Belief Systems as Related to Results, How Students Qualify for Special Education, and The ELL Critical Data Process
Section 1: The first section of the training covers background issues, problems, laws, and research needed to assist staff in addressing the belief systems of others, and their own belief systems, that are impacting the progress in this field. The content focuses on understanding the relationship between acculturation, belief systems, practices and results.
Section 2: The second section of the training addresses how children qualify for special education services with a focus on ELL specific issues that arise during qualification. This includes how to reduce the problems and core issues that lead to disproportionality, while breaking down the problem to three main areas of qualification.
Section 3: The third section focuses on training those in attendance on how to complete the ELL Critical Data Process. This is the process created by Steven that helps staff to gather the most critical data, follow a structured process, and create a product that helps them to see whether more interventions are needed or if a special education referral is a reasonable option. The ELL Critical Data Process brings key staff members to the table and structures the discussions so that a student’s needs are better understood.
ELL Critical Data Process – Preschool Version
This focuses on training those in attendance on how to complete the Preschool Version of the ELL Critical Data Process. This is the process created by Steven that helps staff to gather the most critical data, follow a structured process, and create a product that helps them to see whether more interventions are needed or if a special education referral is a reasonable option. The Preschool Version of the ELL Critical Data Process brings key staff members to the table and structures the discussions so that a student’s needs are better understood. The Preschool Version focuses less on measured data (given there is far less available) and more on specific comparisons of the child’s development in key areas as compared to like peers’ development in the same areas, focusing on the LE3AP process. The LE3AP process is a lens used to look at student struggles focusing on: Exposure, Experience, Expectations, and Practice. This is a theme in many of the books written by Steven and Ushani. It helps educators understand if the student’s struggle is to be expected given these factors or if the student should not have the noted struggles given this lens.
ELL Evaluation Training
This section of the training focuses on providing an overview of the techniques and steps outlined in Steven and Ushani's book Lessons Learned While Evaluating ELL Students for Potential Special Education Qualification. This is the culmination of 30 years of working on increasing the likelihood of finding students who truly have disabilities, versus the students whose struggles are primarily related to language acquisition. This section provides practical advice on how to help others, strangers to the situation, understand how the decision was made and what evidence was used. In the end, is the determinant factor language acquisition or language acquisition with a disability? This includes information needed to defend the decision within the special education eligibility report.
Case Studies
The participants will work through two case studies. Using the ELL Critical Data Process to examine a real case completed by Steven. This case provides examples of wording to help the reader of the report understand if the student is struggling due to language acquisition issues or if the student has a disability and also happens to be a language learner.