The document provides information on upcoming speech meetings in October, November, December, and January as well as contact information for questions. It also includes a summary of laws, regulations, and best practices regarding the assessment of English language learners. Key points covered include using nondiscriminatory assessment tools and strategies in a student's native language, distinguishing between language differences and disabilities, and obtaining proper training to assess culturally and linguistically diverse students.

1. SPEECH & LANGUAGE NEWSLETTER
UPCOMING
Speech Meetings
October 19- LUNCH BUNCH, 11:30-12:30 (informal
gathering before the Speech Mtg. CFYs and
their supervisors are encouraged to attend);
Regular Speech Meeting, 12:30 p.m., Old
Olive site, Room #305; BRING YOUR iPAD!
1 CEU opportunity-Bilingual
Assessments: Practical, Hands-on Info!
November 9- Protocal ordering meeting; 12:30, at
Casita Elementary in the MPR
November 15-17 ASHA Convention , Atlanta, Georgia
December 7- Speech luncheon meeting; location TBA
January 25, 2013- Staff Development Day / CEU opportunity
(bring your iPads) and protocol delivery (7:30
– 11:00 a.m. at Casita Elementary in the
MPR). You MUST stop by to pick up protocols
if you ordered any!
Questions? Call:
Susie Setran at
Breeze Hill
945-2373 (4665)
or
Diana Farrell at
Foothill Oak
631-3458(4180)
* Send Orders to Anne Pickering at Empresa
* Send Medi-Cal logs to Lisa McGuire at Beaumont
* Email Julie Chase at Casita Elementary for Medi-Cal
billing questions

2. Bilingualism
FINDING PRACTICE
The practice of testing a bilingual Proficiency in all the student’s
child in a single language does not languages must be considered.
give the child credit for linguistic Monolingual SLPs should collaborate
knowledge in both languages. with linguistic informants,
(Kayser, 1989) interpreters and bilingual colleagues.
Dynamic assessment may be the Testing student’s learning potential
most effective assessment (rate) must include data on progress
procedure for evaluating culturally in response to evidence-based
and linguistically diverse children. instruction. Following initial testing,
Test-teach-retest procedures mediate learning experiences and
appear best suited for then retest at the end of instruction.
distinguishing language differences Atypical students with a disability will
from language learning disabilities have difficulty learning even when
(Gutierrez-Clellen & Pena, 2001) explicit instruction is provided.
Bilingual Phenomena
A normal occurrence in 2nd language learners
Cross-linguistic influence- When two languages Threshold Hypothesis- A minimum level of
come into contact, one language may influence proficiency is required in one language in order
the other one or both languages may influence to achieve the positive cognitive growth
each other. associated with the addition of another language.
Arrest- The level of proficiency in a language Attrition- A reduction in proficiency occurs in
does not change. linguistic competence and performance.
Avoidance- A specific element of a language is Language Alternation- A change is made from
not used. one language to another.
Language Non-Use- A language is not used Overgeneralization – A language rule is
for communication purposes. applied in an unrestricted fashion.
Fossilization- An inaccurate rule stabilizes to the Hesitation- A temporal variation may occur as
point of continual usage. an isolated phenomenon or with other phenomena
Transfer- A phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, or pragmatic characteristic of one language is used
in another language.

3. Bilingual Assessments
Laws, Regulations, and Best Practices/Code of Ethics Regarding Assessment of English Language Learners
What Does Federal/IDEA Law Say?
Use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic
information about the child,
Assessments and other evaluation materials used to assess a child under this part--
(i) Are selected and administered so as not to be discriminatory on a racial or cultural basis;
(ii) Are provided and administered in the child's native language or other mode of communication and in the form
most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally, and
functionally, unless it is clearly not feasible to so provide or administer
What Do State Laws Say?
California Education Code Section 56320-56330
Testing and assessment materials and procedures used for the purposes of assessment and placement of individuals
with exceptional needs:
 Are selected and administered so as not to be racially, culturally, or sexually discriminatory. Pursuant to
Section 1412(a)(6)(B) of Title 20 of the United States Code, the materials and procedures shall be provided
in the pupil's native language or mode of communication, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so.
 Are provided and administered in the language and form most likely to yield accurate information on what
the pupil knows and can do academically, developmentally, and functionally, unless it is not feasible to so
provide or administer as required by Section 1414(b) (3)(A)(ii) of Title 20 of the United States Code.
 Are used for purposes for which the assessments or measures are valid and reliable.
California Education Code Section 56333-56338
A pupil shall be assessed as having a language or speech disorder which makes him or her eligible for special
education and related services when he or she demonstrates difficulty understanding or using spoken language to
such an extent that it adversely affects his or her educational performance and cannot be corrected without special
education and related services.
California Code of Regulations
Title 5, Article 3
(a) In addition to provisions of Education Code Section 56320, assessments shall be administered by qualified
personnel who are competent in both the oral or sign language skills and written skills of the individual's primary
language or mode of communication and have a knowledge and understanding of the cultural and ethnic
background of the pupil. If it clearly is not feasible to do so, an interpreter must be used, and the assessment report
shall document this condition and note that the validity of the assessment may have been affected.
(b) The normal process of second-language acquisition, as well as manifestations of dialect and sociolinguistic
variance shall not be diagnosed as a handicapping condition.
What Does ASHA Say?
ASHA Code of Ethics I, Rule C states: “Individuals shall not discriminate in the delivery of professional services or
the conduct of research and scholarly activities on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, gender identity/gender
expression, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.”
ASHA Knowledge and Skills Needed by Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists to Provide Culturally and
Linguistically Appropriate Services states:
4.0 Role: Obtain knowledge base needed to distinguish typical and disordered language of clients/patients.
5.0 Role: Identification/Assessment of typical and disordered language. This includes knowledge and skills related
to:
5.1 C. Appropriate criteria for distinguishing a disorder from a difference by using the norms of the
client’s/patient’s speech community as the standard.
What Does CSHA Say?
CSHA supports Federal/IDEA, California State laws, ASHA positions/code of ethics and further adds:
“Materials and procedures used to assess a child must be selected and administered so as not to be racially,
culturally, or sexually discriminatory. In addition, materials and procedures used to assess a child with limited
English proficiency must be selected and administered to ensure that they measure the extent to which the child has
a disability and needs special education, rather than measuring the child's English language skills.
If an assessment is not conducted under standard conditions, a description of the extent to which it varied from
standard conditions (e.g., the qualifications of the person administering the test, or the method of test
administration) must be included in the evaluation report.”
Researched and Written by Dawn Shirvanian, 2012.

4. References:
IDEA Regulations: Part 300/D/Sec. 300.304 Evaluation Procedures. Available from:
http://idea.ed.gov.
California Laws and Codes: California Education Code. Available from: http://www.cde.ca.gov.
California Laws and Codes: California Code of Regulations. Available from:
http://www.cde.ca.gov.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2010). Code of Ethics [Ethics]. Available
from: www.asha.org/policy.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2004). Knowledge and Skills Needed by
Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists to Provide Culturally and Linguistically
Appropriate Services [Knowledge and Skills]. Available from: www.asha.org/policy.
California Speech-Language Hearing Association. (2006). Service Delivery to Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse Individuals-Position Paper. Available from: www.csha.org.