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SPCL 7914: Psychological Assessment of Diverse Students (Elizalde-Utnick): Session 1 - Unit 1: Considerations in the Assessment of English Language Learners

Open Educational Resource (OER) created for Professor Elizalde-Utnick's SPCL 7914 course.

Summary

In this session we go over course requirements. We will explore the evaluation process as it applies to emergent bilinguals (i.e., English Language Learners) and bilingual students. We will consider: disproportionality in special education; technical properties of psychological tests that affect bilingual assessment; legal and ethical considerations; and the examiner’s cultural and linguistic competency.

Assigned Readings

Session Slides

Reflecting on the Readings

1. According to Mahoney, which assessment practices are more effective and which ones might not be helpful and yield more of a deficit for emergent bilinguals?

2. According to Mahoney, what is the PUMI framework?

3. Describe several historical events that have influenced the assessment of emergent bilinguals.

4. What contributes to the overrepresentation of minorities, including emergent bilinguals, in special education?