English Language Learners And Response To Referral Considerations: Article Analysis

This article entitled, “English Language Learners and Response to Intervention: Referral Considerations” is about how to assess whether or not an ELL student has a learning disability or just an English proficiency problem. It starts out with information about a response to intervention model and the steps needed to take to ensure that these students are properly assessed. The RTI model integrates a multitier preventive instructional system that uses evidence-based data to make a decision of eligibility. Tier 2 is the pivotal factor that can begin the special education referral process. If students do not respond appropriately to Tier 2, a general educator can refer the student to a special educator who will assess as to whether or not the student received adequate instruction before being referred and go from there. The article continues by specifying what happens after referral. The multidisciplinary team must complete the student’s individual …show more content…
The ELL community is growing and their needs are just as important as any other student. Identifying their special needs can be more difficult because of the language barrier. They could just have a low English proficiency or they could have a learning disability and it is very difficult to recognize the difference between the two. This article gave the clear steps to help assess students in this situation. It acknowledged both their different cultural background as well as their different educational background. Assessing students with different cultural and educational backgrounds is a very detailed processed and must be done correctly to be effective. This affects the field of exceptional student education because it gives these educators a big responsibility to correctly identify disabilities in ELL students that might otherwise be overlooked or cast aside because of their English proficiency