Distinguishing Language Acquisition From Learning Disabilities
Currently, I’m leading a book study in my district, using the book Why Do English Language Learners Struggle With Reading
The first chapter gives background information on English language acquisition and learning disabilities, as well as statistics related to over and under-representation of minorities in Special Education programs. The second chapter, which in my opinion is one of the more valuable chapters in the book, lists and describes eight common misconceptions about learning a second language. Response to Intervention is the subject of chapters three and five, with an emphasis on how RTI should look for English Language Learners and how to use data to inform our decisions about students. Chapter four focuses on helping classroom teachers distinguish between learning disabilities and language acquisition. Chapter six covers special considerations when testing ELL’s for learning disabilities, including a section on using authentic assessment. Finally, the last chapter brings it all together with practical applications.
Like I said earlier, I use this book as an “anchor”. It is our starting point for discussions, but I’ve brought in other articles to expand on the information covered in the book. I have the links to a few of those articles listed below. Also, I’ve attached the study guide I created for the book study. Why Do English Language Learners Struggle With Reading is a useful resource for both teachers and administrators who want to dig deeper into an ELL’s academic performance and understand more of the factors that lead to success for linguistically diverse students.
STUDY GUIDE:
Why Do ELL’s Struggle With Reading
Distinguishing language acquisition from learning disability
Session One: Introduction and Chapter One
Background Information
Discussion Questions:
1. A lot of statistics were thrown out in pages 5-8. Were any of them surprising?
2. Look at your students. What percentage of them are LD? ESL? both LD and ESL?
3. Do you think ELL’s in your school are over or under-represented in Special
Education programs, or neither?
4. What assessment does WCS use to identify students with LD?
5. Are native language assessments available? If they are, should they be used? What are some pros and cons of using native language assessments?
6. Applications/ implications?
Session Two: Chapters 2 and 4
Misconceptions and helping classroom reading teachers
Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think of the concept of “potential bilinguals”? Is this different from the
way ELL’s are viewed in your building?
2. After reading about MacSwan’s 2004 research comparing three standardized Spanish assessments with natural language samples, did your opinions about using native language assessments change at all? How and why?
3. In Escamilla’s research findings, he refers to looking at some writing errors as signs
of “emerging biliteracy.” Is this valid? Have you noticed native language
interference in your students’ writing?
4. Do you think it’s important for reading teachers to learn which sounds in a student’s
native language do not exist in English in order to help the student with phonemic
awareness?
5. Do you agree with the assertion in Chapter 4 that teachers don’t spend much time
teaching comprehension strategies to students?
6. What are your thoughts on the motivation piece when it comes to learning how to
read? Could some of ELL’s lack of motivation be a response to an ineffective
reading program?
7. Respond: “Another way to think about this is not that the children have disabilities,
but that they are in ‘disabling contexts’”.
8. Applications/ implications?
Session Three: Chapter 3
RTI and ELL’s
Discussion Questions:
1. What does RTI look like at your building?
2. How does ESL staff fit into the RTI model?
3. Which, if any, of the challenges faced by Marble Mountain Elementary School
similar to challenges your school faces (or has faced) with implementing RTI?
4. Is RTI in your building very different from the old IAT process?
5. Applications/ implications?
Session Four: Chapter 5
Data-driven decision making in RTI
Discussion Questions:
1. In this chapter, the author makes a definite distinction between learning disabilities and learning differences. What were your thoughts on this distinction? I have an article to share about this issue!
2. Any thoughts on the chart showing similarities between cultural/ linguistic behaviors and suspected learning disabilities (Table 5.1 on page 79)?
3. Are the interventions done in your building for RTI appropriate, evidence-based interventions? How do you know? Where could we look to find such interventions?
4. What would non-discriminatory progress monitoring look like?
5. In RTI meetings, does the team consider alternate reasons for suspected problems?
6. Applications/ implications?
Session Five: Chapter 6
Considerations when assessing ELL’s for SE
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think it is important to look at the linguistic appropriateness of standardized assessments used to determine LD in ELL’s? Have you done this before?
2. What assessments are used in WCS to determine whether or not an ELL has a LD?
3. Do you use Classroom Based Assessment/Measurement in your classroom? If yes, what is your experience with it? Do you consider it valid and reliable?
4. What are your thoughts on dynamic assessment?
5. Applications/ implications?
Session Six: Chapter 7
Putting the pieces together
Discussion Questions:
1. What are your thoughts on the checklist of components for a successful learning environment for ELL’s? Would you add anything to this list?
2. Will you change anything you do after reading and discussing this text? If yes, what would you change and why? If no, why not?
Links to some additional resources:
Considerations in implementing intervention assistance teams with ELL's
Disproportionality in special education identification and placement of ELL's
Separating differences and disabilities: a powerpoint presentation from Cross Culture Ed
Separating difference and disablity by Catherine Collier
Happy reading!
Jacquie
