stanford.edu Salend, S. J. (2008). Creating inclusive classrooms: Effective and reflective
be used to gather information from the or 650/725-3740. Sandra Hopfengardner practices (6th ed.) (pp. 108-148). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Shippen, M. E., Houchins, D. E., Steventon, C., & Sartor, D. L. (2005). A
student, teacher(s) and team members, Warren is on the faculty of East Carolina comparison of two direct instruction reading programs for urban middle
and school/district administrators. University, Greenville, North Carolina, and school students. Remedial and Special Education, 26, 175–182.
facilitates the Assessing Special Education

Students State Collaborative on Assess- Brenda-Jean Tyler is Assistant Professor,
Conclusion ment and Student Standards at the Coun- School of Teacher Education and Leader-
Earlier in this article, we discussed the cil of Chief State School Officers (ASES ship–Special Education, Radford University,
impact of Common Core State Stan- SCASS CCSSO). She may be reached Radford, Virginia. She may be reached at
dards on all learners – and in particular, at sandra_h_warren@hotmail.com or bjtyler@radford.edu or 540/831-5868.
English language learners with dis- 252/258-9819. Shernaz B. García is Associate Professor
abilities. Use of accommodations is one Emeritus, Department of Special Education,
critical way of offering these students at the University of Texas at Austin.
increased access to sophisticated con-
tent and “...a high level of discourse in
classrooms across all subject areas.” To
Continuation 35
[Kronberg, continued from page 13]

the use of sound educational practices • Does the administration provide cul-
who is not yet at independent mastery of
will benefit all students. Collaboration tural immersion events and reading
a task or skill. Scaffolded supports can
among practitioners who have different lists/book groups for all staff?
include such things as modeling, writ-
skills and knowledge, defensible imple-
ten organizers or templates, and verbal
mentation of educational practices, and
coaching. Collaborative peer instruction Final Thoughts
ongoing formative and summative as-
includes a variety of means through
sessment of student growth and instruc- At first glance, gathering the above in-
which students formally and informally
tional effectiveness are imperative as we formation may seem overwhelming to
interact around instructional tasks. A
continue to explore the intersection be- a busy teacher. Yet, when ELL students
teacher who has a thorough knowledge
tween differentiated instruction and the struggle, it is imperative that their teach-
of his or her students might differentiate
achievement of ELLs with disabilities. ers understand their backgrounds in or-
a writing lesson by providing a framed
paragraph (scaffolding) for students References der to plan instruction that is responsive
needing guided writing support while en- Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2004). Making content comprehen- to their unique needs. Once we deliver
sible for English learners (2nd ed). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
couraging other students to examine in- Fairbairn, S., & Jones-Vo, S. (2010). Differentiating instruction and assess-
appropriate instruction we can collect
depth writing samples to determine writ- ment for English language learners. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing. data on a student’s response to rigorous
er style and voice. All students may end Tomlinson, C., Brimijoin, K., & Narvaez, L. (2008). The differentiated
school. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
instruction. If the student shows good
the lesson by working in small groups to Development. growth, we can monitor to ensure the
share their insights as writers. growth continues. On the other hand, if
Delivering information to ELLs with Robi Kronberg is an Educational Con- after providing effective instruction in
disabilities must enhance student com- sultant who works with school districts targeted areas that student shows mini-
prehension. The literature on teaching throughout the U.S. Her areas of focus in- mal or no growth, a team that includes
both ELLs and students with disabilities clude differentiated instruction, co-teaching an ELL specialist can discuss the need
consistently encourages teachers to pres- and collaboration, and inclusion. She may for further evaluation. This will also en-
ent information slowly and succinctly, be reached at rmkronberg@aol.com or at sure that all children truly receive a free
chunk information into manageable pieces, 720/339-6066. and appropriate education in the least
allow for wait time, build-in checks for restrictive environment and will achieve
student understanding, and provide to their potential. In the end, we all ben-
opportunities for students to relate the [Brown, continued from page 15] efit when education is truly an equalizer.
content to prior knowledge and experi- References
ences. The use of sheltered instruction, a examples of questions to pose regarding Durgunoglu, A.Y. (2002). Cross-linguistic transfer in literacy develop-
methodology developed for ELLs that your system: ment and Implications for language learners. Annals of Dyslexia, 52,
189-204.
addresses both language and content in- • Have you ever conducted home vis- Giambo, D., & Szecsi, T. (2005). Opening up to issues: Preparing preser-
struction, specifically addresses the need its? If not, what are the barriers and vice teachers to work effectively with English language learners.
Childhood Education, 82(2), 107-110.
for teachers to repeat and restate instruc- how can they be overcome? Goldenberg, C. (2008). Teaching English language learners: What the
tion; slow the rate of delivery; provide • Does your school have a community
research does –and does not – say. American Educator, 32(2), 8-42.
Individuals with Disabilities Educational Improvement Act, 20 U.S.C. §
visual references, physical gestures and liaison/broker who is bilingual and 1400 et. seq. (2004).
realia to increase student understanding bicultural to allow parents to com- Kohnert, K. (2008). Language disorders in bilingual children and adults.
San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing.
of spoken and written words; simplify municate with administration and National Center on Response to Intervention. (March, 2010). Essential
the use of complex language; and use teaching staff? components of RTI – A closer look at Response to Intervention.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Educa-
high-frequency words (Echevarria, Vogt, tion Programs.
• Do parents feel welcome at the
& Short, 2004). Fortunately, there is am- Orozco, M.J., & Klingner, J.K. (2010). One school’s implementation of RTI
school when they enter the door? with English language learners: “Referring into RTI.” Journal of Learning
ple evidence to suggest that these same Disabilities, 43(3), 269-288.
strategies benefit not only students with • How effective is the front desk staff Sanford, A.K., Brown, J.E., & Turner, M. (2012). Enhancing instruction for
disabilities and ELLs, but can support all at welcoming diverse families? Does English learners in response to intervention systems: The PLUSS model.
Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, 13(1), 1-15.
students in successfully accessing grade the office staff need professional Sleeter, C.E. (2012). Confronting the marginalization of culturally
level curriculum and instruction. development opportunities? responsive pedagogy. Urban Education, 47(3), 562-584.
• Does your school have a parent group

for families whose primary language Julie Esparza Brown is an Assistant Profes-
Conclusion
is not English? Does this group have sor in the Department of Special Educa-
The literature on the use of differenti- a voice in school decisions? tion, Graduate School of Education, at
ated instruction with English language • Does the curriculum include assign- Portland State University, Portland,
learners who have disabilities is limited. ments that allow students to share Oregon. She may be reached at jebrown@
However, there is clear consensus that their own history and culture? pdx.edu or 503/725-4696.
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Impact
In This Issue... Feature Issue on Educating K-12 English Language
Learners with Disabilities
Volume 26 · Number 1· Winter/Spring 2013
• Who Are English Language Learners with Disabilities? Managing Editor: Vicki Gaylord
• The Present and Future of Bilingual/ESL Issue Editors:
Kristin Kline Liu, National Center on Educational
Special Education Outcomes, Institute on Community Integration,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
• The Legal Obligations of Education Systems to Serve Elizabeth Watkins, Minnesota Department of
English Learners with Disabilities Education, St. Paul
Delia Pompa and Peggy McLeod, National Council of
• The Common Core Standards and English Language La Raza, Washington, DC
Learners with Disabilities Judy Elliott, Consultant, Tampa, Florida
• Accommodations Considerations for English Impact is published by the Institute on Community

Integration (UCEDD), and the Research and Training
Language Learners with Disabilities Center on Community Living and Employment (RTC),
College of Education and Human Development, University
• Utilizing Differentiated Instruction for English of Minnesota. This issue was supported, in part, by Grant
#90DD0654 from the Administration on Developmental
Language Learners with Disabilities Disabilities (ADD), US Department of Health and Human
Services to the Institute; and Grant #H133B080005 from
• Considerations for Including English Language the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR), US Department of Education, to the RTC.
Learners in a Response to Intervention System The views expressed are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Institute, Center or
• The Roles of Interpreters and Speech-Language University. The content does not necessarily represent the
Pathologists for ELLs with Disabilities policy of the US Department of Education or the US
Department of Health and Human Services, and endorse-
• Advocating for Your Child: Tips for Families of ment by the Federal Government should not be assumed.
English Language Learners with Disabilities For additional copies contact: Institute on Community
Integration, University of Minnesota, 109 Pattee Hall,
150 Pillsbury Dr. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
• And more... 612/624-4512 • icipub@umn.edu • http://ici.umn.edu.
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Volume 26 · Number 1 ·Winter/Spring 2013

From the Editors

Journey of Learning and Language and disability-related services in meeting the

Who Are English Language Learners with

The Present and Future of Bilingual/ESL

The Legal Obligations of Education Systems to

The Common Core State Standards and

Resources on English Language Learners with Disabilities

Accommodations Considerations for

Utilizing Differentiated Instruction for

Considerations for Including English Language

The Roles of Interpreters and Speech-Language

three-part process is illustrated below unnecessary cues or repeat instruc- * Pseudonym

Issues in the Education of Deaf and Hard of

Resources for Families, Educators, and Other Professionals

Meeting the Educational Needs of English

Educating ELLs with Significant Cognitive

Working Together: One District’s Transformation

United Action for Improving Academic

Advocating for Your Child: Tips for Families of

Planning for the Successful Transition From School

English Language Learners with Disabilities:

English Learners with Disabilities and

[Sanjur, continued from page 1]

facilitates the Assessing Special Education

[Kronberg, continued from page 13]

• Does your school have a parent group

Address Service Requested

Learners with Disabilities Judy Elliott, Consultant, Tampa, Florida

• Accommodations Considerations for English Impact is published by the Institute on Community

Impact is available in alternate formats upon request. The University

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