Unit 2 Eligibility for English Learner Support Laws & Policies Flashcards
What is ESSA stand for and the meaning of it?
Every Student Succeed Act(2015), it is the primary law governing school funding, operations and accountability.
What requirements are included in Title III of ESSA?
Options to assess ELs in their native language, Consistent methods to determine whether students are eligible for English language instruction services, and Greater emphasis on parent and family communication
What does IDEA stand for?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services.
What is Title III?
Title III is a provision of the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) governing services and assessment for English Learners. Title III requires states to use standardized practices to identify students in need of English language instruction support, including assessment in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
It is appropriate to place ELs in classrooms with students of significantly different ages if their overall English proficiency levels are similar.
False
Correct! Placement of ELs should be tied to their age, grade level, and ability to access grade-level content; as a result, they should not be placed with significantly younger or older children who are learning different grade-level content.
Title III requires that all ELs receive instruction in self-contained, EL-only classrooms rather than in the general classroom. T/F
False
Correct! Title III does not regulate how EL services must be provided, and students can receive support in a variety of ways: self-contained, pullout, push-in, or co-taught instruction.
Title III requires schools to report on the number of ELs receiving services and their progress toward language ____________?
Proficiency.
Correct! States must provide data on their students’ progress toward English proficiency as well as content knowledge.
Is Dual language is another name for two-way immersion programs? T/F
True
Correct! Dual language, or two-way immersion, is a type of program model in which students receive content instruction in two languages (such as English and Spanish). It is also sometimes called bilingual education. This model is helpful for ELs and is also sometimes used for native English speakers who are enrolled in special foreign language programs or schools.
What Is Differentiated Instruction?
Explicit instruction typically includes six core functions: review, presentation, guided practice, feedback, independent practice, and ongoing review. Which of the following is an important part of the “presentation” function?
Model and provide examples.
Correct! When presenting a new skill, it is important to model the skill and provide examples and non-examples to aid student understanding.
Explicit instruction is based on principles of effective instruction. Which of the following classroom activities aligns with the principles of effective instruction?
Use skill-based small groups extensively.
Correct! Skill-based, teacher-supervised small groups allow students to remain engaged, learn from each other, and interact extensively with content, promoting learning.
Which characteristic might indicate a potential exceptionality in an eighth-grade EL student who has recently arrived to the United States?
Correct! Difficulty reading in the native language as well as English can be an indicator of potential reading challenges. It is important to ensure the student had adequate literacy instruction in the first language.
Which practice may reduce inappropriate over- or under-identification of ELs for special education services?
Correct! A student’s level of native language skill, including reading skills, can offer important clues about whether the student has a disability.
True or False
Requiring bilingual testing for all ELs would eliminate over- and under-identification of ELs in special education.
False
Correct! English-only testing is one reason that students who are not yet proficient in English may be erroneously identified for special education services. However, other factors can cause inappropriate identification for ELs, including cultural bias, teacher misunderstanding of child development across cultures, and lack of teacher understanding of the second-language acquisition process. Bilingual testing would address linguistically inappropriate assessment practices but would not address these other factors.
To accommodate students who lack confidence or language skills to participate verbally.
A teacher can offer students who may not be able to participate verbally can still contribute to the lesson in valuable nonverbal way.
Students without strong reading skills may feel intimidated practicing close reading with a difficult text.
Allowing students to do “close reading” with a portrait can help them build the skills they need without having to worry about decoding or comprehending complex and difficult text.
Students who are ELs or who have exceptionalities may need multiple opportunities to see and practice a skill.
This approach allows students to see an activity modeled, practice it with support and feedback, and then complete it independently when they are ready to do so.
You are the teacher of an EL who has been placed in English language instruction. The EL is new to the United States, and, when the state-mandated tests are given, the student will have been enrolled in school for only three months. Under ESSA, which option would be most appropriate?
Correct! ESSA permits native language testing if it is necessary, and students can be exempted from the reading assessment during their first year in the country.
Provisions of ESSA that will significantly impact testing of ELs?
Correct! Most EL students need five to seven years to be proficient in academic language. Assessing in their native language helps determine whether students need academic assistance, language assistance, or both. States can also choose the accountability measures that best align with language assistance programs and that best align to state-required standardized assessments. Most EL students need five to seven years to be proficient in academic language. When states are allowed to exclude the scores of EL students for the first year, it gives students one year to focus just on language proficiency, not standardized assessments.
Which of these areas includes standards promoted by (WIDA) World-class Instructional Design and Assessment for describing how ELs should use language?
Correct! The WIDA standards address the language students need to be successfully using in social and instructional settings, including specialized academic language in multiple content areas.
Standards-based instruction for ELs should use multiple
_____?_______ to foster student independence.
Strategies! Correct! Students of any age level can learn new strategies for productive learning and can grow in the process.
What does IDEA stand for and what is it?
IDEA is…
A federal education law. Kids with
disabilities who qualify can get
special education and related
services from public schools.
IDEA covers…
Kids from birth through high
school (or age 21). But a child
must have a disability in one
of 13 categories in the law and
need special education to make
progress in school. Not all kids
who struggle in school will qualify
What does IDEIA stand for and what is it?
504 what is it?
504 is…
A federal civil rights law. It
protects students from disability
discrimination by public schools,
and by any college, trade school,
or private school that gets
federal funding.
Section 504 covers…
Students of all ages who have a
physical or mental disability that
substantially limits a major life
activity. That can include reading,
learning, and concentrating.
IEP what is it?
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a blueprint for
a child’s special education experience at school. The plan
describes what services and supports the child gets. IEPs
tend to have many common elements.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) what is it?
A federal civil rights law.
It protects people from
disability discrimination by the
government, schools, employers,
and anyone who offers goods
and services to the public.
The ADA covers…
People of all ages who have a
physical or mental disability
that substantially limits a major
life activity.
FAPE what is it?
LRE what is it?
One of the provisions of Section 504 is the creation of a “504 plan,” which outlines accommodations and modifications a student may need to access educational opportunities and participate fully in school activities.
Accommodations- Supports provided so that students with disabilities can access and complete curriculum requirements and tasks. Accommodations such as reading content aloud, allowing the use of a laptop, or providing extra time to ensure students can access the task but do not change workload or curriculum requirements, Modifications- Changes made to curriculum requirements or tasks to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Modifications often reduce workload or change the demands placed on students.
True or False
Services and instruction for students with disabilities must be provided in the LRE. A general education classroom is not always the LRE for every student; this decision is made by teams based on the needs and profile of each particular student. However, teams should carefully consider the benefits of general education placement for all students with disabilities.
Placement in the general education setting is preferable for students with exceptionalities because it lowers costs.
False
Correct! Placement in general education is preferable, but not for reasons of cost. Placement in general education ensures students have access to same-age peers, grade-level curriculum, and an environment free from stigma.
A school system agrees that a student with a reading exceptionality needs specialized reading instruction due to her exceptionality and suggests her parents hire a reading tutor to address her reading needs. Which important student right has been violated?
FAPE! Correct! Private reading tutoring may or may not, by itself, be an appropriate way to address the student’s disability. Under FAPE, though, the student’s family cannot be required to pay for such tutoring.
Several laws address rights and access for individuals with exceptionalities. _____IDEA____________ addresses rights, protections, and education specifically for students in schools, while the ____ADA_____________ addresses rights and accessibility for all individuals.
Correct! IDEA addresses the rights and protections specifically guaranteed to children with disabilities in the education system, while the ADA applies more broadly to any American, of any age, who has a disability.
True or False
All the laws discussed in this module (IDEA, Section 504, and ADA) provide funding to schools for educating students with exceptionalities.
False! Correct! IDEA is the only law of these three to provide funding for school districts to offer special education services to students with disabilities.
The following is a foundational component of IDEA?
IEP! Correct! An IEP is the foundational special education planning document, and IDEA describes what should be addressed in each student’s IEP.
True or False
At a minimum, an IEP must contain goals, testing accommodations, and family supports.
False. Correct! An IEP does contain goals and accommodations, but need not include family supports and must also include present levels of performance, services and modifications, and placement information.
True or False
IDEA guarantees free and appropriate education to students who have learning disabilities or autism, but not ADHD.
False. Correct! IDEA guarantees a FAPE to all students who have educational disabilities. Even students with ADHD or behavioral disabilities, who may struggle in traditional school settings, are guaranteed a free and appropriate education at no cost. Students with ADHD are often found eligible under the category of “other health impairment” or, less frequently, “emotional and behavioral disabilities.”
True or False
An IEP and a 504 plan are authorized and administered under two different laws.
True. Correct! An IEP is created for students who qualify for special education services under IDEA, and a 504 plan is created for students who qualify for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
True or False
An IEP cannot be written for a student who has a learning disability, but a 504 plan can be created for that student.
False
Correct! Both plans can be created for any student with any disability as long as the disability impacts the student’s education according to the requirements of the law.
You work with a student who has a medical condition and needs accommodations such as extra time on tests and extra breaks throughout the day. The student’s parent has requested a meeting to specify how these accommodations will be implemented.
IDEA/504 Which plan can help the student? 504. Correct! Section 504 guarantees accommodations and supports for students with disabilities such as medical conditions, even when the student may not need the full continuum of special education services.
You have a student in your class who has been identified as having a learning disability. The student needs assistive technology, a one-on-one aide, and specialized instruction in reading. Your team is meeting tomorrow to create a plan for supporting the student.
IDEA/504 which plan can help the student? IDEA. Correct! This student’s needs meet the criteria for having an educational disability, and the supports needed would meet the criteria for special education services.
A teacher has three years teaching experience in Texas and is moving to Colorado. In Texas, the teacher enjoyed a diverse classroom with English learners and students with exceptionalities, and worked hard to meet their needs, and followed the modifications and accommodations in their IEPs and 504 plans.
The teacher is concerned that it will be hard to learn about all the legal requirements in a new school and is worried about learning new laws, policies, and guidelines that will need to be followed in Colorado to meet students’ needs. How would you respond to the teacher’s concern?
Remind the teacher that IDEA and Title III are federal laws requiring schools to provide a fair and equitable education for all states.
Correct! The IDEA and Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) are federal laws and apply in every U.S. state and territory. Every student, no matter the student’s language or cognitive or physical ability, has a right to an education.
Malik is a fifth-grade student with autism spectrum disorder who has a focused interest in dinosaurs and prehistoric life. While he is able to communicate with his peers, conversations often turn to dinosaurs. His teacher sometimes struggles to get him to focus and learn when the topic of study does not relate to dinosaurs. The IEP team determines he will be most successful full time in the general education classroom. What would be an effective way for his teacher to ensure he is successful in the mainstream classroom in all curriculum areas?
Provide time for the student to learn independently.
Correct! Students with restricted interests are very interested in learning about or doing one thing. If a teacher gives a student time to learn what he or she wants to learn and then connects the classroom learning to that topic, the teacher is fulfilling the LRE requirements and helping the student be successful in the classroom.
True or False
A student with a behavioral disability is placed in inclusion classes with a special education aide. With these supports, the student maintains a B+ average and has zero office referrals. At the student’s IEP meeting, a team member recommends moving the student to a self-contained classroom with only special education students for the following year.
This recommendation is inconsistent with IDEA’s requirements for LRE.
True. Correct! The available data indicate the student is successful in inclusion classes with an aide, and a move to a self-contained classroom would place the student in a more restrictive setting without evidence that it is necessary.
True or False
A teacher can place a student with disabilities in a self-contained classroom with only special education students if the student is not able to follow classroom rules in a general education classroom.
False.
Correct! A teacher may not unilaterally place a student in a restrictive setting. Rather, the decision about placement in the LRE must be made based on the student’s demonstrated ability to be successful in a general education setting or the student’s demonstrated need for additional supports that can be provided only in a more restrictive setting. As an alternative to changing a student’s placement, teams should always consider whether a student needs more support to be successful in the general education setting.
