equity in special education placement: a school …...equity in special education placement: a...

Heraldo V. RichardsAlfredo J. ArtilesJanette KlingnerAyanna Brown

November 2005 VERSION 1

Equity in Special Education Placement:A School Self-Assessment Guide for

Culturally Responsive Practice

FORM A(AdMinistRAtORs)

Introduction 3AdministeringtheAssessment 3DevelopingaCulturallyResponsiveSchoolImprovementPlan 4PlanningSheet 5Scoring 6SampleScoreSheet 6ScoreSheet 7OverallProfileofDomains 7PrioritizingItemsforIntervention 8GettingStarted:AnOverviewofProcedures 9Step1:DetermineifThereisDisproportionateRepresentationatYourSchool 9Step2:AssessSchoolDomainsRelevanttoCulturallyResponsiveEducation 10

I.SchoolGovernance,Organization,PolicyandClimate 10A.SchoolGovernanceandOrganization 10B.SchoolPoliciesandReforms 11C.SchoolClimate 12II.FamilyInvolvement 13III.Curriculum 14IV.OrganizationofLearning 15A.TeachingandLearning 15B.ClassroomAchievementandAssessment 16C.BehaviorManagement 17V.SpecialEducationPre-ReferralandReferralProcessesandPrograms 18A.Pre-ReferralandReferralProcedures 18B.AssessmentandIntervention 19

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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INTrOduCTION

Background Withincreasingnumbersofstudentsfromdifferentbackgrounds,schoolsarefindingitdifficulttoprovideanappropriateeducationtoall.Moreover,theschoolsystemisplaguedbystudentunderachievement,dropouts,andexcessivespecialeducationreferralsandplacements,particularlyamongstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.Theproblemofdisproportionaterepresentationofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgroundsinspecialeducationhasemergedasoneofthesystem’sgreatestchallenges,occurringforreasonsrangingfrominappropriateorinadequateinstructiontoflawedassessmentpractices.Becausetheproblemoccursformultiplereasonsandexistsatalllevelsoftheeducationalsystem,remedyingitrequiresamultifacetedapproach.TheNationalCenterforCulturallyResponsiveEducationalSystems(NCCRESt)hasframedaculturallyresponsivemodelthatismulti-dimensionalinscope,designedto(a)increasetheuseofpreventionandearlyinterventionstrategies,(b)createcontextsconducivetoeducationalsystemsimprovement,and(c)enhancetheteachingandlearningofpractitionersandstudentsalike.Withthisperspectiveinmind,aself-assessmenttoolforpractitionershasbeencreated.Thetoolisbasedoninstrumentsdevelopedatpreeminentresearchcentersandprofessionalgroupsandassociations.1

PurPose Theself-assessmentinstrumentisdesignedtoassistelementaryschoolpractitioners(allprofessionalsandparaprofessionalsworkingintheschools,suchasspecialandgeneraleducationteachers,counselorsandadministrators)increatingschoolsthatareculturallyresponsiveintheirprogrammingandinstructionsothatoptimalachievementmightoccurforallstudentsincludingthosefromculturallyand

linguisticallydiversebackgrounds.Thecompleteassessmentpackageincludes:FormA(Administrators),FormB(TeachersandSchoolSupportPersonnel).Althoughbothformsdonothavetobeadministered,itishighlyrecommendedthatthisbedonetoobtainacompleteassessmentoftheschool.Greaterinvolvementfromdifferentgroupsincreasesnotonlytheaccuracyoftheassessmentbutalsothevestedinterestinaccomplishingtherecommendedgoalsforschoolimprovement.Moreover,thisinstrumentpresentsguidelinesthatwillassistschoolsinprovidingbetterprogrammingforstudentsfromdiversebackgroundsandreducinginappropriatereferralstospecialeducation.Asadatacollectiontool,italsobecomesanimportantaidingatheringinformationtodevelopaneffectiveschoolimprovementplanrequiredbytheStateEducationAgency.

assessment domains Theself-assessmentguideprovidesaframeworkforevaluating(a)knowledge,(b)skills,and(c)dispositionsin5domainsrelevanttoaddressingtheneedsofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.The5domainsarebasedoninstrumentsdevelopedbyresearchcentersandprofessionalgroupsandassociations.

School Governance, Organization, Policy and Climate—thegeneraloperationandstructureoftheschool,includingpoliciesandreformsassociatedwithschoolgovernance,aswellasattitudesandperceptionsprevalentintheschool.Family Involvement—theextenttowhichfamiliescommunicatewithandparticipateintheirchildren’sschoolandareperceivedtobevaluedpartnersbytheschool.Curriculum—thecontentandskillsincludedineducationalprograms.Organization of Learning—theactivitiesinvolvedintheexchangeofknowledgein

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theclassroom,includingtheteachingandlearningprocess,classroomachievementandassessment,andbehaviormanagement.Special Education Referral Process and Programs—thedeliveryofservicesinvolvingpre-referralandreferralprocesses,eligibility,placement,andinstructionalprogramming.

AdmINISTErINg ThE ASSESSmENT

Schoolsmayusetheinstrumenttoassistinidentifyingstrengthsandweaknessesintheeducationalservicestheirschoolsprovide.Eachdomainconsistsofevaluativeitemsthatguideinassessingtheschool’sorganizationandperformance.Theratingscalerangesfrom“almostalways”to“almostnever.”“Notapplicable”isincludedforthoseitemsthatdonotapplytoyourschool.Toassessyourschool,thinkabouteachlistedactivityandselecttheratingthatbestrepresentsitsoccurrenceatyourinstitution.

Almost Always=occursmorethan75%ofthetimeFrequently=occurs50to75%ofthetimeSometimes=occurs26to50%ofthetimeAlmost Never =occurs25%orlessofthetimeNot Applicable =doesnotapplytoyourschool

Theprincipalshouldactinaleadershiproletofacilitatetheaccurateevaluationoftheschoolanditsdeliveryofservices.Tomakethisacollectiveeffortandinthespiritofsharedgovernance,theprincipalwithinputfromthefacultywilldecidewhowillcompletethequestionnairesandwhen.Inordertoobtain

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1Assembly of native Educator Associations (1998, February 3). Alaska standards for Culturally Responsive schools. Retrieved June 20, 2003, from http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/currstan.html

Banks, J.A., Cookson, P., Gay, G., Hawley, W.d., irvine, J.J., nieto, s., schofield, J.W., & stephan,W.G. (2002). diversity within unity: Essential principles for

teaching and learning in a multicultural society. seattle, Washington: Center for Multicultural Education, College of Education, University of Washington.

national Association for Bilingual Education (nABE), iLiAd Project (2002). determining Appropriate Referrals of English Language Learners to special Education: A self-Assessment Guide for Principals. Washington, dC:

national Association for Bilingual Education.

national Alliance of Black school Educators (nABsE), & iLiAd Project (2002). Addressing Over-Representation of African American students in special Education. Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children, and Washington, dC: national Alliance of Black school Educators.

multipleperspectivesontheeffectivenessoftheschool,arepresentativepanelof5to10members,includingtheprincipal,representativeteachers(possiblyapprovedbythefaculty),supportpersonnel,andcommunitymembersshouldbeselectedfortheassessmentteam.Thisdoesnotprecludeinputfromotherinterestedmembersintheschoolandthecommunity.

This tool is not intended to penalize teachers or other school personnel for deficiencies and should not be used by the principal or anyone else to evaluate a teacher’s or other school personnel’s performance, nor should the results be placed in the teacher’s or other school peronnel’s records. Rather,onceareasaretargetedforimprovement,administrators,teachers,supportpersonnelandcommunitymembersshouldworktogethertoaddresstheweaknessesorareasthatneedimprovement.Theassessmentsshouldbecollectedandcompiledbyadesignatedassessmentcoordinatorwhowillberesponsiblefor(a)tabulatingtheresponses,(b)conveningameetingtosharetheresults,and(c)conductingadiscussiontodetermineareasofagreementanddisagreementforthepurposeofprioritizingneeds.

Theresultsoftheassessmentshouldbeusedtodevelopaplanofinterventionthatwillincreasetheschool’seffectivenessintheareasidentifiedforimprovement.TheschoolmaywanttoenlistsupportfromoutsideresourcessuchasNCCREStindevelopingimprovementplansbasedonthedatacollected.Itisadvisablethatadesignatedfacilitatorbegiventheresponsibilityofoverseeingtheimplementationofeachareaselectedforimprovement,withgoalsandatimetable.Atanassignedtime,afollow-upmeetingshouldbeheldtodetermineprogressmade.

dEvELOpINg A CuLTurALLy rESpONSIvE SChOOL ImprOvEmENT pLAN

Therearemanywaysinwhichthisinstrumentmightbeusedtoassistyouinprovidingthebestopportunitiespossibleforculturallyandlinguisticallydiversestudents.Afteryouhavecompletedtherating,revieweachdomaintodeterminewhichoftheareasreflectweaknessesandstrengths.Bylookingatyourperformanceineachofthe5domains,youwillbeabletoidentifywheretoexpendenergyandresourcesforimprovement.

Itmaybehelpfultocalculatethepercentagescoresforeacharea.Thiswouldallowyoutoquantifyyoureffortsinprovidingculturallyresponsiveprogrammingandinstruction.Forexample,ananalysisofthedomain,FamilyInvolvement,mightrevealapercentagescoreof85%.ThiswouldsuggestFamilyInvolvementasanareaofstrength;whereasanotherareasuchasSpecialEducationProcessandProgramsmightresultin25%,indicatinganareaofrelativeweakness.Ingeneral,percentagescoresabove75%indicatethatyourschoolisperformingatahighstandardinthatarea.Scoresbelow25%suggestweakareasthatrequireintensiveintervention.Thesescoresneedtobeconsideredinconjunctionwithevidencepresentedduringtheassessmentpaneldiscussions.Basedoninputfrompanelmembersandotherswithvestedinterests,areasofconcernshouldbeprioritizedandaddressedthroughcollaborativeanddirectedprogramming.

Inreviewingspecificitems,youmaydiscoverthatparticularpracticesneedtobeimproved.Yourgoalthenshouldbetodevoteresourcesto

improvingthoserelativeweaknesses.Moreover,dependingontheitemofconcern,financing,personnel,workshopsorotherresourcesmightberequired.Examiningthespecificproblemhelpstodeterminethetypeofreformneeded.Itshouldbenotedthatthereisalwaysroomforimprovement,andthatitisnecessarytocontinuetomonitorprogramsifonlytosustaintheirlevelofquality.

Inplanningprogramsofintervention,youmaywanttoconsiderwhetherearlyinterventionorpreventionwouldbeappropriategiventheareaofconcern.Toensurethatchildrenareadequatelypreparedfortheclassroomorthatparentsareawareofthespecialeducationprocess,itmaybenecessarytodevelopprogramsthatwouldaddresspreschoolneedsorinstituteworkshopsforfamilies.Thisinstrumentmayalsoassistinidentifyingwhatneedstobedoneatalllevelsforeducationalsystemsimprovement.Togetheradministrators,faculty,staff,students,andthecommunitycanengageindialogueandprogrambuildingforthebettermentoftheschool.Further,theevaluationshouldassistyouindeterminingwhatisnecessarytoenhancetheteachingandlearningofbothpractitionersandstudentsbyidentifyingthoseareasforimprovement.Specificcurriculamaybedevelopedorappropriateworkshopsdesignedtomeetthoseneeds.

Whetherornotyoucalculatepercentagesorsimplylookatitemsseparately,takingthetimetoevaluateyourprogram,usingthelistedcriteria,encouragesyoutothinkaboutissuesandservicesyoumightnothaveconsidered.Thisawarenesswouldallowyoutoplanmoreeffectivelyforyourstudents,faculty,andsupportpersonnel.

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NameofSchool:Date:

PurposefortheAssessment:

pLANNINg ShEET

1.6.

2.7.

3.8.

4.9.

5.10.

ASSESSmENT pANEL nOtE: A PAnEL OF 5 tO 10 PEOPLE FROM diVERsE BACkGROUnds ARE RECOMMEndEd, inCLUdinG tHE PRinCiPAL, REPREsEntAtiVE tEACHER(s), And COMMUnity MEMBERs.

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SCOrINg

Toassistindeterminingstrengthsandweaknesses,percentagescoresmaybecalculatedforeachdomainorsub-domain,andthenplottedonthescalemeasuringrelativestrengthsandweaknesses.Tocalculatethescores,followthe5stepslistedbelow:

Step1:Multiply3(thehighestpossiblescoreforanitem)timesthenumberofitemsanswered(excludingitemsanswered“notapplicable”)todeterminetotalpossiblepoints.Step2:Addupthenumberofratingpointsreceivedforeachiteminagivendomainorsub-domain(almostalways=3,frequently=2,sometimes=1,almostnever=0;itemsanswered“notapplicable”shouldnotbeincludedinthecount.).Step3:Dividethetotalpointsreceivedbythetotalpossiblepoints.Step4:Multiplytheanswerfromstep2(a

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two-placedecimal)by100todeterminethepercentagescore.Step5:Plotthepercentagescoreonthescale.

ExAmpLE

Let’sassumeyoucompletedtheassessmentinthedomainofSchoolGovernance,Organization,PolicyandClimate.Alltheitemswereansweredwithnoitemsidentifiedas“notapplicable.”Thisdomainhastwosub-domains,namelySchoolGovernance,Organization,Policy;andClimate.

Step1:TotalpossiblepointsforSchoolGovernance,OrganizationandPolicywouldbe39;totalpossiblepointsforSchoolClimate,30;totalpossiblepointsforentiredomain,69.Steps2-4:Thepointsreceivedandpercentagesforthesub-domainsareasfollows(seesamplescoresheetbelow):

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SchoolGovernance,Organization,andPolicy:33pointsreceived(seeitem(a)onthesamplescoresheetbelow)outofatotalpossiblepointsof39(seeitem(b)onthesamplescoresheetbelow),forapercentagescoreof85%(seeitem(c)onthesamplescoresheetbelow).SchoolClimate:7pointsoutof30,forapercentagescoreof20%.Thetotalpointsreceivedfortheentiredomainwas40points(seeitem(a)onthesamplescoresheetbelow)outofatotalpossiblepointsof69(seeitem(b)onthesamplescoresheetbelow),forapercentagescoreof58%forthedomain(seeitem(c)onthesamplescoresheetbelow).

Step5:Therelativeweaknessesandstrengthsareplotted(X )onthescaletotherightbasedonthepercentagescores(seesamplescoresheetbelow).

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1.SchoolGovernance,Organization,andPolicy a33/b39=c85% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

2.SchoolClimate a7/b30=c23% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

DOMAIN TOTAL a40/b69=c58% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

sUB-dOMAins % sCORE sCALE

I. SChOOL gOvErNANCE, OrgANIZATION, pOLICy ANd CLImATE (SAmpLE SCOrE ShEET)

X

X

XNOTE: tHE nUMBERs POstEd FOR C in tHE ExAMPLE ARE tHE tOtALs iF ALL itEMs ARE AnsWEREd. iF ALL tHE itEMs in A sUB-dOMAin OR dOMAin WERE nOt AnsWEREd, tHEn C BECOMEs tHE nUMBER OF itEMs AnsWEREd,

MULtiPLiEd By 3 (tHE HiGHEst POssiBLE sCORE FOR An itEM). FOR ExAMPLE, iF 8 itEMs WERE AnsWEREd, tHEn C (tHE tOtAL PossiBle Points) WOULd BE CALCULAtEd tHUs: 8 x 3 = 24

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1.SchoolGovernance,Organization,andPolicy /39=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

2.SchoolClimate /30=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

DOMAIN TOTAL /69=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>



1.TeachingandLearning /63=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

2.ClassroomAssessmentandAchievement /24=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

3.BehaviorManagement /21=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>


1.ClassroomAssessmentandAchievement /33=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

2.BehaviorManagement /36=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>


1.SchoolGovernance,Organization,Policy,andClimate /69=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

2.FamilyInvolvement /36=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

3.Curriculum /27=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

4.OrganizationofLearning /108=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

5.SpecialEducationProcessesandPrograms /69=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>

OVERALL SCORE /309=% <—weakness—25%———————50%———————75%—strength—>







I. SChOOL gOvErNANCE, OrgANIZATION, pOLICy ANd CLImATE

II. FAmILy INvOLvEmENT

III. CurrICuLum

Iv. OrgANIZATION OF LEArNINg

v. SpECIAL EduCATION prE-rEFErrAL ANd rEFErrAL prOCESSES ANd prOgrAmS

OvErALL prOFILE OF dOmAINS

prIOrITIZINg ITEmS FOr INTErvENTION

Notethatthecalculatedresults(percentagescoresandscaledrelativeweaknessesandstrengths)shouldnotbethesoledeterminantsofareasofconcern.Rathertheseresults

shouldprovideguidanceinidentifyinghighpriorityareas.Alongwiththesescores,supportiveevidenceanddiscussionshouldcombinetoprioritizeareasrequiringimprovementorsustainedsupport.Itisimperativethattheteamidentifies3-5prioritiesandaplanofactionforeach,withspecificgoals

andatimetablealongwithafacilitatorresponsibleforeachpriority.Attemptingtoaddressmorethan5prioritiesoftenoverextendsenergyandresources.Ifnecessary,otherweakareasmaybeprioritizedinasecondphaseasgoalsfromphaseoneareaccomplishedandmoreresourcesbecomeavailable.

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#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Our SChOOL’S TOp 5 prIOrITIES RAnk sPECiFiC AREA OF COnCERn

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gETTINg STArTEd: AN OvErvIEw OF prOCEdurES

Theuseofthisassessmenttoolrequirestheimplementationofthreesteps,namely(1)calculationofdisproportionaterepresentation,(2)assessmentof5domainsrelevanttoaddressingtheneedsofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds,and(3)developmentofaschoolimprovementplantoprovideculturallyresponsiveeducation.

steP 1: determine if a ProBlem exists: assess Placement Patterns in sPecial education Byfollowingthestepsinthefollowingsection,Determining Disproportionate Representation,youwillbeabletodeterminewhethercertaingroupsofstudentsmakeupadisproportionatenumberofstudentsinspecialeducation.

steP 2: assess school domains relevant to culturally resPonsive educationWhilespecialeducationplacementpatternfiguresprovidenumericalindicatorsofapotentialproblemwithdisproportionaterepresentation,itisnecessarytoconductacomprehensiveassessmentofyourschool’sprogrammingandpracticestogainaholisticunderstandingoftheproblem.Thesubsequentsectionswillallowyoutoexaminevariousaspectsofyourinstitutiontoascertainwherecollaborativeeffortsmightbemadetoimproveyourschool.

steP 3: develoP a school imProvement Plan for culturally resPonsive educationTheassessmentofmultipledomainsofyourschool’sprogrammingandpracticeswillenableyoutoidentifytheschoolcommunity’sstrengthsandgaugetheareasinwhichimprovementisneeded.Youmayusetheworksheetsontheprecedingpagestoassistyouinanalyzingandusingthedatacollectedinthefirsttwosteps.

STEp 1: dETErmINE IF ThErE IS dISprOpOrTIONATE rEprESENTATION AT yOur SChOOL

Thetablebelowwillassistyouindeterminingwhetherdisproportionaterepresentationexistsforspecificgroupsatyourschool.YouwillbeabletocalculatetheCompositionIndex,theRiskIndex,andtheOddsRatioforyourstudents.TheCompositionIndexcomparestheproportionofstudentsfromagroup(e.g.,racialorlinguistic)withinadisabilitycategoryorspecialeducationprogramwiththeproportionofthesamegroupofstudentsinthegeneralschoolpopulation.TheRiskIndexallowsyoutodeterminetheprobabilityofaspecificgroupofstudentsbeingplacedinspecialeducation.Thisprobabilitycanalsobecalculatedforselectedcategoriesofspecialeducation(e.g.,learningdisabilities).TheOddsRatiocomparestheriskofonegrouptotheriskofanother.Thus,itprovidesanindicatorofhowmuchmorelikelyonegroupistobeplacedinspecialeducationcomparedtoanother(e.g.,BlacksversusWhites).

1Thenumberofchildrenfromeach

ethnicorracialbackgroundinmyschool

2Thepercentagesofthesechildrenincomparisontothe

totalschoolpopulation.(Line1/Totalofline1)% % % % % % %

3Ofthetotalnumberofstudentsinmyschool,the

numberreceivingspecialeducationservices.

4Ofthestudentsreceivingspecialeducationservicesthe

percentfromeachethnicgroup.(Line3/totalline3)

5Ofthenumberofstudentsfromeachethnicorracialgroup,thepercent

receivingspecialeducationservices.(Line3/Line1)

6Theriskindexforonegroupcomparedtotheriskindexforanother

group.(e.g.,theriskindexforBlacks/theriskindexforWhites)

stUdEnt dEMOGRAPHiCs

AMERiCAn indiAn

AsiAn . PACiFiC isLAndERHisPAniC

BLACkWHitE

tOtALOtHER

Composition index

Risk index

odds Ratio

STEp 2: ASSESS SChOOL dOmAINS rELEvANT TO CuLTurALLy rESpONSIvE EduCATION

i. school governance, organization, Policy and climate Theoveralladministrationandorganizationoftheschoolprovidethestructurefordeliveringinstructionandprogrammingthatmeetthe

needsofstudents.Effectivegovernancerequiresdistributedleadership(Elmore,2000)that(a)workstoimproveinstructionalpracticeandperformancebyprovidingopportunitiesforbuildingknowledgeandskills;(b)createsconditionsthatvaluelearningasbothanindividualandacollectivegood,suchthatcontinuouslearningoccurs;(c)modelsthevaluesandbehaviorsthatrepresentfairnessandequityforallregardlessofcultural,linguisticor

economicbackground;(d)acknowledgesandutilizesdifferencesinexpertiseatalllevelssothateveryonecontributestoaculturallyresponsiveenvironment;and(e)operatesonthepremiseofmutualaccountabilityforachievinggoalsandobjectives.TheitemslistedunderSchoolGovernance,Organization,PolicyandClimatearedesignedtoassistinevaluatingtheextenttowhichthesecriteriaforeffectiveleadershiparemet.

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1Administration,facultyandsupportpersonnelarewellinformedofthe

influenceofculture,language,andethnicityonschoolachievement.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Theadministrationworkscollaborativelywithallthemembersofthe

schoolcommunitytoensureequitabletreatmentforallstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a

3Theadministrationprovidesopportunitiesforprofessionaldevelopmentoffaculty

andsupportpersonnelonissuesofcultural,language,andethnicdiversity.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Theadministrationensuresthatthespecialeducationassessment

processisconductedfairlyandappropriately.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Theadministrationemploysfacultyandsupportpersonnelwhodemonstratetheabilitytomeaningfullyandrespectfullyinteractwithindividualsfromdiverseculturalbackgrounds.

3 2 1 0 n/a

6Theadministrationcreatesaschoolcultureinwhichstudentsfromdiverseculturalandlinguisticbackgrounds

feeltheyarelistenedto,theiropinionsvalued,andtheyareinvolvedindecision-making.3 2 1 0 n/a

7Theadministrationinstillsanethicof

care,respect,andresponsibility.3 2 1 0 n/a

8Theadministrationexemplifiesapositiveattitudetowards

theschool,teachers,students,andfamilies.3 2 1 0 n/a

9Theadministrationprovidessupportandencouragementforparticipationinextra-curricular

activitiesbystudentsfromdiversecultural,language,ethnic,andabilitygroups.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

A. sCHOOL GOVERnAnCE And ORGAnizAtiOn

PLEAsE nOtE EVidEnCE sUPPORtinG tHE RAtinG OF Any itEM(s) ABOVE (OPtiOnAL):

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1Administration,facultyandsupportpersonnelremaininformedaboutcurrentschoolpoliciesandreformsthat

impactthedeliveryofservicestostudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Theschoolensuresthatallpoliciesandreformsareexplainedtoparentsintheirlanguagethroughwrittencommunicationandvarious

meetingsheldattimesconvenienttoparents(withchildcare,andtranslatorsprovided,andparentsinvolvedintheplanning).3 2 1 0 n/a

3Theschoolinvolvesfamiliesandthecommunity

intheformationofnewschoolpolicies.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Newreformsareimplementedwithsensitivitytowardthediverselearning

needsofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

B. sCHOOL POLiCiEs And REFORMs


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1Theschoolacceptstheresponsibilityfor

theachievementofallstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Theschoolobtainsmembershipinorganizationsthatpromoteequitable

educationandprovideinstructionalstrategiesforallstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a

3Theschoolobtainsmaterialsfromprofessionalorganizationsand

makesthemavailabletofacultyandsupportpersonnel.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Theschoolsponsorsprofessionallyconductedworkshopswherefacultyandsupportpersonnel

canidentifytheirculturaland/orlinguisticbiasesandworktoaddressthem.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Theschoolinformsstaffmembersthatdisrespectfulresponsestoanychildorfamilymemberregardlessofculturalbackground,

ethnicity,and/orsocioeconomicstatuswillnotbetoleratedontheschoolcampus,includingteachers’lounge,office,orotherarea.3 2 1 0 n/a

6Theschoolestablishesschoolanddistrict-wideprofessionaldevelopmenttraininginculturalcompetence(i.e.,theability

tointeractmeaningfullyandrespectfullywithindividualsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds).3 2 1 0 n/a

7Theschoolremainsknowledgeableabouttheirstudents’cultureand

communitybyvisitingstudentsintheirhomeenvironment.3 2 1 0 n/a

8Theschoolprovidesprofessionaldevelopmenttoemployeestoprovidethemwithnecessary

skillstoobjectivelyandrespectfullyvisitstudents’homesandcommunities.3 2 1 0 n/a

9Theschoolcollaborateswiththecommunity,universitiesandotherrelevantinstitutionstoassistindevelopingstandards

foraddressingtheneedsofstudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgroundsandtheirfamilies.3 2 1 0 n/a

10Theschoollobbiesthestatelicensingagencytoincludecourserequirements(e.g.,diversityeducation,adaptiveinstructionalmethods)

thatwillimprovetheeducationaloutcomeofallstudents,includingthosefromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

C. sCHOOL CLiMAtE


ii. family involvement Theimportanceoffamilyinvolvementfortheachievementofchildrenintheschoolsystemiswelldocumented.Schoolsmustactivelyworktoensurethatparentsremaininformedand

involved.Additionally,schoolsmustcreateahospitableenvironmentforparentstofeelwelcomewhentheyvisitschool.Thelessparentsfeelthreatenedbytheschool,themorelikelyparentswillviewschoolasanallyintheir

children’seducationalexperience.TheFamilyInvolvementinventoryidentifiesareasforreviewthatwillassisttheschoolinevaluatingitseffectivenessinthisarea.

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1Theschoolhasdevelopedaneffectiveongoing

communicationsystemwithfamilies.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Theschoolprovidesprofessionaldevelopmenttostaffandteachersoneffectivecommunication

withparentsfromdiversecultural,language,andethnicgroups.3 2 1 0 n/a

3Theschoolisawelcomingenvironmentforfamiliesfromdiversebackgrounds,forexample,withfrontofficepersonnelwhospeak

thesamelanguageasparents,andsecurityandotherpersonnelwhoarefriendlyandwelcoming,greetingparentswithasmile.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Theschoolsurveysfamiliesfromdiversebackgroundstogathersuggestions

onwaystoinvolveparentsintheirchildren’seducation.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Theschoolprovidesadequateinformationtoparentsabout

pre-referralinterventioninthelanguageofthehome.3 2 1 0 n/a

6Theschoolrecruitsandmaintainsaresourcelistofculturallycompetentstaffandcommunitycontacts

whocancommunicateeffectivelywithparentsfromdiversecultural,ethnic,andlanguagegroups.3 2 1 0 n/a

7Theschoolassistsfamiliesinaccessingmedicalandcommunityresourcesaswellas

othersupportservicesbydirectingthefamiliestotheappropriateagency(ies).3 2 1 0 n/a

8Theschoolinvolvesfamiliesinthepre-referralinterventionprocessas

respectedpartnersandensurestheyarewell-informedatalltimes.3 2 1 0 n/a

9TheschoolassistsfamiliesinunderstandingtheirrightsandavailableservicesunderIDEAby

providingone-on-onecounseling,aswellasworkshopsand/orreferralstoadvocates.3 2 1 0 n/a

10Theschoolhasanestablishedplanforfollowinguponparentconferences

regardingrequestforservicesorotherparentalconcerns.3 2 1 0 n/a

11Theschoolutilizesparentliaisonstohelpparents

andstudentsnavigatetheschoolsystem.3 2 1 0 n/a

12Theschoolinvolvesparentsinthe

governanceoftheschool.3 2 1 0 n/a

13Theschoolprovideschildcare,transportation,or

alternatemeetingdaysandtimesifneeded.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

ii. FAMiLy inVOLVEMEnt


1Thecurriculumreflectsanintegrationofethnicandculturalcontentthroughoutprogramming,

ratherthanassigningthestudyofdiverseculturalgroupstoasingleunitoronemonth.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Thecurriculumprovidesopportunitiesforstudentstoinvestigateandunderstand

howculturalassumptionsandbiasesinfluencesubjectareas.3 2 1 0 n/a

3Thecurriculumfostersrespectandunderstandingfordiverseculturesbyprovidingmaterialsthathelpstudents

developpositiveattitudestowarddifferentracial,ethnic,cultural,language,andabilitygroups.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Thecurriculumsupportsandvaluestheexperiencesandinformation

studentshavelearnedwithintheirculturalgroups.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Thecurriculumhelpsstudentsmakeconnectionsbetweenwhat

theyarelearninginschoolandtheirpersonalexperiences.3 2 1 0 n/a

6Thecurriculumsituatesspecificculturaland

localknowledgeinaglobalcontext.3 2 1 0 n/a

7Thecurriculumismadeinterestingandchallengingforall

students(notfocusedonrotelearningactivities).3 2 1 0 n/a

8Thecurriculumexplicitlyteachesculturalcapital(thenorms,behaviors,

andattitudes)thatprovidesaccesstoachievement.3 2 1 0 n/a

9Thecurriculumusesthelocallanguageandculturalknowledge(funds

ofknowledge)asafoundationfortherestofthecurriculum.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

iii. CURRiCULUM


iii. curriculum Whatistaughtintheschoolreflectsthevaluesanddispositionoftheschoolsystem.Thecurriculummaybemonoculturalor

multiculturalinitsscope,reflectinghistory,contributionsandperspectivesofonegroupinsocietyorthatofmany.Tofacilitateachievementforallstudents,thecurriculum

shouldbeinclusiveandculturallyresponsive.Theitemsincludedinthissectionprovideaframeworkfordeterminingtheculturalresponsivenessofthecurriculum.

14

iv. organization of learning Whatoccursintheclassroomiscrucialtotheachievementofstudents.Thisincludesalltheactivitiesinvolvedintheexchangeoflearningintheclassroom.Teachersplayamajorrolein

establishingtheclassroomsettinganddeterminingwhatknowledgeisimportantandhowitwillbetaught.Criteriaforachievementandmethodsofassessingthatachievementareanintegralpartofthisprocess.Finally,classroom

behaviormanagementiskeytocreatinganenvironmentconducivetoteachingandlearning.Allarepartoftheorganizationoflearningandmustbeevaluatedinordertodeterminetheculturalresponsivenessoftheclassroom.

15

1Teachersunderstandthewaysinwhichrace,ethnicity,culture,language

andsocialclassinteracttoinfluencestudentbehavior.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Teachersareknowledgeableaboutthehistoryandcultures

ofdiverseethnic,racial,andculturalgroups.3 2 1 0 n/a

3Teachersareknowledgeableabout

individuallearningstyles.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Teachersareknowledgeableaboutthesecondlanguageacquisitionprocess

andhowtosupportstudentswhoareEnglishlanguagelearners.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Teachersmodifytheirinstructionsothatstudentsfromdiverseethnic,racial,cultural,

language,andabilitygroupswillhaveanequalopportunitytolearn.3 2 1 0 n/a

6Teacherskeepaccuraterecords

ofeachstudent’sprogress.3 2 1 0 n/a

7Teachersrelatecontentandinstructionalstrategiesto

theculturalbackgroundoftheirstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a

8Teachersutilizeinstructionalmaterialsthatreflect

imagesandperspectivesfromdiversegroups.3 2 1 0 n/a

9Teachershelpstudentstoappreciatecurrentand

historicaleventsfrommultipleperspectives.3 2 1 0 n/a

10Teachershelptoorganizeactivitiesandprojectsthatenablestudentsfrom

diverseracial,ethnic,cultural,andlanguagegroupsworktogether.3 2 1 0 n/a

11Teachersinformstudentsaboutstereotypingandotherrelatedbiases

thathavenegativeeffectsonracialandethnicrelations.3 2 1 0 n/a

12Teachershavehighexpectationsforallstudents

regardlessoftheirbackgroundordifferences.3 2 1 0 n/a

13Teachersworkfromthepremisethat“allchildrencanlearn”andcontinueto

attemptdifferentinstructionalapproachesuntileachchildisreached.3 2 1 0 n/a

14Teachersfeelastrongsenseofresponsibilityforallstudents,including

studentsreferredfororalreadyplacedinspecialeducation.3 2 1 0 n/a

15Teachersareexpertsininstructionandmanagementandknow

howtoeffectivelychallengeandsupporttheirstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a

16Teachersareknowledgeableaboutandskilledinusingstrategiesforteaching

Englishlanguagelearners(includingshelteredEnglishtechniques).3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

A. tEACHinG And LEARninG


16

1Classroomassessmentisconductedwithfairnessandsensitivitytowards

studentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Teachersusearangeofassessmentstrategiesthatprovidestudentsfromdiversebackgroundsopportunitiestodemonstrate

theirmasteryandskills,includingtheopportunitytosharewhattheyknowintheirnativelanguageiftheywish.3 2 1 0 n/a

3Administratorsandteachersuseavarietyofinstrumentsandstrategiestoassiststudentsfromdiverseracial,ethnic,cultural,

andlanguagegroupsinmeetingStatestandardsandothermandatedrequirements(e.g.,NoChildLeftBehindAct).3 2 1 0 n/a

4Teachersutilizeinformationfromseveralsources,including

families,inassessingstudents’achievement.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Theschoolidentifiesandusesmultipleassessmenttoolsand

strategiesthatareresearch-basedandculturallyvalid.3 2 1 0 n/a

6Theschoolprovidesschoolanddistrict-widetrainingintheadministrationofassessment

toolsandmethodsthatconsiderthestudent’sculturalbackground.3 2 1 0 n/a

7Theschoolknowswhenandhowtoprovideaccommodationsto

studentswithspecialneedsandEnglishlanguagelearners.3 2 1 0 n/a

8Theschoolensuresthathighstakestestshavebeenvalidatedforthepurposeforwhichtheyare

usedandhavebeenstandardizedonpopulationsofstudentssimilartotheirstudents.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

B. CLAssROOM ACHiEVEMEnt And AssEssMEnt


17

1Administration,teachers,andsupportpersonnelareknowledgeableabout

differencesinculturalpracticesthatmightimpactonstudentbehavior.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Administration,teachers,andsupportpersonneldisciplinestudentswitha

sensitivitytowardsstudents’culturalandlinguisticdifferences.3 2 1 0 n/a

3Classroomrulesandproceduresarewrittenandexplainedinlanguagethatisclear

tostudentsfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Teachersareknowledgeableaboutcertainbehaviorsthatareconsistentwith

students’culturalbackgroundsoasnottoconsiderthemdeviant.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Teachersutilizeresourcepersonsbelongingtoorfamiliarwithastudents’cultural

andlinguisticbackgroundtoassistinplanningbehavioralinterventions.3 2 1 0 n/a

6Studentsaretaughtschool-sanctionedbehaviors,particularlyas

theymightconflictwithculturallyspecificbehaviors.3 2 1 0 n/a

7Studentsaremadeawareofbehaviorsthatmightbeculturallyspecificsotheycanlearn

howtointeractappropriatelywithstudentsfromculturesotherthantheirown.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

C. BEHAViOR MAnAGEMEnt


v. sPecial education Pre-referral and referral Processes and Programs Thespecialeducationprocessiscomplex.Todeterminewhetheraschoolprovideseffective

andculturallyappropriateservicesrequiresamulti-levelanalysis.Adequateandappropriateprogrammingandinstructionmustbeinitiatedevenbeforethereferralprocessbegins,and

culturallyresponsivepracticesmustbeimplementedthroughoutassessmentandintervention.Thissectionassistsinevaluationofthisprocessandprogramming.

18

1TheChildStudyTeamusesaflowcharttohelpwith

decision-makingduringthereferralprocess.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Theflowchartensuresthatstudentshavebeenprovidedwithmeaningful,appropriatepre-referralstrategies,

adequateopportunitiestolearn,andvalidationoftheirdifficultiesacrosstimeandsettings.3 2 1 0 n/a

3ParticipantsinChildStudyTeamsareknowledgeableaboutand

abletofacilitatearangeofmeaningfulpre-referralstrategies.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Sufficienttimeisdevotedatteammeetingstoselectingthebeststrategiesforindividual

studentsbasedondatacollectedbyteachersandotherspriortothemeeting.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Pre-referralstrategiesarevariedandsubstantive,suchastransferringastudenttoanother

teacher’sclassorprovidingindividualtutoringthroughanafter-schoolprogram.3 2 1 0 n/a

6Classesaretaughtbycertifiedteacherswho

speakthechild’sfirstlanguage.3 2 1 0 n/a

7Classroomroomsizeiscontrolledtoensureanoptimallearning

environmentthataddressestheneedsofallthestudents.3 2 1 0 n/a

8Specificinstructionalobjectivesaredevelopedforeachchild,andteamsspecifywhoisresponsible

foraddressingtheseobjectivesandthetimeframeinwhichtheyaretobemonitored.3 2 1 0 n/a

9Theclassroomcontext(e.g.,teachingstyle,classroomarrangementandmanagement,

andpeerrelationships)fromwhichachildisreferrediscarefullyconsidered.3 2 1 0 n/a

10Schoolpersonnelknowledgeableaboutculturalandlinguisticdiversity,includingdifferentiatingbetweensecondlanguage

acquisitionanddisabilitiesinthecaseofEnglishlanguagelearners,shouldbepresentattheChildStudyTeammeeting.3 2 1 0 n/a

11Parents/Caregiversshouldbeinvolvedasrespected,

valuedpartnersateverystageoftheprocess.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

A. PRE-REFERRAL And REFERRAL PROCEdUREs


19

1Administrators,teachers,andrelatedsupportpersonnelare

knowledgeableaboutthespecialeducationprocess.3 2 1 0 n/a

2Administrators,teachers,andsupportpersonnelareknowledgeableabouttheevaluation

guidelinesoutlinedintheIndividualwithDisabilitiesEducationAct.(IDEA)3 2 1 0 n/a

3Instructionismodifiedappropriatelytofacilitateachievementbefore

studentsarereferredforspecialeducationevaluation.3 2 1 0 n/a

4Thestudentisassessedbysomeonewhospeakshis/hernativelanguageandwhoisknowledgeable

abouttheimpactofsecondlanguageacquisitiononIQandachievement.3 2 1 0 n/a

5Englishlanguagelearnersareassessedintheir

nativelanguageaswellasEnglish.3 2 1 0 n/a

6Inassessmentthestudentisobservedinhisorherclassroom

aswellasinothercontextsandsettings.3 2 1 0 n/a

7Theassessmentteamusesalternativeassessments(e.g.,curriculumbasedassessment,

portfolioassessment)toassistindeterminingeligibilityforspecialeducation.3 2 1 0 n/a

8Theadministrationensuresthattheassessmentteamincludesaresource

personfamiliarwiththestudent’sculturalbackground.3 2 1 0 n/a

9Theassessmentteamutilizesculturallyappropriate

andculturallyvalidassessmenttools.3 2 1 0 n/a

10Theschoolassignspersonnelwhoareknowledgeable

aboutstudent’sculturestoconductassessments.3 2 1 0 n/a

11IndividualizedEducationPlanstakeintoconsideration

thestudent’sculturalandlinguisticbackground.3 2 1 0 n/a

12Aresourcepersonfamiliarwiththestudent’sculturalandlinguisticbackgroundassists

inthedevelopmentofinterventionsandinthemonitoringofthestudent’sprogress.3 2 1 0 n/a

RECOMMEndAtiOns

nOt APPLiCABLE

ALMOst nEVER

sOMEtiMEs

FREqUEntLy

ALMOst ALWAys

B. AssEssMEnt And intERVEntiOn


equity in special education placement: a school …...equity in special education placement: a...

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