BEST PRACTICES IN BILINGUAL ASSESSMENT

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BEST PRACTICES INBILINGUAL ASSESSMENT

• Wilda Laija-Rodriguez, Ph.D., LEP
• California State University, Northridge
• California Association of School Psychologists
  Conference
• March 5-7, 2003

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THE ISSUES
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Statistics Why is it important to know how to
work with bilingual students?

• By 2010, it is estimated that NY, TX, CA, and FL
  will have about 1/3 of the nations minority youth
  (Hodginson Outz, 1992)
• The Hispanic population in US has grown faster
  than the rest of the population as a whole
  (Carrasquillo, 1999)
• Hispanic children, including LEP students, make
  up a significant percentage of the public school
  population in US (Carrasquillo, 1999)
• In 2002, the majority of newborns are Hispanic

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Educational Issues with Minority Children

• Minority students lag academically behind
  majority children (Carrasquillo, 1999 Meier
  Stewart, 1991)
• Hispanic students lag behind other minority
  groups in various areas (Carrasquillo, 1999)
• As a result, there has been a significant
  overrepresentation of Hispanic students in
  special education and other remedial programs
  (Figueroa Artiles, 1999)

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Issues with Minority/Bilingual Students

• 1) Language Proficiency Issues (Cummins,
  1984)
• 2) Low Academic Achievement (Carrasquillo,
  1999)
• 3) Overrepresentation special education and
  other remedial programs (Figueroa Artiles,
  1999 Stewart Meier, 1991)
• 4) Lack of adequate programs for bilingual
  students in public schools

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SECOND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
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Threshold Hypothesis (Cummins, 1979)
BICS
BICS
CALP
CALP
CUP
L1
L2
BICS Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
(3yrs) CALP Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency (5-7 years) CUP Common Underlying
Proficiency
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FACTORS INFLUENCING SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISTION

• AGE
• young second language learners use same part of
  the brain for both L1 and L2
• older learners use a different part of the brain
  for their L2 than they used for their first (Kim,
  Relkin, Lee Hirsch, 1997).
• Younger second language learners dont
  necessarily develop accent
• Older second language learners (ages 8-12)
  develop language faster possibly due to
  cognitive maturity and L1 competence
• Children older than 12 slow down, probably due to
  increased academic demands

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FACTORS INFLUENCING SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISTION

• Personality
• strong self-esteem outgoing vs. shy and withdrawn
• Social Factors
• language models
• motivation

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The Acquisition-Learning Distinction (Stephen
Krashen) Corresponding to Natural Language
Approach

• Language acquisition picking up a language
• Language learning learning language in formal
  manner
• Affective filter emotional barrier to language
  learning
• Learning provides a monitor allows learner to
  correct language output based on previously
  learned language rules.
• In short run, older learners develop competence
  faster than younger children.
• Children outperform adults in L2 in the long run

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Bilingual Education Programs

• Transitional Bilingual Education (transition into
  English by 3rd grade)
• Maintenance Bilingual Education (transition into
  English by 5th grade)
• Dual Immersion Program (Acquiring both L1 and L2
  simultaneously)

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Second Language Acquisition Phases
Pre-production Few oral skills (pointing, gesturing, nodding) Teachers should provide opportunities for active listening, utilize visuals, and real objects
Early Production Some understanding, can produce some social words/sentences Teachers should ask yes/no or either/or questions
Speech Emergence Can understand with concrete contexts/ or range of personal experience Teachers should focus on communication not language form, and provide meaningful contexts
Intermediate and Advanced Fluency Demonstrate increased levels of accuracy Teachers should provide opportunities to create oral and written narratives and continue ongoing language development

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The Connection Between L1 and L2 Literacy

• Literacy in L1 has been found to be the most
  stable predictor of English literacy (Pardo
  Tinajero, 1993)
• Students with high literacy in L1 will perform
  better in English than students with low literacy
  in L1 (Pardo Tinajero, 1993)

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LOW ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
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Reading Proficiency Among Hispanic Students

• Overall academic achievement, especially reading
  proficiency among Hispanic students is far below
  the national average (Carrasquillo, 1991).

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Research in L2 Reading

• There are differences in basic underlying
  cognitive processes during first and second
  language reading (Koda, 1994 Segalowitz, 1986)
• Reduced automaticity of word recognition with
  fluent bilinguals (Hernandez et al, 1996
  Segalowitz, 1986)
• Repetition effects occur more readily within
  languages than they do between languages, thus L2
  reading may be affected (Scarborough, 1984)

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OVER REPRESENTATION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
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Testing, the Law and LEP Students Diana v. State
Board of Education (1970)

• Spanish speaking students were being placed in MR
  classes based on their scores from intelligence
  tests administered in English
• Important results from the case
• 1) language competence should be assessed
• 2) tests should be administered in students L1
• 3) emphasis on nonverbal measures
• 4) students placed incorrectly should be
  re-evaluated

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Public Law 94-142 /IDEA 97 Specific Issues with
LEP Students

• Assessment should be conducted in students
• native language or mode of communication
• Assessment procedures should be
  non-discriminatory
• Assessment instruments must measure disability,
• not childs English language skills
• Tests should be valid for purposes used
• Tests are administered by trained and
• knowledgeable personnel
• Single test should not be sole criterion for
  disability
• Areas related to suspected disability should be
  assessed.

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ASSESSMENT ISSUES
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REFERRALS TO SPECIAL EDUCATION

• The use of the SST
• Pre-referral Questions (LEP Questionnaire)
• Pre-referral Interventions

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Intelligence Testing and Minorities

• Lower correlations have been found between
  Performance IQs (PIQ) and achievement
• Low correlations have been found between
  Nonverbal Intelligence Tests and achievement
• Lack of English language proficiency
  significantly and negatively influences test
  results  

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  ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE USE OF INTELLIGENCE
TESTS IN ASSESSING ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN
(Sattler, 1992)

• 1) Intelligence tests have a cultural bias.
• 2)   Norms are inappropriate for minorities.
• 3)   Belief that Minorities are handicapped in
  test taking skills.
• a.  Deficiencies in motivation, test practice,
  and reading
• b. Failure to appreciate the achievement aspects
  of the test situation
• c.  Limited exposure to the U.S. culture
• 4)   The fact that most examiners are white has
  the effect of depressing
• the scores of ethnic minority children.
• a.  Rapport
• b. Communication difficulties
• 5)   Tests results lead to inadequate and
  inferior education.
• a.  Test results are the main reason why ethnic
  minority children are segregated into special
  classes.
• b. These classes may have inadequate curriculum
  and provide inferior education
• c.  Can create negative expectancies in teachers
•  

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ARGUMENTS FOR THE USE OF INTELLIGENCE TESTS IN
ASSESSING ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN (Sattler, 1992)

• 1)   Useful in evaluating present functioning.
• a.  Cognitive strength and weaknesses
• b. Helpful in determining certain
  exceptionalities
• c.  Helpful in testing for Brain damage
• 2)   Useful in indicting future functioning.
• 3)   Useful in evaluating programs.
• 4)   Useful in revealing inequalities (i.e.
  needing special
• education)
• 5)   Useful in providing an objective standard.

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Four Options for the Assessment of Bilingual
Students

• 1) Administer the usual diagnostic battery, but
  take account students bilingual background in
  interpreting the test profile.
• 2) Delay assessment in the hope that the
  students poor academic performance is the result
  of normal L2 development.
• 3) Administer only nonverbal measures.
• 4) Do assessment in L1and L2.
• Adopted from Cummins, J. (2001) Assessment and
  Intervention with Culturally and Linguistically
  Diverse Learners. In S. R. Hurley and J. V.
  Tinajero Literacy Assessment of Second Language
  Learners. Boston Allyn and Bacon.

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Usual Diagnostic Battery While Considering
Students Bilingual Background

• Use of verbal and nonverbal measures in English,
  but accounting for students bilingual
  background.
• Dangers Mis-interpreting results and
  over-representation of students in Special
  Education (Ortiz Yates, 1983 Mercer, 1973).
• Tendency to ignore or underestimate the influence
  of language proficiency on individuals
  performance (Oller, 1997 as cited in Cummins,
  2001)

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Administering Only Nonverbal Measures

• Nonverbal measures not good predictors of
  academic achievement
• Language competency needs to be assessed (Diana
  vs. State Board of Ed, 1970)
• Most learning disabilities are related to
  language
• If there are visual perceptual difficulties,
  nonverbal measures will not be valid.

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Assessment in L1 and L2

• Few Bilingual Psychologists/Speech Pathologists
• Appropriate use of interpreters
• Questionable norms (monolingual norms in Spanish
  or English)
• Caution in interpreting languages separately

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Bilingual Assessment Model(Wildas model in
progress)
LEP
Bilingual Has had instruction in L1 Uses
Spanish to a high degree
Bilingual Fluent in English No previous
instruction in L1
Bilingual Assessment Assessment in L1 and L2
Assessment in English with consideration
regarding culture and L2 development

• Observations
• Interviews (parents and teachers)
• Appropriate Norm referenced tests - consider
  language and standardization.
• Criterion based tests
• Curriculum Based Measurement

• Observations
• Interviews (parents and teachers)
• Appropriate Norm referenced tests
• Criterion based tests
• Curriculum Based Measurement

Wilda Laija, Ph.D. 2000
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Assessment of LEP and Bilingual Students in L1
and L2

• Language Proficiency
• L1 and L2 language proficiency needs to be
  established
• Examine both expressive and receptive language in
  L1 and L2
• Consider BICS and CALP

LEP and/or Limited in L1
Bilingual Proficiency in L2

• INTELLIGENCE/COGNITVE ABILITY
• (Must be done in L1 as much as possible)
• Bateria Woodcock-Munoz (limitations)
• UNIT
• Differential Abilities Scales (Non-verbal)
• KABC (old)
• Nonverbal tests (limitations)

• INTELLIGENCE/COGNITIVE ABILITY
• (Can use both L1 and L2,m if needed)
• UNIT
• Differential Abilities Scales
• KABC
• Nonverbal tests (limitations)

Visual and Auditory Processing in Dominant
Language
Wilda Laija, Ph.D.
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Visual and Auditory Processing In Dominant
Language
LEP and/or Limited in L1
Bilingual Proficiency in L2
ACHIEVEMENT Should Based on language of
instruction
ACHIEVEMENT Should be given in L1 and L2 Based
on language of instruction

• SOCIO-EMOTIONAL
• In L1
• DAP, KSD, KFD
• Roberts
• TEMAS
• Rorschach

• SOCIO-EMOTIONAL
• In Dominant Language
• DAP, KSD, KFD
• Roberts
• TEMAS
• Rorschach

Wilda Laija, Ph.D.
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Interpreting Results for Bilingual Students

• Consider
• Whether norms are from students country of origin
• How long has student been learning English
• Degree of support for L1 conceptual development
  at home and school
• Social and peer pressure to replace L1 with L2
• Bilingual students have different
  language/cognitive/academic development than
  monolingual students

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Test Interpretation with Bilingual Students

• Consider
• Language Proficiency
• L2 development
• Instructional Programs
• Reading Development in L1 and L2
• Educational History
• Health and Development
• Family History

• Caution against
• Distortion minimizing or maximizing differences
  due to stereotypes
• Pathologizing using inappropriate diagnostic
  criteria based on culture and language

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Writing the Report

• State
• Language used to test student
• Examiners proficiency or use of interpreter
• Students language factors
• Tests used, validity and reliability with this
  population
• Educational and family history
• Rule in or out exclusionary clause

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Classroom Interventions for Promoting L2
Competencies

• Reading aloud to the students at their conceptual
  level
• Providing experiences for listening comprehension
• Encouraging oral language development
• Sharing reading between the teacher and students
• Modeling and guiding oral language and reading
  development
• Shared reading dictating to the teacher and then
  illustrating books
• Using materials that are socially sensitive and
  culturally specific