Lesson Planning and Data-based Decision Making as Critical Aspects of Teaching Multilingual Learners with Disabilities

• In Event: Educators’ Decision Making for Multilingual Learners With Disabilities

Abstract

Objectives/Purpose
Multilingual learners (MLs) are the fastest-growing population in schools today (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2022). Teacher education programs must prepare educators to work with MLs with and without disabilities in response to the legal requirement to teach the curriculum standards to all students (Martínez-Álvarez, 2023). This paper argues that lesson planning for effective instruction for MLs with disabilities is a key to meeting this requirement; hence, it is a critical component of teacher preparation programs for this or any student population. Many programs prepare teachers to develop lesson plan goals, objectives, and data-based decision making that align with curriculum standards. Ideally, these plans employ strategies that both engage diverse students and also eliminate barriers to any student’s access to standards-based instruction.
For teacher preparation programs, there remains a key challenge: many, if not most, school districts do not require teachers to create them. How, then, do we ensure that teachers are motivated to continue planning that is proactive and evidence-based so that we can address the unique needs of specialized and diverse populations?

Perspective(s)/Theoretical Framework
For MLs with disabilities, lesson planning helps to ensure that educators serving this population meet Individualized Education Program goals in the least restrictive environment (LRE) and provide a free and appropriate education (FAPE) as required under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Courtney et al., 2015; Giangreco, 2007). For MLs with disabilities, teacher preparation programs must also ensure that pre-service educators collaborate effectively to meet both needs. Lesson planning facilitates such collaboration, serving as a tool to bridge curriculum standards with the adjustments to practice and specialized services that must be provided to MLs with disabilities (Theoharis & Causton-Theoharis, 2011). Further, lesson plans enable teachers to employ data-based decision making, allowing them to monitor growth of the IEP and language learning goals of MLs with disabilities.

Methods/Data Sources
In this paper, we present data from a pre-service Master of Education program in moderate disabilities with initial licensure that includes a certificate in Teaching Bilingual English Learners with Disabilities. We surveyed 30 pre-service educators at the beginning and end of the program on their perception of teaching MLs with disabilities, and we also conducted two focus groups and six interviews during the full-practicum semester on the same topic.

Results and Significance
The results suggest that there is growth in pre-service teachers’ confidence in meeting the needs of MLs with disabilities, but our initial findings suggest that when they are employed within a school environment that neither requires nor promotes lesson plans, their motivation to create them with the goal of supporting MLs with disabilities may decline.
Implications for practice suggest that teacher preparation programs must develop ways to motivate pre-service teachers to continue to see the benefits of lesson planning to meet the needs of MLs with disabilities, regardless of the school environment they work within. School districts need to recognize the importance of lesson planning during their evaluation and coaching support and as part of their efforts to ensure data-based decision making.

Author

• Claudia Rinaldi, Lasell University