Considerations for English Learners Suspected & Identified

with Learning Disabilities

Sharen  Bertrando    sbertrando@sonomaselpa.org  

EL  Collabora*ve  January  26,  2015  

What EL Collaborative members want to know about English Learners . . .

 

K  –  W  -­‐  L  

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Know   What  to  Know   Learned  

.     Iden*fica*on    

Assessment  

Interven*ons  

What do the data show?

Statewide Number of English Learners

Number of English Learners for Sonoma County

Number of Students and Percent of Enrollment for English Learners

Sonoma  County   State  

#  of  Students   %  of  Enrollment   %  of  Enrollment  

English  Learners   16,307   23.0%   22.7%  

ELs  Receiving  SpEd   3,182   32.1%  

CDE  (2014);  Data  Quest  (2014);  SEIS  (2014)  

What does the research say?

Research data – English Learners

•  Highest  grade  reten?on  

•  Highest  dropout  rate  of  all  youth  

•  Limited  bilingual  prac?ces  

•  Inappropriate  referrals  to  Special  Educa?on  

•  Higher  incidence  categories  of  special  educa?on  eligibility  

Duran  (2008);  Klingner  (2012);Suárez-­‐Orozco,  Roos,  &  Suárez-­‐Orozco  (2010);  Sullivan  (  2011)  

English learner &/or language production difficulty?

Tony,  4th  grade  student  Chapter  1  of  The  Bad  Beginning  by  Lemony  Snicket  Transcript:  

In  The  Bad  Beginning,  ah  um  then  their,  in  the  Bad  Beginning  the  their  parents  were  die  and  the  house  on  fire  and  they  tried  to  get  out  but  they  didn’t  because  the  house  full  of  fire,  and  at  the…end  of  chapter  1  the  house…  

 

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What  behaviors  does  Tony  elicit  that  indicate  he  is  an  English  learner?    A    student  with  learning  disabili*es?  

Biggest error in placing ELs into special education  Misinterpre?ng  language  acquisi?on  as  a  learning  or  language  disability  (LD)  

 Determining  whether  an  EL  has  a  LD  is  a  process  of  elimina?on  •  Understand  language  acquisi?on  process  

•  Know  possible  characteris?cs  associated  with  LD  

•  Look  at  quality  of  instruc?on  and  students’  opportuni?es  to  learn  

•  E.g.,  Differen?ated  instruc?on  with  fidelity  to  research-­‐based  strategies  

•  Ask  parents  about  L1  language  delay,  LD  characteris?cs  

Adapted  from  Klingner,  2012  

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Language acquisition or learning disability?

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Behaviors  associated  with  LD   Behaviors  when  acquiring  L2  Difficulty  following  direc*ons  

Confused  by  figura*ve  language  

May  have  difficulty  with  a[en*on  span  

May  seem  easily  frustrated  

Difficulty  with  phonological  awareness  

Difficulty  dis*nguishing  between  sounds  not  in  L1  

Slow  to  learn  sound-­‐symbol  correspondence  

Confusion    when    sound  for  the  symbol  is  different  in  L1  

Difficulty  remembering  sight  words   Difficulty  when  meanings  not  understood  

Difficulty  retelling  story  in  sequence   Understand  more  than  can  express  in  L2  

May  have  auditory  memory  difficulty   Slow  to  process  challenging  language  

Adapted  from  Klingner,  2012  

Reasons for ELs experiencing academic difficulties  Deficiencies  in  teaching  or  learning  environment  

•  Lack  of  effec?ve  ELD  instruc?on  and  support  

•  Lack  of  effec?ve  general  educa?on  instruc?on  and  support  

 Extrinsic  considera?ons    •  Limited  formal  educa?on  •  Health/medical  issues  

•  Absenteeism  •  High  transiency  

 In  need  of  Special  Educa?on  services  •  Uniden?fied  as  needing  special  educa?on  services  

Ar*les  &  Or*z  (2002);  Gersten  &  Baker  (2000);  Saunders,  Goldenberg,  &  Marcelle*i,  2013)  

Strategies to Support Learner’s Engagement with Complex Text

Area Supporting Learners’ Engagement with Complex Text

Background Knowledge Leverage students existing knowledge

Comprehension Strategies

Teaching and Modeling – questioning, visualizing

Vocabulary Explicitly teaching – context clues & morphological knowledge

Text Organization & Linguistic Features

Explicitly teaching – discussing text features, organizations, language resources

Discussions Engaging in peer discussions

Sequencing Sequencing text & tasks to build on each other; Teacher read alouds

Rereading Rereading text or selected passages to look for answers

Tools Teaching to develop outlines, charts, organizers

Writing Modeling returning to the text as writing

ELA/ELD  Frameworks  adopted  by  California  State  Board  of  Educa*on,  2014    

Reflec?on  

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How  do  you,  or  staff  at  your  school,  determine  when  certain  students  are  not  learning  as  expected  and  iden*fy  a  different  way  to  teach  them?  

Assessments guidelines for identification of ELs with suspected disability  Comprehensive,  norm  referenced  assessments  in  English  and  na?ve  language*,  to  include  non-­‐verbal  assessments  across  babery  recommended  in  all  areas  of  suspected  disability  

   Informa?on  from  mul?ple  contexts  (i.e.,  criterion  references  tests,  classroom-­‐based  assessments).    

 Systema?c  observa?on  in  educa?onal  environments  

 Structured  interviews  (i.e.,  student,  parent,  teachers)  

Bu[erfield  (2014)

Best practices for EL assessment

1.  Administer  cross  cultural,  non-­‐discriminatory  full  or  par?al  bilingual  assessment  in  English  and  na?ve  language  using  bilingual  assessors  using  evidence-­‐based  prac?ces  

2.  Use  structured  interviews  with  parents,  staff,  and  student  (if  possible).  

3.  Engage  in  observa?on  of  student  in  varied  environments.  

4.  Collect  data  from  curriculum-­‐based  assessment  measures.  

5.  Engage  in  structured  interviews  (staff  and  family).    

Buberfield  (2014)  

Pre-referral guidance for ELs   School  environment  –  Is  there  appropriate  

curriculum  and  instruc?on  being  implemented?    General  Educa?on    ELD  Instruc?on    Highly  qualified  teachers    

  Interven?ons  –  Have  interven?ons  been  implemented  and  documented  over  ?me?    RtI  –  Behavioral  and  Academics      Reading  Interven?ons    School  wide  supports  

  Referral  for  Special  Educa?on  Eligibility  –  Are  students  assessed  in  their  na?ve  language  and  English?    Bilingual  assessment      Cultural  considera?ons    Bi-­‐lingual  psychologists  

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Identifying ELs for special education  ”A  pupil  shall  be  referred  for  special  educa*on  services  only  aier  the  resources  of  the  regular  educa*on  program  have  been  considered,  and  when  appropriate,  u*lized.”  E.  C.  56303  

 The  normal  process  of  2nd  language  acquisi*on,  as  well  as  manifesta*ons  of  dialect  and  sociolinguis*c  variance  shall  not  be    diagnosed  as  a  handicapping  condi*on.      CCR,  Title  5  3023(b)  

 A  child  may  not  be  determined  to  be  eligible  for  SPED…if  the  determinant  factor  for  eligibility  determina*on  is…1)  lack  of  instruc*on  in  reading  or  math,  or  2)  limited  English  proficiency….            CFR  300.534  

ELP reclassification guidelines for ELs receiving special education services

 LEA  establishes  policies  and  procedures  to  designate  team  members  responsible  

 Best  prac?ces  for  general  educa?on  teachers,  English  Language  and  special  educa?on  specialists,  and  school  psychologists    work  in  collabora?on  

 Best  prac?ces  for  IEP  team  to  make  reclassifica?on  decisions  for  ELs  with  disabili?es  as  long  as  a  professional  with  second  language  acquisi?on  (EL)  exper?se  par?cipates  

Buberfield  (2014)  

English Learner re-classification criteria checklist

 Assessment  of  language  proficiency  using  an  objec?ve  instrument  

 Teacher  evalua?on  

 Parent  opinion  and  consulta?on  

 Comparison  of  performance  in  basic  skills  

Buberfield  (2014)  

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IEP team assessment considerations for ELs with disabilities

 Recommenda?on  for  accommoda?ons,  modifica?ons,  or  an  alterna?ve  assessment  (EC  Sec?on  56345)    

 Alternate  ELP  assessments  considera?ons  prior  to  determina?on  34  CFR  §300.320  (a)  (6)  (i)  •  Why  child  cannot  par?cipate  in  the  CELDT  

•  Why  the  par?cular  alterna?ve  assessment  selected  is  appropriate  

•   Made  on  case  by  case  basis    

•  Student’s  language  needs  determine  accommoda?ons  

•   IEP  must  contain  statement  of  individual's  necessary  appropriate  accommoda?ons  Accommoda?ons  

•   Must  assess  in  listening,  speaking,  reading  and  wri?ng  

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2013-2014 CELDT Information Guide page 17 for     ���Participation Criteria Checklist for Alternate Assessments

Interventions – What  does  the  research  say?  Language  and  Reading  Interven?ons  for  English  Learner  and  English  Learners  with  Disabili?es  

 Recommenda*on  #3  Early  literacy  interven*ons  should  focus  on  a  combina*on  of  skills    

 Recommenda*on  #6  Peer  Assis*ng  Learning  (PALS)  for  primary  grades  

 Recommenda*on  #6  Focus  on  cogni*ve  strategies  

Rivera,  Lesaux,  &  Francis  (2009)  

 

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Book 1: Research-based Recommendations for Instruction and Academic Interventions

Book 2: Research-based Recommendations for Serving Adolescent Newcomers

Book 3: Research-based Recommendations for the Use of Accommodations in Large-scale Assessments

Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL1-Interventions.pdf

Interventions

 What  interven?ons  are  you  currently  using?  

 What  are  its  strengths?  

 What  are  its  limita?ons?  

Considerations for Intervention Programs  Be  a  good  consumer  

 Establish  non-­‐nego?ables    

 Network  

 Collaborate  within  district(s)  

 Explore  open  sources  &  digital  text  

 Explore  technology  tools  

Guidance from the CDE ELA/ELD Framework

 Toolkit  for  Evalua?ng  Alignment  of  Instruc?onal  and  Assessment  Materials  •  hbp://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Digital_Resources/

Toolkit_for_Evalua?ng_Alignment_of_Instruc?onal_and_Assessment_Materials_.html  

In Closing…

High  quality  teacher  prepara*on  and  professional  development  programs  on  teaching  English  learners  with  disabili*es  should  address  theore*cal  knowledge  and  pedagogical  methods  on  second  language  acquisi*on  and  evidenced-­‐based  prac*ces  to  accelerate  academic  achievement.