Separating Difference &
Disability
The Nuts & Bolts for SAT
Research & Process by Dr. Catherine Collier
Presented to & Adopted by the Sioux Falls School District May 2008/2009
SPECIAL EDUCATION HANDBOOK SIOUX FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Pages 21-45
Difference or Disability
The Nuts and Bolts for SAT
In 2008 the Sioux Falls Special Education
Department adopted the Collier process for
separating difference from disability.
The Collier process is now a required prereferral document.
Bottom line: If ELL student brought to SAT
there needs to be an ELL Teacher present.
Sioux Falls School District ELL Flowchart
For Collier Difference or Disability Process
* to determine if an ELL student has a Disability or an ELL Learning Issue
Teacher Goes to SAT Team with Concern about ELL student
(Buildings without ELL services will have access to consultation with ELL staff)
ELL teacher does the Acculturation Quick Screen (AQS)
(Buildings without ELL services will have access to consultation with ELL staff)
ELL teacher does a Sociocultural Checklist
(Buildings without ELL services will have access to consultation with ELL staff)
Based on assessment results, ELL teacher chooses a
minimum of three interventions and implements them along with the mainstream
teacher(s) for three to four weeks.
After three to four weeks the
Mainstream teacher and ELL teacher
find interventions are working
positively.
After three to four weeks the mainstream
teacher and the ELL teacher find the
interventions are not helping to show
adequate improvement in the student’s
learning.
Attend SAT meeting and
Share assessment information,
interventions, and positive results.
Continue interventions as needed.
Attend SAT meeting and share
assessment information; interventions
and negative results.
Why an increase in ELL SPED
referrals?
Level 4,5, & 6 ELL
SFSD Serving
1800+ ELLs
Regular Content & Classrooms
Level 2 & 3 ELL
Regular Classrooms & Content
270 Level 1
Immersion
Programs
1300 + 2s & 3s
Level 1 ELL
Immersion
Students
born in the US
so Level 1s in
Center Base
Schools
Centers
Elem – Pull-out/Push-in
MS,HS - Sheltered
Students
refusing ELL
now in
neighborhood
Schools
Sociolinguistic Development
Level 6
Advanced Fluency
Abstract language more accessible
May need help with college essays
Level 5
Advanced Fluency 5 – 7 years
Decontextualized, abstract vocab
SD Exits ELs
Level 4
Intermediate Fluency 3 - 5 years
4.8 Composite
12,000 receptive words
4.0 Read/Write
3 - 5 years to attain
Often quiet, don’t
Level 3
Speech Emergence: 1 - 3 years
7,000 receptive words
ask questions
2-3 years to attain
Level 2
1,000 receptive words
Early Production: 6 months to 1 year
Level 1
Pre-Production: 0-6 months
1-2 receptive words
Note: In America 6 year olds
in English speaking homes
have 10,000 to 24,000 words
of English in 1st grade when
learning to read.
Updates to the Collier Binder
Section 1 – we have added a checklist of
documents in a completed Collier Process.
Each process should include seven
documents.
Last Section: Sample of the Collier Process –
updated version includes the seven
documents, including a sample cover letter.
The seventh document is a copy of the ELL
Blue Card from the CUM Folder.
Why an increase in ELL SPED
referrals?
It is very difficult for a classroom teacher to deal with all the
levels of learning in their differentiated classroom, accounting for
all the different student learning styles, and then meet the needs
of students who have different levels of English language
proficiency.
When we don’t know what to do, well intended and dedicated
educators might mistake language non-proficiency with a
learning disability.
Dr. Collier’s process is a way for educators to begin to sort out
the language proficiency and acculturation issues from learning
and other disabilities.
Dr. Catherine Collier’s answer
as used in the Sioux Falls School District
Step 1: A teacher is concerned about an ELL student with a learning
issue.
Step 2: Options:
 The teacher may talk to the ELL teacher assigned to his/her building.
 The teacher brings the student to the Student Assistance Team:
 Where the ELL teacher and Home School Liaison are present to assist
with the process.
Step 3: The ELL teacher fills out an AQS form and does the calculations
to determine if there is a statistical indication of a difference or
disability.
Dr. Catherine Collier’s answer
as used in the Sioux Falls School District
Step 4: The teacher and ELL teacher do a Sociocultural checklist to
determine which interventions to try with the student for 3 to 6 weeks.
Step 5: After 3 to 6 weeks of interventions the ELL teacher prepares a
Prioritization of Intervention report to present to the Student Assistance
Team in his/her building.
Step 6: If the student has responded to the interventions, the interventions
are continued.
Step 7: If the interventions did not resolve the learning issues and the
AQS calculations determined a disability may be indicated, a Special
Education referral for an evaluation is indicated. The AQS process
provides a researched based, data based indicator of disability.
Individual
Unique
Ways we are less like people.
Experiences,
Insights, reflections
ACCULTURATION
The adaptation to a new
Culture: language, etc.
ENCULTURATION
How we learn to interpret the world-culture of caregivers:
language, beliefs, tastes, humor, behavior, etc.
THE BASICS OF BEING HUMAN
Nurture
Things all are born with: Sensory abilities, linguistic wiring, genetic &
Ways we are less like people
biological heritage, innate abilities, etc.
Ways we are
more like
people.
The ELL Teacher the classroom teacher
or SAT teams calls on…
Knows the Collier AQS process to assess if the
problem could be a language and sociocultural
problem or a disability.
One AQS if filled out for every student when they
first arrive in the district. A 2nd AQS is filled out
if/when there is a question about a learning difficulty
being a difference or disability.
Acculturation Quick Screen for Sioux Falls School District ELL
NAME:
_________________ID#_________________ SCHOOL: ____________________
DATE OF BIRTH:
____ SEX:
GRADE:
AGE AT ARRIVAL IN U.S.:
_________
LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN AT HOME:
___________________________________
Date of First AQS__________ Date of Current AQS_____________Person Completing____________________
CULTURAL/ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Number of years in United States/Canada
Number of years in School/District
Time in ESL/Bilingual Education
Home Language Proficiency
English Language Proficiency
Bilingual Proficiency
Ethnicity/Nation of Origin
% in School Speaking Student’s Language/dialect
Information
ELL Registration form
ELL Blue Card
ELL Blue Card plus current time
Teacher – Ask student
WIDA W-APT or ACCESS Score
Teacher – Ask Student
ELL Registration sheet
Calculate, use approximates
Scores
AQS Score Total:
1. NUMBER of YEARS IN US/Canada:
Under one year = 1
Between four to five years = 4
Between one to two years = 2
Between five to six years = 5
Between two to four years = 3
Over six years = 6
2. NUMBER of YEARS IN School/District:
Under 2 year = 1
Between four to five years = 4
Between one to two years = 2
Between five to six years = 5
Between two to four years = 3
Over six years = 6
3. TIME IN ESL/BILINGUAL PROGRAM
Less than 360 hours of direct instruction = 1
Between 800 and 1080 hours of direct instruction = 4
Between 360 and 500 hours of direct inst. = 2
Between 1090 and 1440 hours of direct instruction = 5
Between 500 and 800 hours of direct inst. = 3
More than 1450 hours of direct instruction = 6
4. HOME LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Does not speak language, pre-production = 1
Intermediate fluency with some academic fluency = 4
Early production to low speech emergence = 2
Advanced intermediate social & academic fluency = 5
Speech emergence to intermediate fluency = 3
Advanced social & academic fluency = 6
5. ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Does not speak language, pre-production = 1
Intermediate fluency with some academic fluency = 4
Early production to low speech emergence = 2
Advanced intermediate social & academic fluency = 5
Speech emergence to intermediate fluency = 3
Advanced social & academic fluency = 6
6. BILINGUAL PROFICIENCY
Essentially monolingual = 1
Basic academic one, intermediate academic other = 4
Primarily one, some social in other = 2
Most academic in one, intermediate academic in other = 5
Limited academic either language, social both =3
Bilingual in social and academic language = 6
7. ETHNICITY/NATIONAL ORIGIN
American Indian, Native American, AK. Native,
West Asian or Middle Eastern = 4
Indigenous Populations or First People = 1
Eastern European = 5
Hispanic/Latino/Chicano or Caribbean = 2
Western European = 6
AfroAmer., African, East Asian, Pacific Islander = 3
8. PERCENT IN SCHOOL SPEAKING STUDENT’S LANGUAGE or DIALECT
81% - 100% of enrollment = 1
30% -49% of enrollment = 4
66% - 80% of enrollment = 2
15% - 29% of enrollment = 5
50% - 65% of enrollment = 3
0% - 16% of enrollment = 6
**The ELL teacher is responsible to fill out an AQS for each new student as they arrive in their school.
The place to find the information needed is listed at the top under, “Information.”
Time in ESL program under #3 does not have to be precise; it is an estimate – formula on back.
In the Sioux Falls School District the first AQS is filled
out for each student as they enter the district.
If a concern is raised about a student,
the first AQS if found in the student’s
ELL Working File.
The ELL teacher fills out a second AQS
and calculates the difference in the
scores to determine if there is an
indicator of a difference or a disability.
Calculating Rate of
Acculturation
Look at this chart to find Minimum Gain
Example of Calculating the
Rate of Acculturation
1
X
Years between AQS
18
Achieved
Expected
=
3.5
Minimum Gain = Normal Gain Expected
-
Current AQS
3.5
15
=
Baseline Score
3
Point Gain Achieved
_3
3.5
If the student is acculturating at a normal rate,
Achieved divided by Expected should equal 1
( the numbers should be the same).
What does the score mean?
If the achieved score is less than the
expected score, then something is
depressing the rate of acculturation.
– This could be inadequate or inappropriate
instruction or the presence of an unidentified
disability and needs further evaluation.
If the achieved score is greater than the
expected score, then the student is making
better than average progress in acculturating.
What is the next step?
Do a Sociocultural Checklist
– This will help determine the sociocultural
factors in need of intervention.
– It is also helpful to have both the teacher
who brought the concern do a
Sociocultural checklist and the ELL
teacher.
Sociocultural Checklist
Student:
Sociocultural
Factors
Sociocultural
Checklist

Date:
Age:
Teacher:
Selected Cross-Cultural Adaptation Risk Factors
Recent immigrant, refugee, migrant, or resides on reservation.
Does not interact much with majority culture peers or majority culture group.
Displays confusion in locus of control.
Displays heightened stress or anxiety in cross-cultural interactions.
Oral expression contains considerable code switching.
%Checked:
Expresses or displays sense of isolation or alienation in cross-cultural interactions.
Out of 6 Total
Few cognitive learning strategies appropriate to classroom/school.
Cognitive Learning
Cognitive learning style different or inappropriate in relation to teacher’s instructional style.
Style
Easily frustrated or low perseverance in completing tasks.
Retains learning strategies that are no longer appropriate.
Displays difficulty with task analysis.
% Checked:
Displays difficulty with understanding and applying cause and effect.
Out of 6 Total
Comes from non-English speaking home.
Culture & Language
Comes from a culture or ethnic group different from mainstream America.
Family emphasis support of family or community /group over individual effort.
Comes from non-English speaking geographic area.
Has culturally appropriate behaviors that are different from expectations of mainstream.
% Checked:
There is no support in the home for bilingual and bicultural development.
Out of 6 Total
High family mobility
Limited or sporadic school attendance.
Experiential
Low socioeconomic status.
Background
Little exposure to subject or content or not familiar with material.
Disrupted early childhood development.
Few readiness skills.
Does not know how to behave in classroom
Different term/concepts for subject areas or materials and content
% Checked:
Uses survival strategies that are not appropriate in the classroom.
Out of 9 Total
Does not speak English.
Sociolinguistic
Limited academic language in native language.
Development
Limited social language in English.
Rarely speaks in class.
Speaks only to cultural peers.
Limited academic language in English.
Asks a peer for assistance in understanding.
% Checked:
Appears to know English but cannot follow English directions in class.
Out of 8 Total
*Anything more than 40% needs attention. The higher the percentage, the greater the problem.
**Choose three interventions from the biggest problem area.
© Copyright 2008 Catherine Collier, Ph.D. Used by permission, as agreed during Dr. Collier’s visit to
SFSD on May 21, 2008 and prior purchase of materials from Crosscultured.com.
Acculturation Level
Level
AAAcculturation
Sociocultural checklist
5 areas to check
for Intervention:
•Acculturation
Level
•Cognitive
Learning Style
•Culture &
Language
•Experimental
Background
•Sociolinguist
Development
The Sociocultural checklist
The teachers filling out the Sociocultural
checklist check the areas based on their
observations of the student. The checkmarks
are added up in each category..
To calculate the percentage divide the
number of checks by the total number in the
category to get the percentage checked.
Example: 3 checks divided by 6 total = 50%
How to Prioritize Interventions
Anything greater than 40% needs
attention.
The higher the percentage the greater
the problem.
Three interventions from the area of
greatest need are selected.
Separating Difference from Disability
Prioritization & Documentation Form
Sociocultural
Area
Acculturation
Cognitive
Learning
Culture &
Language
Experiential
Background
Sociolinguistic
Development
Order of
Concern
Intervention
Selected
Duration of
Intervention
Outcomes of Intervention
Interventions
Based on Sociocultural Checklist results, ELL
teacher chooses a minimum of three
interventions and implements them along with
the mainstream teacher(s) for three to four
weeks.
After three to four weeks the ELL teacher and
mainstream teacher return to SAT with
results.
Instructional Intervention &
Planning Review
After three to four weeks the ELL teacher
reports to the SAT
– if progress has been made, the interventions
should continue in place.
– If progress has not been made and the AQS
indicates below expected acculturation on
the AQS then it is appropriate to proceed to a
formal referral.
Instructional Intervention &
Planning Review
The next step is for the ELL teacher to complete
the Prioritization & Documentation Form
The ELL teacher writes a brief summary of the
findings and attaches it to:
–
–
–
–
1. AQS 1 & 2
2. The Rate of Acculturation Calculation form
3. Aculturation Checklist
4. Prioritization & Documentation Form
Common Side Effects of
Acculturation Process
Heightened Anxiety
Confusion in Locus of
Control
Withdrawal
Silence/unresponsiveness
Response Fatigue
Code-switching
Distractibility
Resistance to Change
Disorientation
Stress Related Behaviors
Remember: Students need to feel safe for their brain to fully engage.
Difference or Disability
The Nuts and Bolts for SAT
The Collier process is now a required prereferral document. The ELL teachers are
trained to complete this process.
Bottom line: If an ELL student is brought
to SAT there needs to be an
• ELL Teacher present.
Difference or Disability
The Nuts and Bolts for SAT
This power point and handouts can
be found on the SFSD Website:
Click on: Staff
» Instructional Resources Wikki,
» ELL
http://www.sfinstructionalresources.wikispaces.net/