CAPA and English learners
Many times when districts exceed the 1 percent limitation on the CAPA, the excess is due to an English learner issue. Many teachers and school administrators lack the training needed to differentiate between English learner and special education needs. Likewise, when English learners are placed in special education classes, many of their parents are unable to understand district letters about testing or placement. Therefore, they are not in a position to advocate for their child to be retested, redesignated, or reassigned. (See Chapter Twelve, “Partnerships,” for more information on how to involve parents, including those who do not speak English.)
Teaching team members need to understand results from the CELDT tests, Aprenda 3, and home language surveys so that they can be more adept in placing and teaching English learners. Curriculum specialists from the district or county office can help team members learn more about how to use results from these tests to improve student learning. See Chapter 10, “Professional Learning,” for more information about staff development.
The very real need for the middle grades to equip students with many of the skills they will need to pass the CAHSEE in the tenth grade means that the teacher and administrators must prepare EL and special education students with grade-level curriculum so they are able to master the content of the standards. Professional development that focuses on delivering curriculum to special education and EL students requires that teachers understand when and how to use accommodations and to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of EL and special education students. Increased teacher skills in this area will help many districts and schools have steady achievement and may help meet the instructional needs of their students.
Additionally, when EL or special education students are referred to Student Study Team (SSTs—also known as Student Success Teams), members need information about the use of nonbiased individual assessments, including those that assess information processing and neural processing.
The English Learner Subgroup Self Assessment (DOC; 143KB; 11pp.) helps school and district administrators to evaluate EL assessment results as they prepare the Local Educational Agency Plan.
In the Spotlight
Mathson Middle School (Outside Source), a 2006 On the Right Track school, Alum Rock Union School District. Mathson’s API score rose steadily from 2002 through 2006. The school staff members attribute much of their success to a strategic use of data to focus instruction for English learners. Mathson staff members also increased the schoolday by 50 minutes to provide intervention and to accelerate language acquisition. Language development is woven into the curriculum due to staff understanding that language must not be a barrier to learning the standards. To understand more about the strategies used at Mathson, view the profile developed for the SchoolsMovingUp (Outside Source) online Web conference: Mathson Middle School Archived Presentation (Outside Source).
For more information about assessment and special education students, see:
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California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA)
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