Educators’ Decision Making for Multilingual Learners With Disabilities

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Historically, research has explored the long-standing issue of multilingual learners’ (MLs’) under- and over-representation in special education. An emergent line of research has begun to explore an underexamined phenomenon: educators’ beliefs and the contextual factors that influence their decisions about their MLs with disabilities. Drawing from diverse theoretical perspectives, the qualitative studies in this symposium examine different critical junctures that call for educators’ professional judgment—pre-referral practices, screening, lesson planning, and reclassification. The symposium highlights the tensions and confusion educators grapple with as they make high-stakes decisions in the midst of a lack of training and guidance in data use.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Data-Driven Decision Making in Education

Chairs

• Elizabeth Burr, WestEd

• Sara E.N. Kangas, Lehigh University

Papers

• How Do Practitioners Decide to Refer Multilingual Children for Special Education Evaluation? - Elizabeth Burr, WestEd

• Exploring the Impact of Dyslexia Policy on Educators of Multilingual Students in One Oregon District - Sara Wiger, Oregon State University

• Lesson Planning and Data-based Decision Making as Critical Aspects of Teaching Multilingual Learners with Disabilities - Claudia Rinaldi, Lasell University

• The Role of Data Skepticism in Reclassifying English Learners with Disabilities - Sara E.N. Kangas, Lehigh University; Molly Jones Ruiz, Lehigh University

Discussant

• Julie Esparza Brown, Portland State University