Assessment and Intervention for English Language Learners: Translating Research into Practice

207 Pages·2017·2.404 MB·

by  Susan Unruh, Nancy A. McKellar (auth.)

Susan Unruh · Nancy A. McKellar
Assessment and
Intervention for
English Language
Learners
Translating Research into Practice
Assessment and Intervention for English
Language Learners
Susan Unruh • Nancy A. McKellar
Assessment and Intervention
for English Language
Learners
Translating Research into Practice
Susan Unruh Nancy A. McKellar
Wichita State University Wichita State University
Wichita, KS, USA Wichita, KS, USA
ISBN 978-3-319-52644-7 ISBN 978-3-319-52645-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-52645-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016963632
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To my family. And to immigrants
from any land, in any land.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers,
for thereby some have entertained angels
unawares. Hebrews 13:2
Susan Unruh
To my daughter, Anna, who has brought
me great joy, and to my students,
who have taught me so much.
Many thanks to the friends and strangers
who have graciously shared their cultures
with me.
Nancy McKellar
Preface
At least one in every five children in US and Canadian public schools speaks a dif-
ferent language at home than at school. Yet many school psychologists lack ade-
quate training to work with this population. Our ethical principles say that we should
not operate out of our bounds of competency. Many practitioners feel most compe-
tent when using standardized tests in assessing children. Often English learners are
not represented in the norming samples of these tests. These conditions create a
maelstrom in which school psychologists and other educators are in a state of tur-
moil and, sometimes, paralysis.
At the eye of the maelstrom is the child. A learning disorder does not wait to start
to affect an English learner until the child has learned sufficient English to be tested
with the instruments we like to use. The learning disorder starts to affect the child
the minute he or she walks through the door of the school. The consequences of
educators being reactive rather than proactive can be devastating for these chil-
dren—years of frustration, loss of self-esteem, and, for many, failure and dropping
out of school.
This book is intended to empower school psychologists to work with all English
learners, no matter the first language of the child and no matter whether the school
psychologist is monolingual or bilingual. The first four chapters provide the basics.
Chapters 5 through 10 each deal with categories of specific learning disabilities—
basic reading, reading fluency, reading comprehension, math calculation, math
problem-solving, and writing. Chapter 11 offers tools and procedures that are refer-
enced in earlier chapters. Finally, Chapter 12 presents case studies in the form of
psychoeducational reports.
We hope practitioners and trainers will find the information in this book to be
helpful. We hope they will become motivated to learn even more. Working compe-
tently with English learners is complex, fascinating, and challenging. The rewards
are immeasurable.
Wichita, KS Susan Unruh
Wichita, KS Nancy A. McKellar
vii
Contents
1 The Challenges of Assessing and Intervening
with English Learners ............................................................................. 1
Introduction ............................................................................................... 1
Definitions ................................................................................................. 2
Areas to Investigate When Students Struggle: Curriculum,
Instruction, Environment, and the Learner ............................................... 3
Curriculum ................................................................................................ 4
Instruction ................................................................................................. 4
Environment .............................................................................................. 5
The Learner ............................................................................................... 5
What Is the Typical Path to a Comprehensive Evaluation
and What Are the Additional Challenges for English
Language Learners? .............................................................................. 6
Development of Tier Interventions ....................................................... 9
The Involvement of a Problem-Solving Team ...................................... 9
What Happens When It Is Determined by a Problem-Solving
Team That a Comprehensive Evaluation Is Warranted?
How Is the Process Different for English Learners? ............................. 13
What Is Needed in Schools and Districts to Meet the Needs
of English Language Learners? ............................................................ 17
References ................................................................................................. 17
2 Dual-Language Learner Development .................................................. 21
Introduction ............................................................................................... 21
How Do Neuroscientists Study What Is Happening in the Brain
as Students Learn Oral and Written Language? ....................................... 21
What Is Brain Plasticity? .......................................................................... 22
What Are the Different Aspects of Oral and Written Language
That the Brain Must Process? ................................................................... 23
Oral Language: How Does the Brain Learn to Speak
and Understand a First Language? ............................................................ 24
ix
x Contents
How Does the Bilingual Brain Differ from the Monolingual Brain? ....... 25
How Does Learning English as a Second Language Interact
with the Student’s First Language? ........................................................... 26
Is There a Difference Between Language Learned at Home,
in the Community, and at School? ............................................................ 28
What Behaviors Will Educators See in English Learners
as Their Skills Develop? ........................................................................... 28
References ................................................................................................. 30
3 Data Collection When Working with English Learners ...................... 33
Introduction: Record Review, Interviews, Observations,
and Tests (RIOT) ....................................................................................... 33
Record Review: What Records Are Typically Reviewed
During the Problem-Solving Process? ...................................................... 33
What Additional Records Are Available for English Learners?............ 34
Interviews: Who Should Be Interviewed and What Information
Should Be Gathered? ................................................................................ 36
Observations.............................................................................................. 38
Portfolio Assessment ............................................................................. 38
Tests .......................................................................................................... 38
How Are Tests Typically Used by School Psychologists
for Helping to Diagnose Specific Learning Disabilities? ..................... 38
What Are Guidelines for Selecting Tests to Use
with English Learners? ......................................................................... 42
What Is the Process of Intervention for English Learners? .................. 43
Using Evidence-Based Interventions ........................................................ 43
Where to Find Interventions ................................................................. 44
What Are Recommended Classroom Instruction and Practices
for English Learners? ............................................................................ 45
References ................................................................................................. 46
4 Oral Language Issues and Assessment of Oral Language .................. 49
Introduction ............................................................................................... 49
Why Is a Measure of Language Proficiency So Important? ..................... 49
Should We Wait to Do a Comprehensive Psychoeducational
Assessment Until the Student Has Reached a Certain Level
of English Proficiency? ............................................................................. 51
What Information Is Gathered When the English Learner
Enrolls in School? ..................................................................................... 52
What Are Ways to Gather Information About Oral Language
Proficiency in the First Language? ........................................................... 53
Record Review ...................................................................................... 53
Interviews .............................................................................................. 54
Observations.......................................................................................... 55
Tests ...................................................................................................... 56
References ................................................................................................. 60
Contents xi
5 Word Reading and Decoding ................................................................. 63
Introduction ............................................................................................... 63
What to Know Before Word Reading Assessment and Intervention ........ 64
What Is Happening in the Brain as the Individual Begins
to Learn to Read? .................................................................................. 64
Is the Process of Decoding the Same in All Languages? ......................... 66
What Is Happening in the Brains of Children Who Have
Difficulty Learning to Read in English? ............................................... 67
What Are Valid Ways to Make Special Education Eligibility
Decisions About English Learners? ......................................................... 69
Multiple Indicators of a Disorder of Decoding and Word Reading .......... 69
Observations of Clinical Signs .............................................................. 69
Record Review ...................................................................................... 71
Interviews .............................................................................................. 71
Tests ...................................................................................................... 71
Teaching and Intervening .......................................................................... 74
What Are Characteristics of Good Classroom Instruction
for English Learners? ........................................................................... 74
What Are Interventions to Improve English Learners’
Reading Decoding? ............................................................................... 76
References ................................................................................................. 77
6 Reading Fluency and Vocabulary .......................................................... 81
Introduction ............................................................................................... 81
What to Know Before Reading Fluency Assessment
and Intervention ........................................................................................ 81
What Is the Relationship Between Vocabulary
and Fluency in Reading? ....................................................................... 81
Besides Vocabulary, What Other Factors Lead to Fluent Reading? ...... 85
What Is the Effect of the Language’s Orthography
on Reading Fluency? ............................................................................. 86
What Is the Relationship Between Fluency and Comprehension? ....... 87
Multiple Indicators of a Disorder of Reading Fluency ............................. 87
Observations of Clinical Signs .............................................................. 87
Record Review ...................................................................................... 87
Interviews .............................................................................................. 87
Tests ...................................................................................................... 89
Teaching and Intervening .......................................................................... 91
What Are Characteristics of Good Classroom Instruction
for English Learners? ............................................................................ 91
Which Words Should Be the Focus of Instruction in Vocabulary? ....... 92
What Are Interventions to Improve English Learners’
Reading Fluency? .................................................................................. 92
References ................................................................................................. 93
xii Contents
7 Reading Comprehension ........................................................................ 97
Introduction ............................................................................................... 97
What to Know Before Reading Comprehension Assessment
and Intervention ........................................................................................ 97
What Is Happening in the Brain During Reading Comprehension? ..... 97
What Role Does Background Knowledge Play in Reading? ................ 98
What Is Verbal Intelligence and How Does It Affect Reading
Comprehension? ................................................................................... 99
What Are Higher Level Thinking Skills and How Do They
Affect Reading Comprehension? .......................................................... 100
Does Reading Comprehension Differ Based on Orthography? ............ 101
Multiple Indicators of a Disorder of Reading Comprehension ................. 102
Observations of Clinical Signs .............................................................. 102
Record Review ...................................................................................... 104
Interviews .............................................................................................. 104
Tests ...................................................................................................... 104
Teaching and Intervening .......................................................................... 109
What Are Characteristics of Good Classroom Instruction
for English Learners? ............................................................................ 109
What Are Interventions to Improve English Learners’ Reading
Comprehension Skills? ......................................................................... 110
References ................................................................................................. 112
8 Math Calculation .................................................................................... 115
Introduction ............................................................................................... 115
Why Should Math Calculation Be of Concern to Educators
of English Learners? Isn’t It Essentially the Same
in All Languages? ................................................................................. 115
What to Know Before Calculation Assessment and Intervention ............. 116
What Is Happening in the Brain of a Child Who Struggles
with Math Calculation? ......................................................................... 116
What Special Considerations Relate to the Education
of English Learners in Math? .................................................................... 117
Mathematics Is a Language .................................................................. 117
Code Switching ..................................................................................... 118
Nonlanguage Math Differences Around the World .............................. 118
Learning and Reviewing Prerequisite Skills ......................................... 119
What Is Number Sense and Why Is It Important? .................................... 119
What Can We Learn from Students’ Mistakes? ........................................ 120
Multiple Indicators of a Disorder of Math Calculation ............................ 121
Observations of Clinical Signs .............................................................. 121
Record Review ...................................................................................... 121
Interviews .............................................................................................. 122
Tests ...................................................................................................... 122