ELLs and Special Education

1. Placement of English Language
Learners in Special Education and
Gifted Programs
KELLIE WYATT
SEI 503
JUNE 8, 2015
DIANA LUCERO

2. Action Plan
• Representation of ELL students
• Over-representation
• Under-representation
• Steps to ensure all students are represented and assessed fairly
• Ways that key decision-makers must be involved
• The aims and goals of the action plan
• Strategies for collaboration between all stakeholders, including
students and parents

3. Representation of ELL students
Over-Representation
• The overrepresentation of English Learners (ELs) in
special education classes is one of the critical issues
affecting this group of students.
• Educators have difficulty distinguishing students who
truly have special education needs from students who
are learning English as a second language (Artiles &
Klingner, 2006).
• Determining whether an EL is struggling with reading
because of a learning disability or factors associated with
language acquisition is particularly challenging
(Klingner et al. 2008).
• Older ELs were more likely to be overrepresented than
younger ELLs.
• ELs are disadvantaged by the scarcity of appropriate
valid and reliable assessment instruments and a lack of
personnel trained to conduct culturally valid
educational assessments.
Under-Representation
• The number and relative proportion of ethnic minority and
language minority students in the United States is rapidly
increasing
• Only recently has serious attention been drawn to the
educational concerns of gifted and talented students whose
native language is not English (Bernal, 2002).
• Poor communication often exists between educators who
teach gifted and talented students and teachers of other
special populations, such as special education and ELL
students-especially in states that are not “English only,”
• One of the largest and most under acknowledged
components of the gifted and talented identification process
involves educating parents and guardians about the gifted
services available at the school
• The lack of explicit policies regarding proper identification of
gifted students from underrepresented groups is another
barrier to valid and reliable identification procedures for this
population (Gallagher & Coleman).
The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center. (2015). Harris, B., Martinez, R., & Plucker, J. (2007,

4. Steps to ensure all students are represented and
assessed fairly
• Educators need to be familiar with the
students background and history
• All students should be in grade
appropriate classes
• Ensure that all assessments (formal or
informal) are unbiased
• Ensure teaching skills are linguistically
& culturally responsive
• Provide early intervention and response
to intervention (RTI)
• Increase parental involvement and
build community partnerships

5. Ways that key decision-makers must be involved
• Administration should be kept in the
loop and always available if needed
• Keep an accurate record of the students
progress
• Communication is paramount and
should be maintained between
students, teachers, and parents
• Ensure that students needs are met
• Set goals & ensure expectations are
clear
• Be flexible & develop alternative ways
to check comprehension

6. The aims and goals of the action plan
• To ensure that equal opportunities are
available for all students
• To develop a cohesive plan that will
ensure all ELLs are assessed fairly
• To diversify instruction developing
programs that meet the needs of the
children
• To ensure that students are placed in
grade appropriate programs
• To set high expectations and encourage
students to reach for their goals

7. Strategies for collaboration between all stakeholders,
including students and parents
• Communication between parents throughout the process
• Ensure parents are aware of all available resources
• Ensure parents are aware of assessments and testing processes
• Routine meetings held with teachers, parents, students, and the school
officials
• Maintain an effective way to collect and manage information
• Provision of translation for non-English speaking parents
• Ensure that IEPs are linguistically and culturally appropriate

8. Conclusion
• Educators have to ensure that all
students are assessed in a fair
manor
• Ensure that key decision-makers
are involved throughout the
process
• Ensure that goals are established
• Ensure the action plan meets the
needs of the students

9. References
• The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.maec.org/equity/origin-issue4.html
• The Next Step: Assessment and the English Language Learner | ELL Topics
from A-Z | Colorín Colorado. (2006). Retrieved from
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/14733/
• Hamayan, E., Marler, B., Sanchez-Lopez, C., & Damico, J. (2007). Some Myths
Regarding ELLs and Special Education. Retrieved from
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/40714/
• Harris, B., Martinez, R., & Plucker, J. (2007, November 21). Identifying English
Language Learners for Gifted and Talented Programs. Retrieved from
http://www.redorbit.com/news/education/1152658/identifying_english
language_learners_for_gifted_and_talented_programs/

10. Placement of English Language
Learners in Special Education and
Gifted Programs
KELLIE WYATT
SEI 503
JUNE 8, 2015
DIANA LUCERO