Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Students Literacy Skills Develop at a Slower Rate than Their General Education Peers
Data suggests that students who are English Learners (ELs) develop literacy skills at a
much slower rate than their general education counterparts. Seidenberg & Macdonald (2018)
tells us that students who are English learners have more things to learn than students whose first
language is English, because on top of learning the content that is being taught, they also have to
learn the language that is being used to teach the content. Students who speak more than one
language have limited morphological awareness (Shen, 2023), meaning that they have limited
understanding of the smallest units of meaning within words. This slows down their
understanding of what they are learning. There are multiple studies that suggest that ELs perform
at lower levels than native English speakers. In a study completed by Solari et al., data showed
“...that, in general, [EL students] are performing at lower levels than their GenEd peers on
essential literacy skills across grades 3 to 10” (2014). Similarly, Golloher et al. found that
emergent bilingual students are “substantially behind” their peers who fluently speak English in
problems. Chu and Flores (2011) tell us that “a learning disability refers to ‘disorder in one or
written that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or
it a learning disability or a language acquisition problem, there are a handful of questions you
To what extent is the student receiving instruction of sufficient quality to make the
accepted levels of academic progress? How does the student’s progress in hearing,
speaking, reading, and writing English as a second language compare with the normal
rate of progress? To what extent are behaviors that might otherwise indicate a learning
who receive or have been referred for special education services. According to Garcia & Ortiz
(1992), there has been an “inappropriate referral of language minority students to special
education”, whereas the U.S. Department of Education released data 2007 that showed Latinos
are underrepresented in special education. Golloher et al. (2018) states that “...underidentification
would suggest that emergent bilingual students with learning disabilities may not be receiving
Unfortunately, many teachers have not been prepared on how to identify ELs with
specific learning disabilities (Ferlis et. al., 2016). Because of this, differentiating between
language difference and learning disability can be a challenge for educators (Golloher et al.,
2018), resulting in misidentifying bilingual students. In this section, there are a few reasons listed
why some EL students may be misidentified. One reason being students may struggle more than
(Lopes-Murphy et. al., 2020). Another is that students who are acquiring a new language tend to
have similar learning behaviors to students with learning disabilities (Lopes-Murphy et. al.,
2020). Lastly, Shepherd et al. (2005) makes a valuable point in that “children who are not
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having a disability”.
In 2010 Zetlin, Beltran, Salcido, Gonzalez, & Reyes reported that “familiarity with
English accounts for at least 50% and up to 90% of test variance found within IQ tests.” When
analyzing the assessments that were being used to refer ELLs to special education Sanatullova-
Allison stated that “these assessments do not lend themselves to valid, reliable results, given the
biased nature upon they are built (Sanatullova-Allison et.al., 2016). They go on to say that bias
exists in many forms within IQ tests including “sample bias, sociocultural bias, and proficiency
Special education referrals usually begin with the classroom teachers. According to a
study done by Lopes-Murphy & Murphy in 2020, “teachers rarely use assessment tools that take
into consideration the learner’s native language and level of proficiency in English.” The study
also states that teachers’ inability to adopt an identification process that is more effective for a
“culturally and linguistically diverse group can potentially contribute to the continual
misidentification of ELs as students with learning disabilities” (Lopes-Murphy et. al., 2020)
It is the language and cultural differences that call into question the reliability and validity of
Academic screeners are an important first step for educators in the process of identifying
students who may have learning disabilities, but “few literacy screeners are developed with EL
students in mind,” (Cummings et al., 2021). While assessing students in their native language
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may give educators a chance to eliminate the language and cultural barriers that exist, providing
One issue is that some students are not proficient in any standard language. In 2005
Shepherd, Linn, and Brown reported in their study of students on the Texas-Mexico border that
many students speak a “combination of English and Spanish sometimes known as Tex-Mex.”
They go on to explain that the language “contains many oddities uncommon to both English and
Spanish” and it is peppered with slang and therefore would not likely be used on any
Another shortcoming of a standardized test for Spanish speakers is not taking into
account the different dialects and cultures of students who hail from various Spanish -speaking
countries. The inclination would be “the categorization of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and
many other Spanish-speaking groups into one ethnic group” (Shepherd et. al., 2005). Finding the
most effective way to screen and identify ELL students is still a dilemma that needs to be
addressed.
general education students and high risk groups such as students with learning disabilities and
ELL students. The study “Differentiating literacy growth of ELL students with LD from other
high-risk subgroups and general education peers'' indicates that discrepancies are persistent
across grade levels and need to be addressed through targeted intervention at every grade level.
(Solari et al., 2014) To ensure appropriate instruction for all students, including those with
learning disabilities and English language learners, the Tier 1 framework is proposed as a
baseline tool for planning instruction. Collaboration among classroom teachers, special
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educators, and English language teachers is crucial in implementing all aspects of a RTI/MTSS
program. (Golloher et al., 2018) Also moving forward, school districts should reexamine their
solutions. (Shepherd et. al., 2005) Although EL teachers use socioculturally-guided instruction, it
is ineffective without administrators, general education and special education teachers, having
2016)
Conclusions
In conclusion, it is clear that students with learning disabilities face unique challenges in
developing literacy skills at a slower rate compared to their general education peers. These
challenges are intensified by the fact that students' potential reading disabilities are often
overlooked due to language acquisition issues. It is important for assessments and evaluations to
be conducted in students’ native languages to accurately assess their abilities and provide
appropriate instruction and support. In cases where assessments in the students native language
are not available, alternative methods should be utilized. Moving forward, it is essential for
educators and other professionals within the schools to prioritize the needs of English Language
Learners and develop more inclusive practices to support their academic growth and success in
the classroom.
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References
Chu, S.-Y.; Flores, S. (2011). Assessment of English language learners with learning
disabilities. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas,
screener risk selection between english proficient students and english learners. Learning
https://doi-org.proxy.longwood.edu/10.1177/0731948719864408
Ferlis, E.; Xu, Y. (2016). Prereferral process with latino english language learners with
Golloher, A. N., Whitenack, D. A., Simpson, L. A., & Sacco, D. (2018). From the ground
Lopes-Murphy, S. A., & Murphy, C. G. (2020). English learning and learning disabilities:
has research made its way into practice? Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 32(4),
304–330.
Ortiz, A. A. (1992). Assessing appropriate and inappropriate referral systems for LEP
overview of the issues surrounding the identification of English language learners with
38(1), 66–83.
https://doi-org.proxy.longwood.edu/10.1080/02702711.2022.2141398
Shepherd, T. L., Linn, D., & Brown, R. D. (2005). The disproportionate representation of
English language learners for special education services along the border. Journal of
Solari, E. J., Petscher, Y., & Folsom, J. S. (2014). Differentiating literacy growth of ELL
students with LD from other high-risk subgroups and general education peers: evidence
org.proxy.longwood.edu/10.1177/0022219412463435
implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2005. Retrieved from