The Assessment of English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities: Issues, Concerns, and Implications

Introduction The number of English language learners (ELLs) has more than doubled since 1980s and has recently grown significantly at American schools; more than 8% of the total Pre-K-Grade 12 students are ELLs (Kindler, 2002; U.S. Department of Education, 2008). On the whole, our schools are not prepared to deal with the unique challenges faced by ELLs, especially when it comes to appropriately modifying con tent and assessments to fit their needs. Research has shown that many districts solve the ELL problem by classifying these students as special needs or special education students (Anderson, Minnema, Thurlow, & Hall-Lande, 2005). ELLs are disproportionately represented in the special education population due to the fact that they are often referred for special education before programs are appropriately modified to meet their needs (Garcia & Ortiz, 2004). But ELLs are NOT special education students. In fact, research has shown that ELLs lose academic ground when classified as learning disabled (Ortiz, Gareia, Holtzman, Polyzoi, Snell, Wilkinson, & Willig, 1985). To further complicate the problem, schools are beginning to see a large number of ELLs with learning disabilities (LD). Over the last decade, while the number of ELLs has increased by 61 percent, the number of ELLs in special education has more than doubled (Reynolds, Thernstrom, Gaziano, Heriot, Kirsanow, Melendez, Taylor, Jr., & Yaki, 2009). However, schools across the country report inadequate services to address the unique needs of ELLs with LD (Rinaldi & Samson, 2008). Schools struggle to provide the language assistance these students need, and often must fight to get the extra assistance they need in terms of special accommodations and testing modifications for their LD. Therefore, the examination of the issues in assessing ELLs with LD has important educational implications. This paper first describes the major issues in assessing ELLs with LD. It then discusses the fundamental concerns of the assessment of ELLs with LD. Finally it suggests important implications for policy makers, researchers, educators, assessment professionals, and parents of ELLs with LD. Major Issues The major issues in assessing ELLs with LD include the lack of accuracy and validity, the lack of test and/or item fairness, and the over referral of ELLs to special education. First, the majority of our assessments are based on standards of the English-speaking culture. As a result, there is very little chance that the scores obtained are appropriate, meaningful, or useful. For example, a math test not just assess math; it assesses math, reading, and culture, which decreases the accuracy and validity of the assessment (Huang, 2008; Popham, 2011). According to the National Center on Educational Outcomes (2005), these language and cultural barriers for ELLs with LD has not been focused on by policy makers. The struggles faced by these policymakers in pinpointing the major issue in assessing these students have resulted in little headway. The question that still remains is how to accommodate assessments for this unique group of students. Second, ELLs with LD are at a disadvantage in taking the assessments due to their language deficiencies and also their LD. A test and/or an item can be easily biased against them, which can lead to concerns about assessment fairness (Huang, 2008; Popham, 2011). In most cases a test and/or an item need to be translated into the native language of each ELLs with LD. However, it is very difficult to appropriately translate a test and/or an item without changing its difficulty of it. Further, there is a lack of qualified and properly trained translators who can work with ELLs with LD, which result in decreased assessment validity, and ultimately, decreased assessment fairness (National Center on Educational Outcomes, 2005; Popham, 2011). Finally, referring an ELL for special education is both time consuming and requires a very in-depth process. …