In addressing the problem of assessing culturally and linguistically diverse students for special education eligibility, this brief paper organizes suggested strategies according to four principles: (1) convening a full, multidisciplinary assessment team (to include parents, educators, assessors, and a person familiar with the student's culture…

This digest focuses on measuring literacy in the United States. Various reports and surveys offer conflicting data on the extent of illiteracy, but it is generally agreed upon that the rates are alarmingly high. Information provided in this digest highlights the problem of defining literacy and the limitations of various approaches to measuring…

A special subgroup of Limited English Speaking students is often referred to as students with limited formal schooling (LFS) or "preliterates" because they have not yet had the opportunity to learn to read. This digest explores important aspects of the LFS student population, defining LFS students and discussing their impact on schools,…

This digest describes ways in which professionals who work with culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities can create an educational climate that accepts and respects the language and culture of its students and empowers them to feel confident enough to risk getting involved in the learning process. Methods of creating such…

A mathematical problem is used to illustrate the difficulties non-native or limited-English-speaking students may encounter while attempting to solve mathematical problems in English. Simply knowing the language of instruction and the required math skills may not be sufficient for solving math problems. Cultural issues are present as well. It is…

This digest discusses the process of referring language minority students to special education, focusing specifically on the problems of overreferral and underreferral. The prereferral process, the assessment and referral process, and the characteristics and behaviors of language minority students in need of special education are described in…

Closed captioning is the process by which audio portions of television programs are transcribed into words that appear on the television screen at the same time as the program. This digest focuses on using closed captioned television for teaching limited-English-speaking literacy learners, and looks at: (1) the educational uses of closed captioned…

This digest discusses various types of communication disorders, their incidence, the learning difficulties associated with them, the special case of English language learners, and the educational significance of communication disorders. Communication disorders may result from many different conditions such as oral-motor difficulties or…

Students fail in school for a variety of reasons. In some cases, their academic difficulties can be directly attributed to deficiencies in the teaching and learning environment. For example, students with limited English may fail because they do not have access to effective bilingual or English as a second language (ESL) instruction. Students from…

This digest describes two major settings for adult literacy education: adult basic education (ABE) and community college remedial programs. Candidates for literacy education tend to be of low socioeconomic status and disproportionately from non-Caucasian backgrounds. The increasing number of immigrants who are not fluent in English, and often have…

This digest examines criticism of bilingual education and its effect on public opinion, discusses the rationale underlying good bilingual education programs, and summarizes research findings that reveal programs' effectiveness. Quality bilingual education provides students with knowledge and literacy in their first language, which indirectly but…

This digest uses recent statistics, including Census 2000 data, to synthesize information on Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) children and families. The APIA population is diverse, and APIA groups vary widely in language, religion, beliefs, and health practices. The percentage of foreign born differs widely among APIA groups. The U.S.…

Noting that people of Hispanic origin represent one of the largest minority groups in the United Sates, this digest points out that, for Hispanic students, success in school is a complex process, dependent on both the actions of parents and teachers separately and also on their interactions. The digest provides an overview of: (1) problems…

Failure to include nonnative English speaking students in a testing program, something that is especially important in a state where a high school graduation test is administered, can cost students the opportunity to practice for the test, as well as the opportunity for diagnosis of educational attainment and feedback about their progress. For…

This digest discusses issues and challenges in providing English language instruction to Latino and other linguistically diverse (LCD) incarcerated youth, aged 16-24, suggesting best practices and models to provide this intervention in correctional settings. It focuses on th following: the rationale for instruction (the instruction that LCD youth…