Here is an action plan to help you with the process of identifying whether or not your ESL student has a learning disability.
Overview
1. Refer to BICS and CALP as well as the stages of language acquisition. Is the student making progress?
2. Are the student’s receptive skills developing before their productive skills?
3. Does the student have a documented disability?
4. Are there factors that could be impeding the child’s ability to learn English?
Action Plan
1. Discuss concerns with classroom teacher and consult with your ESL colleagues.
2. Implement strategies in both classrooms that could help the student’s learning. Document these strategies and their success.
3. If the student continues to struggle, meet with your school’s intervention team. Present your concerns and data to the team. Express your observations and show the team a portfolio type assessment which consists of multiple assessments and different types of assessments (reading level, writing samples, vocabulary, and grammar checklists).
4. If the team suggests to test the student, test the student in their native language or the student's stronger language. If testing the student in their native language is not possible, test the student in English making sure the directions of the assessments are clear and the assessments reflect learning in the classroom. Tests should be valid, clear, and free of cultural bias. Assessing the student's knowledge and skills is the goal, so you want to prevent any language barriers that may hinder this assessment. Make sure you receive permission from parents before testing!
5. Ask the parents about the student’s native language. Does the student use their first language typical of their peers (disregard typical developmental errors in the native language)? Are the parents concerned about their child’s native language skills? What kind of errors does the student make? Has there been a history of difficulty with reading, expressing, or processing language in the family?
6. Meet with your school’s team and parents. Present your test results and suggest an educational plan for the student if necessary. Parents may be very sensitive toward the fact that their child may need special education services. Be aware that your student’s parents may disagree with this plan and any indication that their child has a learning disability (even if assessments and data support your claim).
7. If the student has a learning disability, meet with the student’s special education teacher to discuss the student and strategies that work for the student’s learning. ESL students must receive both special education services and ESL services.