Differentiating Between Language
Acquisition and Learning Disability
Angel Mills, ESL Lead Teacher and Program Specialist
Lee County Schools
March, 2014
Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement
Introductions
• Myself
• Who’s in the room
• Groups
– Yourself to your group
Our Stories
• Case study……Jennifer
– Discuss with those at your table
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Do you know students like Jennifer?
What challenges do these students present?
What do we do to help them?
What mistakes do we make with them?
What information do you need to know to serve them
better?
Roundtable Write
• What do we need to know and be able to do
to differentiate between the language
acquisition process and learning disabilities?
Objectives
• Identify the various layers of data collection
necessary to differentiate between the
language acquisition process and possible
learning difficulties due to possible learning
disabilities.
• Learn to utilize various tools for data
collection and intervention.
Layer One
• Opportunities for learning
– Tier I…Most crucial tier
– Differentiated Instruction for all
• What does this mean?
• What is the difference between differentiation and
intervention?
• What does it mean for ELLs?
Differentiation
• The goal of a differentiated classroom is "to
maximize student growth and individual
success" (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000, p. 4) by
providing many avenues for students to
acquire content, to process information and
ideas, and to develop products. Emerging
research demonstrates that differentiated
instruction, when fully implemented, can
significantly improve student achievement
(Goddard & Goddard, 2007).
What does differentiation mean for ELLs?
• Application of knowledge about second
language acquisition to instruction
– Understanding and addressing the process of
language acquisition and the variety of language
needs in the classroom
– Understanding the difference between learning in
one’s first language and learning in a second
language
Layer One Tools
• The WIDA English Language Development
Standards help us identify the language targets
students should meet as they acquire the
language AND assists us with differentiation of
instruction
• The LEP Student Plan
– Helps teachers differentiate for LEPs in the classrooms
– Gives a starting point for language goals that the
student needs to work on to move to the next level of
proficiency
Research Based Methodology for ELLs
in Mainstream and ESL Classrooms
• SIOP (Sheltered Instruction)
• ExC-ELL (Expediting Comprehension for
English Language Learners)
• Explicit, direct instruction in language
concepts (academic and social)
Layer Two
• Our own perceptions and misconceptions
– See Janette Klinger’s Work
• http://tinyurl.com/qjjezdv
Understanding the difference between learning in one’s first
language and learning in a second language (Klingner)
• Eight Common Misconceptions
– Bilingualism means equal proficiency in both languages
– Semilingualism is a valid concept and ‘non-non” classifications are
useful categories
– Native language proficiency assessments commonly administered to
ELLs to determine their native language proficiency present a clear
picture of linguistic proficiency
– Literacy instructional frameworks that were developed for
monolingual students are appropriate for developing bilinguals literacy
skills in their native or second language
– The more time students spend receiving English instruction, the faster
they will learn it
– All ELLs learn English in the same way at about the same rate
– English language learners acquire English in the same way they acquire
their first language, through exposure and interactions with others
– Errors are problematic and should be avoided
Layer Two Tools
• Education, Education, Education
• Information, Information, Information
• Colorín Colorado
– http://www.colorincolorado.org/guides/
– http://www.colorincolorado.org/research/
Layer Three
• Language Acquisition Process
• Time
– Large body of research over many decades has shown:
• Acquiring a second language takes time
• The amount of time it takes an individual student will vary based
on
– Prior schooling
– Socio-cultural factors
– Literacy in the native language
• Social language develops more quickly than academic language
– Social language develops in about two years
– Academic language develops in about 5 to 10 years depending upon the
amount of schooling has occurred in the first language
• These are statements about the average ELL.
Understanding the process of language
acquisition
• Stages
– Language acquisition happens in stages
– Students go through the stages from novice to
fluent at their own individual rate
– The speed with which students go through the
stages and reach fluency is directly dependent
upon the frequency, intensity, duration quality
and comprehensibility of the language instruction
they receive
Layer Three Tools
• WIDA Standards
– www.wida.us
• Can Do Descriptors
• WIDA Performance Definitions
Layer Four
• Socio-cultural context and physical/environmental
factors
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Limited formal schooling
Interrupted schooling
Medical conditions (vision, hearing etc.)
Other external factors (homelessness, family stress, poor
nutrition, etc.)
Level of acculturation
Motivation
Trauma
Lack of or poor Tier I instruction (currently or in previous
years…in content/ESL classrooms)
Is it established and well documented that Tier 1
instruction is culturally and linguistically
responsive?
• Ask yourself:
– Is the classroom/school environment obviously accepting and
embracing of students from other cultures/languages?
– Do students demonstrate they feel secure with participating in
classroom activities independently and in groups?
– Are students held accountable for full participation to the best
of their ability?
– Have parents been informed and involved as partners with the
school?
– Is instruction differentiated according to language proficiency
and is learning scaffolded in such a way that students are
pushed toward the next level of proficiency?
– Is the student receiving the appropriate time, intensity and
frequency of English language development services?
– Is the LEP student plan being used in content and ESL
classrooms to inform instructional practices?
Intervention
• Intervention is a subset of differentiation
• Differentiated instruction applies to all
students, intervention focuses on students
who may need increasing levels of support to
experience success.
• Both modify instruction to meet individual
needs and nurture student success.
How do you know the teaching is
reaching?
• Progress monitoring student performance
• Classroom Observation during Tier 1
– Looking for environmental factors that affect
learning NOT deficits in students
– Looking for areas to strengthen instruction NOT
deficits in students
Tiers Two and Three:
Gather MORE Information
• When?
– When it has been established and well
documented that Tier 1 instruction is culturally
and linguistically responsive
– When the ELL is not progressing in acquiring
English in comparison to his/her peers
– When other cultural, linguistic, socio-economic,
and background issues have been ruled out
When the ELL is not progressing in acquiring
English in comparison to their peers
• Who are the peers?
– Age
– Home Language
– Linguistic Background
– Educational Background
– Cultural Background
– Gender
– Number of consistent years in US schools
– Level of English language proficiency
– Similar classroom environments
Tools You Can Use
crosscultured.com
Tiers Two and Three:
Apply Interventions Appropriately
• Who?
– General Education Teacher
– Content Specialist
– ESL Specialist
Tiers Two and Three:
Apply Interventions Appropriately
• What?
– Reading
• Research based interventions
– Johnston County RtI
– Intervention Central
• A grain of salt
– Research base is normally on the general English speaking
population NOT the LEP population
– Always keep in mind that ELLs are functioning in two academic
and social languages, often at varying degrees within each
domain of language (reading, listening, speaking, writing)
when applying interventions and analyzing progress
So you’ve done everything you can…
• ….or have you?
• Referral for Formal Testing
– A few things to remember about the tests (both in
English and the student’s native language) that can be
problematic when evaluating ELLs
• Linguistic features…lack of familiarity with these features will
generate unreliable and invalid test results due to
misinterpretation on the part of the test taker
• Dialect and register…exposure or lack thereof to formal
standard English can affect validity and reliability of test
scores
• Linguistic misalignment…a mismatch between the features
of the dialect and the register used in a test and the features
of dialect/register used by students
Questions?
References
• Goddard, Y. L., & Goddard, R. D. (2007, November). A statewide
study of the effects of differentiated instruction on fourth grade
students' mathematics and reading achievement. Paper presented
at the University Council for Educational Administration annual
conference, Washington, DC.
• Goddard, Y. L., Goddard, R. D., & Tschannen-Moran, M. (2007). A
theoretical and empirical investigation of teacher collaboration for
school improvement and student achievement in public elementary
schools. Teachers College Record, 109, 877–896.
• Tomlinson, C. A. (1995). How to differentiate instruction in a mixed
ability classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
• Tomlinson, C. A., & Allan, S. (2000). Leadership for differentiating
schools and classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
• Klinger, Hoover & Baca (2008). Why do language learners struggle
with reading? Distinguishing language acquisition from learning
disabilities. Thousand Oaks, Califorinia: Corwin
Thanks!