When assessing culturally and linguistically diverse students, four principles provide a basis for best practices. Having a full multidisciplinary assessment team means including someone familiar with the language and cultural background of the student. The translator should be familiar with the assessment process so they can better assist the team and the parents. The parents should be included in assessment so they can provide input and act as advocate for their child.
Pre-referral strategies are important because they determine if the student needs to go to referral process. By comparing the student to other children with similar backgrounds, it can be determined if the student may have special needs or if the child was not given prior instruction and an opportunity to learn. Understanding their history can provide information about where the student's previous instruction may have failed. Language assessment is significant because students will not score well on tests if that student does not speak the test's language well. Tests should be administered in the student's native language and English to determine if the student needs special education rather than simply measuring English language skills. Appropriate assessment tailored to the child utilizes both formal and informal testing in a variety of environments. Formal standardized testing needs to be scrutinized for possible cultural bias. Informal testing, including interviews, will be most effective when done in both languages.
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April 2017
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