The Challenges of Assessing and Intervening with English Learners

Abstract

For school psychologists in the USA and Canada, skills in assessing and intervening with English language learners have not kept pace with the rapid growth of numbers of these children over the past few decades. At least one in five public school children in the USA and Canada speaks a language other than English at home, yet many psychologists lack graduate coursework and/or on-the-job training in working with these children and may actually avoid working with them. Several issues distinguish working with children whose only language is English from those who are dual-language learners. Children who lack proficiency in English may not fit the norming samples of the standardized tests that school psychologists rely on in their evaluations, thus rendering scores invalid. Psychologists and other educators may lack understanding of cultural and linguistic issues that are faced by these children and their families. In this chapter, we raise the reader’s awareness of the issues that make assessments and interventions different for English learners than for fluent English speakers. We specify the areas to investigate when any student struggles: curriculum, instruction, environment, and the learner. We compare English learners with fluent English speakers in their typical paths to a comprehensive evaluation. We look at English learners’ needs regarding Response to Intervention or the Multi-Tiered Support System, development of interventions, and involvement of a problem-solving team. The chapter ends with a summary of elements needed in schools and districts to help make special education eligibility decisions for English learners.