TeachME Professional Development

1. Keeping English Learner (EL) students in EL programs for extended periods is generally beneficial in achieving the program's educational goals.

2. Prior to placing an EL student into an EL program that contains a degree of segregation, an LEA should ensure each of the following criteria is met EXCEPT:

3. Participation in a segregated EL program must be voluntary, and the LEA should at least annually assess the ELP and appropriate level of language assistance for its ELs and determine their eligibility to exit.

4. In order for SEAs and LEAs to determine whether their EL programs unnecessarily segregate ELs from non-ELs, suggested questions to ask include:

5. The Diversity Self-Assessment tool is designed to help generate conversation among teachers and other education personnel on the topic of diversity, and is one instrument that is intended to help schools, LEAs, and SEAs create welcoming and inclusive environments for ELs.

6. When educators, administrators, and other stakeholders answer questions about diversity and perceptions, they are given the opportunity to examine their assumptions and biases in a way that is:

7. As part of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) the collaboratively formed Bullying Prevention Task Force recently launched a website that includes timely and relevant information about bullying related to socioeconomic, linguistic, and environmental differences.

8. When monitoring whether or not the 'vision' of a program supports inclusion, key questions to ask include, 'Does the LEA value celebrate student diversity as reflected in its organizational vision or mission statement,' 'Is leadership knowledgeable about civil rights laws as they pertain to English Learners?' and:

9. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), if an EL is suspected of having one or more disabilities, a LEA must promptly evaluate the EL to assess if he or she needs disability related services.

10. Which of the following is NOT one of the four potential factors that may contribute to the misidentification of special education needs and learning disabilities among students who are ELs?

11. For an EL student with a disability, the IEP team should include professionals with training, and preferably expertise, in second language acquisition and how to differentiate between the student's needs stemming from a disability or lack of ELP.

12. If parents decline disability-related services under IDEA and Section 504, the SEA and LEA are not obligated to provide language assistance services to ELs.

13. When analyzing and utilizing the results of a disability evaluation, a key must be whether or not the recommended services will allow ELs with a disability to be involved and make progress in the general education curriculum and to participate in extracurricular activities.

14. According to the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, states should create a comprehensive policy for ELs with exceptionalities that provides extensive guidance to localities based on:

15. By determining the root of each student's difficulties, educators can select the most appropriate and effective teaching and learning strategies to use.

16. When assessing verbal fluency in EL students, indicators of a probable learning disability include the student's lack of vocabulary, sentence structure, and/or self-confidence.

17. When an IEP team is developing a plan for a student with limited English proficiency, effective framing questions may include each of the following EXCEPT:

18. Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement about selecting appropriate accommodations for the students with disabilities?

19. One suggestion for serving students with disabilities is to simply indicate that an accommodation will be provided "as appropriate" or "as necessary," as this leaves room to make adjustments freely as needed.

20. A parent's decision on whether or not to have a child participate in EL services must be voluntary and based on a full understanding of the EL child's rights, the range of services available to the child, and the benefits of such services to the child.

21. If an LEA finds that a student is struggling after opting out of the EL program, they should take appropriate steps to assist the student by:

22. ELs who opt out of programs or services must have their ELP reassessed a minimum of once every _______ until they exit EL status.

23. One consideration when developing processes and providing support for ELs may be to consider having a process to explore the cause of high opt-out rates for EL services if and when they occur.

24. Notification forms that LEAs use to inform parents of their children's EL status and their right to opt out need to be provided in a language that the parent understands, and may include a statement such as, 'The overall goal of the EL program is for students to become fully proficient in English and to master state standards for academic achievement as rapidly as possible.'

25. In order to maintain legal compliance when a parent chooses to opt their child out of EL programs or services, a LEA should provide documentation that parents have been notified of their child's rights, the range of EL services that their child could receive, and the benefits of such EL services, before voluntarily waiving them.