Culturally Responsive Assessment for Differentiating Learning Differences from Disability

Professional Development training module designed primarily for teams of mainstream teachers, support staff and evaluation team members

Training Description:

Thinking about culturally responsive educational systems requires studying the processes, decisions and communication paths used to make and sustain changed practice. Are we asking the right questions?

• To what extent does the student have difficulty learning in school because of a different cultural background or limited proficiency in English?
• To what extent is the student's learning difficulty in school due to the normal process of learning academic content in a non-proficient language?
• To what extent do difficulties that students experience indicate underlying intrinsic learning disabilities in addition to normal problems of learning another language?

This workshop series will provide an opportunity for educators and administrators to consider processes, decisions and communication paths in daily practice. We present a framework to implement and apply a culturally responsive process for the Child Study Team/Instructional Support Team/Response to Intervention Team when working with English Language Learners to distinguish learning difficulties from learning disabilities.

Educators will engage in joint, productive activity through discourse, inquiry and collaborative interaction with colleagues to build a shared knowledge of second language development and cultural competence. In place of the traditional practice of schools focusing on the students' deficits, the training will help educators look at student performance as the result of interactions between the individual and cultural learning contexts.

With guidance and reviews of case studies, educators will shift from a focus on locating the problem within the child to a focus on what must be addressed differently to provide general education supports for ELLs based on their individual needs. This requires gathering extensive information about the student and his/her surroundings. Educators and administrators will scrutinize existing school structures and supports (including climate and curriculum) with increased discernment to avoid discrimination because of language and cultural differences. This can result in substantial, qualitative changes to district and school policies, practices and protocols.

In summary, through cross-collaborative problem-solving teams, participants will apply shared knowledge and understanding of socio-cultural and linguistic factors that impact learning and behavior. They will then develop the skills and competencies to distinguish a learning difficulty from a learning disability.

Identification of Staff for Training:

Teams from district/school buildings that include district administrators; school principals; mainstream teachers PreK-12; ESL, ELL, and bilingual instructors or directors; speech and language pathologists; psychologists; reading teachers; social workers; and school counselors

Format

Length of Time:  Minimum 12 hours
Suggested formats: 6 sessions, each session 2 hours in length of time
4 sessions, each session 3 hours in length of time
3 sessions, each session 4 hours in length of time
2 sessions, each session 6 hours in length of time
Additional time may be requested to cover specific issues more deeply.