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Right out of graduate school, I began working in a Portland, OR, school district. I was immediately faced with a school population consisting of more than 70 languages and cultures. I quickly discovered that the evaluation tools and methods that I had been taught to use in graduate school were rarely appropriate for culturally or linguistically diverse populations.
In a short time, I recognized that my experience was not unique and that my district as a whole also needed to adjust its evaluation practice pertaining to English language learners (ELLs). I approached my then special education director, Maxine Kilcrease, with a proposal to create a specialized team focusing on special education (SPED) issues related to ELLs. Acknowledging the need, she authorized and endorsed the creation of the ELL/SPED Support Team. Members of the team were special education professionals with experience in working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations and who were willing to look at alternative ways of assessment. The district committed two full-time positions to the team. Currently, the members are from the fields of speech-language pathology and school psychology.
The ELL/SPED Support Team began its work in September 2001 doing research on the ELLs in the district. We collected and analyzed data to identify patterns such as evidence of disproportionate referral of these children for special education services and whether these children tended to be placed in more or less restrictive educational settings. This research revealed patterns in the district that needed to be addressed and that were consistent with national trends in large urban districts (Portland has approximately 50,000 students).
Consistent with IDEA 1997 and district policy, the team's ultimate goal continues to be to reduce the under- and over-identification of ELLs for special education services. To meet this goal, we provide training to district personnel (i.e., school teams and district leadership) on such topics as appropriate ways to assess these children, effective accommodations to learning styles, and the normal processes of second-language acquisition. We also provide individual consultations to school-based personnel who have particular questions. These questions include "what to do first" in an evaluation, how to implement an effective pre-referral process for a student, what information is available about a particular language or culture, and how to interpret the data they have gathered during the evaluation.
The team's resources are in great demand-providing more than 875 consultations to date. More importantly, the training sessions and consultations are producing results. A recent comparative review of special education evaluations of ELLs in schools that had consulted with the ELL/SPED Support Team revealed that the evaluations reflect a methodology consistent with more appropriate assessment strategies. Particularly, these evaluations showed increases in interpretive data, use of interpreters, dynamic assessment techniques, inclusion of language and cultural issues, and a decrease in dependence on standardized test scores to determine eligibility. These results are very encouraging, and the team continues to expand its impact throughout the district.
Franklin W. Bender is an SLP who works part time for the Portland (OR) Public Schools, is in private practice as an ELL/SPED consultant, and teaches at Portland State University. Contact him by e-mail at fwbender@comcast.net.
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