This flow chart explains the steps to determine if a student is an "English Only" speaker or an "English Learner (EL)." It describes the assessment that should be administered to determine EL eligibility.
Wagner, Ed.S., B. Bilingual Testing Referral Flow Chart.
This audio recording features a group of educational leaders discussing assessment biases issues in special education.
Romney, Lee. 2019. Black Families and Special Education. Conference Audio Recording. California Association of School Psychologists.
New York University’s Metro Center designed this tool to help parents, teachers, students, and community members determine the extent to which their schools’ English Language Arts curricula are (or are not) culturally responsive. This process provokes thinking about how students should learn, what they should learn, and how curriculum can be transformed to engage students effectively.
J. Bryan-Gooden, M. Hester, & L. Q. Peoples. (2023). Culturally Responsive ELA Curriculum Scorecard. New York: Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, New York University. Accessed March 25, 2024.
The Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE) self-assessment was designed to support districts to develop and invest in culturally responsive school environments for every child. The CR-SE self-assessment supports the effort to make CR-SE systemic and sustaining by by outlining the beliefs, policies and practices critical to building and fostering culturally responsive and sustaining learning environments.
Swier, Reed, Maria Hernandez, and David Lopez. 2021. Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Comprehensive District Self-Assessment. New York: Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, New York University,
https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/2021-09/CRSE%20District%20Self%20Assesment%20final-Fillable-ToUpload.pdf (accessed January 30, 2023).
This workshop presents current research on language, cognitive, academic development, and their application to evaluation within a comprehensive, research-based framework for generating valid data to support conclusions & decisions regarding the presence or absence of various types of disorders with culturally and linguistically diverse learners.
Imperial Special Education Local Plan Area, (2021).
This webpage from the Indiana Department of Education includes definitions, resources, and measurements of disproportionate representation in special education.
Indiana Department of Education. 2019. Indicators 9 and 10—Disproportionate Representation in Special Education. https://www.doe.in.gov/specialed/indicators-9-10-disproportionate-representation-special-education
This webpage from the Indiana Department of Education includes definitions, resources, and measurements of disproportionate representation in special education.
Indiana Department of Education. 2019. Indicators 9 and 10—Disproportionate Representation in Special Education. https://www.doe.in.gov/specialed/indicators-9-10-disproportionate-representation-special-education
This brief describes practical steps that school psychologists and school districts can consider to assess students for a specific learning disability. It provides recommendations to adapt state policies on evaluations for specific learning disabilities in light of the pandemic, with ensuring that students get timely and thorough evaluations to develop educational programs that meet their needs. The brief discusses four challenges: 1) Interruptions to instruction, 2) Administering assessments under new circumstances, 3) Ruling out exclusionary factors 4) Addressing the backlog of evaluations under tight timelines.
National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Association of School Psychologists. 2020. Navigating Special Education Evaluations for Specific Learning Disabilities Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic. National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Association of School Psychologists https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Navigating-Special-Education-Evaluations-for-Specific-Learning-Disabilities-SLD-Amid-the-COVID-19-Pandemic.pdf
This document fulfills requirements in Education Code 313(f)(2) for the teacher evaluation component N of the statewide reclassification criteria. This form may also be used as a tool for formative purposes and ongoing consultation with parents/guardians. OPTEL will soon be translated into the top six languages in California.
The tool has three main sections: receptive language, expressive language, and parent consultation to examine English language proficiency for English Learners. For the language portions there are observations for instructional setting and interaction type as well as ratings of evidence and accommodations provided. Parent input is embedded within the tool.
California Department of Education (2023). Observation Protocol for Teachers of English Learners (OPTEL). Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education. Accessed March 25, 2024.
Due to bias within the education system (including within assessments and academic and other policies), students of color can be misidentified as needing special education, and are then placed in more restrictive settings and experience harsher discipline because of the intersectionality of race and special education. This brief summarizes the literature and latest research on disproportionality in special education and offers changes in policy and practice that can reduce significant disproportionality in schools.
Citation: National Center for Learning Disabilities. 2023. Significant Disproportionality in Special Education: Current Trends and Actions for Impact. Washington, DC: National Center for Learning Disabilities.
