The Role of Bilingual Education Teachers in Preventing Inappropriate Referrals of ELLs to Special Education: Implications for Response to Intervention

Data from three interrelated studies of English Language Learners who were identified as having reading-related learning disabilities suggest that the majority of participants were misclassified. Bilingual education teachers and other educational professionals had difficulty distinguishing students for whom special education referral was appropriate from those whose learning problems could be explained by factors such as inconsistent schooling or failure to provide timely interventions to address their learning needs. The role of bilingual education teachers in screening, assessment, and progress monitoring; the delivery of tiered instruction; and the documentation of results over time is discussed, along with guidance for deciding whether a student should be referred to special education. Implications for the design and implementation of Response to Intervention for ELLs are also discussed along with the corresponding professional development needs.