An Investigation of School Psychologists' Assessment Practices of Language Proficiency With Bilingual and Limited-English-Proficient Students

Abstract

This study identified school psychologists' language proficiency assessment practices with bilingual and/or limited-English-proficient students. The sample consisted of 859 school psychologists who had prior experience conducting bilingual psychoeducational evaluations. The results of the survey indicated that 62% of school psychologists usually conduct their own language proficiency assessment, while 38% primarily or only use other district or outside sources in this area. The Language Assessment Scale (LAS) was the most frequently used instrument by outside sources. Approximately 46% of the school psychologists reported that the language proficiency information they obtained from outside sources was more than six months old. Several concerns pertaining to primarily or only using outside sources to obtain language proficiency data are discussed. With respect to school psychologists who conduct their own language proficiency assessment, the Test de Vocabulario en Imágenes Peabody and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised were the instruments most frequently used in Spanish and English, respectively. Fifty percent of the school psychologists who have conducted bilingual psychoeducational assessments reported that they had used non-standardized means to assess language proficiency. The most frequently cited method of informal language proficiency assessment was obtaining a language sample or conducting a student interview. An evaluation of school psychologists' language proficiency is provided.