English-Only Assessment of a Spanish-Speaking First Grader
A first-grade team is considering a referral for special education evaluation for Lucía, a 7-year-old whose home language is Spanish. She has received 18 months of English-only instruction. On English letter-name fluency she names 19 letters per minute; phoneme segmentation is 8 correct in one minute; she does not yet read connected text. The classroom teacher says Lucía “makes no progress” and requests testing. No Spanish-language measures have been administered. The school psychologist proposes giving a full English cognitive and achievement battery and using a discrepancy formula. Lucía’s parents report she speaks Spanish at home, is quiet at school, and has had consistent attendance. The teacher has implemented small-group phonics for six weeks, but documentation of fidelity and progress is incomplete. The team meets to decide whether to evaluate and what data are needed.
1. What is the core issue the team must resolve before concluding that Lucía has a learning disability?
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The core issue is distinguishing limited English proficiency and interrupted formal instruction from a disability. English-only letter-name and phoneme-segmentation scores are low, but the team has no Spanish-language data and no English language proficiency level. A discrepancy formula using English-only tests would likely overidentify. Six weeks of phonics with incomplete fidelity and progress data is not an adequate response-to-intervention trial. The team must examine exclusionary factors and gather comprehensive data before determining specific learning disability.
2. What additional assessment data should the team gather?
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Administer measures in Spanish and English by qualified bilingual staff, including phonological awareness, letter knowledge, word reading, and oral language. Obtain language proficiency scores and classroom observations in both languages. Interview parents about Spanish development and literacy experiences. Review attendance, health, and instruction. Conduct a valid intervention with fidelity and progress monitoring for 6–8 weeks. Use an interpreter for meetings and avoid informally translating standardized tests.
3. How should the team use the data to make an eligibility decision?
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Eligibility requires a pattern of low achievement not explained by language difference, lack of instruction, or other exclusionary factors. If Lucía shows similar difficulties in Spanish and English, has received adequate instruction, and responds poorly to validated intervention, the team may suspect a learning disability. If Spanish skills are typical or data are insufficient, continue language support and progress monitoring. The decision must be team-based and documented.