Identifying Learning Disabilities in English Language Learners: Lessons From Three New York Districts
May 25, 2010
Ulster BOCES Conference Center
New Paltz, New York
Co-hosted by:
Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands
Mid-Hudson BETAC (Bilingual/ESL Technical Assistance Center)
Mid-Hudson Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Center (RSE-TASC)
As the number of English language learners (ELLs) in public schools grows, more classroom and special-education teachers face the challenge of determing whether some ELLs’ academic struggles are due to language-acquisition problems or learning disabilities.
This conference brought together about 80 practitioners from the Mid-Hudson Region of New York with national and REL-NEI researchers, and New York State Education Department (NYSED) administrators, to share relevant, research-based information about identifying learning disabilities in students who are ELLs. Dr. Janette Klingner of the University of Colorado provided a national perspective on the issue and challenges involved in identification. She also discussed research regarding timing for referral to special education and the scarcity of assessments that effectively differentiate between second-language development and learning disabilities.
 Following Dr. Klingner’s presentation, the authors of a recently published REL-NEI Issues & Answers Report, “Processes and Challenges in Identifying Learning Disabilities Among Students Who Are English Language Learners in Three New York State Districts,” presented its findings and discussed the specific New York state context for addressing these issues. Conference participants discussed in small groups the application of the research to their own practice. Administrators from the Yonkers Public Schools and the Croton-Harmon School District shared their experiences reforming their districts’ culture and procedures regarding ELLs and ELLs with special needs.
Featured Speaker:
Dr. Janette Klingner is a professor of education specializing in bilingual multicultural special education at the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Department of Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity. Her research foci include reading-comprehension strategy instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse students, response to intervention for ELLs, the disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education, and professional development that enhances teacher quality. She is a co-principal investigator (PI) on two research projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES): Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) and the Literacy Learning Cohort Project. Her book with Beth Harry, Why Are So Many Minority Students in Special Education? Understanding Race and Disability in Schools, is a Teachers College Press best-seller.
Other Presenters:
- Dr. Daniel H. Shanahan, Director, Mid-Hudson BETAC
- Jill Weber, Director, REL-NEI at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC)
- Dr. Pedro Ruiz, Coordinator, Office of Bilingual Education and Foreign Language Studies, New York State Education Department (NYSED)
- Dr. Alexia Rodriguez Thompson, Associate in Bilingual Education, Office of Special Education, NYSED
- Dr.
María Teresa Sánchez, Senior Research Associate, REL-NEI at EDC
- Dr. Anna McTigue, Researcher, REL-NEI at EDC
- Angela Pagano, Executive Director, Reading and Language Development, Yonkers Public Schools
- Kusum Sinha, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Croton-Harmon School District
More Information:
 
Additional Materials:
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