Understanding Struggling English Language Learners: Learning Disabilities, the RTI Process, and Language Acquisition

By:
Jorge Eliécer Zuluaga Urrea
ESL SYMPOSIUM
LEE COUNTY Schools
07/23/2014
Struggling English
Language Learners who are
Learning Disabled: Reading
and The R.T.I. Process

Specific Learning DisabledSpecific Learning Disabled
Children in NC public schoolsChildren in NC public schools
Hispanic/Latino 11,578
Asian 620
Two or more races 2,434
African American 23,077
White 31, 689
American Indians/ Alaska Native 1,241
Hawaiian or pacific Islander 61
Retrieved 07/17/14 from:
http://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/reports-data/child-count/reports/dec

16.4%
Retrieved 7/17/14from http://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/reports-data/child

ESL students with disabilitiesESL students with disabilities
 It is assumed that
about 12% of the
language minority
population in the USA
should require special
education.
 5.16% of the 6.64% of
students with Learning
disabilities are LEP
Minow, M. L. (2001). Limited English proficient students and special education. Wakefield,
MA:National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved 07/17/14 from:
http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/lep_sp_ed

LEP, SLDLEP, SLD
 What happens when
there is a student who
is limited English
Proficient (LEP) and
has another disability?
 Are we as teachers,
prepared to deal with
this population?

Our Goal TodayOur Goal Today
Discuss main issues affecting the academic
performance of the specific learning
disabled children who are limited English
proficient.
To identify current trends to overcome
literacy difficulties in specific learning
disabled children who are limited English
proficient.
Discuss main issues in the RTI referral
process of English Language Learners.

Understanding theUnderstanding the
stakeholders/Exceptionalstakeholders/Exceptional
Education LawEducation Law
The Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA),
Public Law 101-476 (1997)
provides the following definition…

Specific Learning DisabilitySpecific Learning Disability
“A disorder in one or more of the basic
psychological processes involved in
understanding or in using language, spoken
or written, which may manifest itself in an
imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read,
write, spell or to do mathematical
calculations…
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
1997.

Cont…Cont…
This term includes such conditions as
perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal
brain dysfunction, dyslexia and
developmental aphasia.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
1997.

cont…cont…
“The term does not include children who have
learning problems which are primary the
result of visual, hearing, or motor
handicaps, of mental retardation, of
emotional disturbance, or of environmental,
cultural, or economic disadvantage.”
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 1997.

What are Learning Disabilities?What are Learning Disabilities?
 Basic Skills
– Reading
– Writing
– Math
 Higher Level Skills
– Organization
– Time planning
– Abstract reasoning
Learning Disabilities of America,2004 Retrieved from: http://ldanatl.org/aboutld/teachers/understanding/print_types.asp
Neurologically-based processing problems thatNeurologically-based processing problems that
interfere with learninginterfere with learning..

Characteristics of LearningCharacteristics of Learning
DisabilitiesDisabilities
 Perception.Perception.
 the brain misinterpretsthe brain misinterprets
the information fromthe information from
the sensory channels.the sensory channels.
 Phonological
processing.
 Lack in the ability to
hear each phoneme of a
word. (phonological
awareness).
Learning Disabilities of America,2004 Retrieved from: http://ldanatl.org/aboutld/teachers/understanding/print_types.asp
Learning disabilities may be caused mainly byLearning disabilities may be caused mainly by
deficits in :deficits in :

Other Characteristics ThatOther Characteristics That
Coexist With LDCoexist With LD
 Low self esteem
 Poor motivation
 Withdrawal
 Feigned illness
 Absenteeism
 Anxiety
 Over dependence
Children with learning disabilities can be affected
by academic failure and may develop:

Limited English ProficientLimited English Proficient
StudentsStudents
 Come from different
cultures.
 Speak various languages
 See the world in a
different way.
 Some have changed
geography, climate,
economic situation, social
status and culture of
schools.
 Some come to have a
better living, but others
have to leave their
countries out of fear for
their lives.
 Most children did not
want to come. It was their
parents choice.
Law, B. & Eckes, M. (2000). The more than just-surviving handbook: ESL
for every classroom teacher. Winnipeg: Portage & Main Press.

 ESL student with a
disability
 Physiological reasons.
 Difficulty forming social
relationships.
 Communicative
competence may be
affected in both
languages.
 May have speech
disorders in: articulation,
voice, fluency and
receptive and expressive
language.
 ESL student without
a disability
 Adaptation difficulties.
 Behavioral problems
related to acculturation.
 Communicative
competence may be
affected due to a lack of
ability in the second
language.
 Grammar and sentence
structure appropriate for
his age.

 ESL student with a
disability
 First language skills not
appropriate for age and level in
areas like: vocabulary, word
finding, following directions,
sentence formulation and
pragmatics.
 Disorganized thoughts.
 May have difficulties learning
the second language.
 Significantly below grade level.
 Verbal and non verbal abilities
are inconsistent.
 Significant discrepancies
between different areas
 Difficulties with directions,
transitions, coping and
following instructions.
 ESL student without a
disability
 May not know specific
vocabulary, but may be familiar
with the item or concept.
 May demonstrate a loss of
receptive and expressive
language skills in first
language.

What LD, LEP children needWhat LD, LEP children need
to improve their readingto improve their reading
 To improve their reading, learning disabled
children who are Limited English proficient need:
 Attention from their regular teacher, their ESL
teacher and their Exceptional Education teacher.
 Hands on instruction.
 Explicit code emphasis developmental reading
methods: Phonics, linguistic, multisensory
approaches.
 Teachers who effectively and systematically alter
various methods to meet their needs.

Formal explicit instruction in the target
language, and culture.
Use their previous knowledge, experiences
and strengths as a base to start building
literacy.
Recursive teachers who identify children’s
weaknesses and strength in order to plan
systematic and organized remediation
programs.

Implementing and including Phonics and
phonemic awareness based tasks with ESL
methods like:
Language Experience Approach (LEA).
Expediting Comprehension for English
Language Learners (ExC-ELL).
Total Physical Response (TPR).
 The Cognitive Academic Language
Learning Approach (CALLA).
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
(SIOP).

 Have access to high-quality instruction to help them
meet high expectations.
 Teachers who use strategies known to be effective
with English learners such as:
– Drawing on their previous knowledge.
– Providing opportunities to review previously learned
concepts and teaching them to employ those concepts.
– Organizing themes or strands that connect the curriculum
across subject areas.
– Providing individual guidance , assistance, and support to
fill gaps in background knowledge.

What readers needWhat readers need
 LD, LEP persons need a variety of instructional
approaches in order to read they need:
– Decoding
 Translating written material into a spoken word.
– Comprehension Skills
 Reading for factual information
– Follow the events and details of the text.
 Comparing and evaluating the material
– Derive main ideas from a text and isolate its organizing idea or thesis.

 I know everything you
just said.
 How do I do that in
my room?
 How do I solve ‘the
problem’ I have?

The problemThe problem
Daniel is not learning.
I have tried everything I know!
Nothing seems to work.
I know that he tries.
Something must be wrong.
I am going to lose my job!

Would you like to try R.T.I.?Would you like to try R.T.I.?
 Response to Intervention (R.T.I.) “is a way to
provide early intervention to students who show
signs of struggling and potentially to identify those
who have learning disabilities. “
Klingner, J. Hoover, J and Baca, Leonard. (2008)Response to Intervention Models and English Language Learners. In Why do English
Language Learners struggle with Reading (pp. 37).Corwin Press. Thousand Oaks, CA.

What in the World is R.T.I.?What in the World is R.T.I.?
 R.T.I. offers an alternative to the discrepancy-
based identification models of the past that require
students to demonstrate significant difference
between their ability (I.Q.) and their academic
achievement.
Klingner, J. Hoover, J and Baca, Leonard. (2008)Response to Intervention Models and English Language Learners. In Why do English Language Learners struggle with Reading (pp. 37).Corwin Press. Thousand
Oaks, CA.

R.T.I. ReferralR.T.I. Referral
What you need:
For every area of concern is necessary to
include:
- A goal related to the needs.
- Description of two different research
based interventions.
- Progress Monitoring (m-CLASS
Benchmark, Progress Monitoring
Reports, Reading Work Samples.)
Note that in Lee County: Teacher directed programs such as Wilson, My sidewalks, Burst, Language!, Wilson
Fundations, etc. can be used as the sole intervention.

Measurable GoalsMeasurable Goals
The goals are statements that link directly to
the areas of need.
The goal describes what the child is
expected to accomplish within the duration
of the interventions.

Goal Components:
Any given/conditions (when, with what,
where) if needed.
Skill area/domain (academic, behavioral,
functional.)
Observable learner performance (what the
learner will be doing, an action.)
Measurable Criteria which specify the level at
which the students performance will be
acceptable (frequency, accuracy, speed, etc.)

 To know if the goal is measurable ask:
 Does it allow us to know how much progress has been
made?
 Does it yield the same conclusion if measured by
another person?
 Does it reveal if the goal has been accomplished/
completed?
 Can be measured as is? (without additional information.)

 “Given a model, Peter will write the uppercase
alphabet letters with no more than two errors.”
 Given a model = When or under what
condition.
 Peter will write upper case letters = skill-
writing/ observable performance.
 with no more than two errors = measurable
outcome.

Research Based InterventionsResearch Based Interventions
According to Kelly and Campbell, (2012) five components
are needed to be in place for students to progress in
reading:
 Phonics Instruction,
 Listening Comprehension,
 Reading Comprehension,
 Tutoring,
 At-home Component.
 These program components are consistent with those identified by several researchers including: Carson, 1999; Gaskins, Ehri, Cress, O'Hara,
& Donnelly, 1996; Learning First Alliance, 1998; Torgesen, 1998; Snow et al., 1998.
 Taken from: Helping Struggling Readers on 11/27/2012
 http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/literacy/articles/helping-struggling-readers/index.html by Crystal Kelly, MA.Ed. and Linda Campbell, Ph.D.

What works according to the National
Reading Panel?
- Phonemic Awareness instruction.
- Phonics instruction.
- Fluency Instruction.
- Vocabulary Instruction.
- Text Comprehension.

Phonemic Awareness:Phonemic Awareness:
 Conscious awareness that words are composed of
separate sounds and the ability to identify and
manipulate those sounds. Phonemic Awareness
can be developed by:
- Recognizing beginning and ending sounds.
- Isolating sounds.
- Combining sounds.
- Breaking or segmenting words into its separate
sounds. National Institute for Literacy. (2003) PUT READING FIRST:
The research building blocks for teaching children to
read. Second Edition. Jessup, MD

Phonological AwarenessPhonological Awareness
Ability to attend to the sounds of speech in a
language. A broad term that includes
Phonemic Awareness.
 Phonological Awareness activities can involve
work with:
- Phonemes
- Rhymes
- Words
- Syllables
- Onset and Rime National Institute for Literacy. (2003) PUT READING FIRST: The research
building blocks for teaching children to read. Second Edition. Jessup,
MD

Phonics InstructionPhonics Instruction
 Helps children learn the relationships
between the letters (graphemes) and the
sounds (phonemes).
 Phonics instruction programs should:
- Be systematic and explicit.
- Provide opportunities to apply what is
learned about sounds and letters to
reading of words, sentences and stories.
National Institute for Literacy. (2003) PUT READING FIRST: The research

FluencyFluency
The ability to read a text accurately and
quickly. Frees students to understand what
they read.
Reading Fluency can be developed:
- By modeling fluent reading.
- By having students engage in repeated oral reading.
- Progress in reading fluency should be monitored by
teachers to evaluate instruction and set instruction
goals. National Institute for Literacy. (2003) PUT READING FIRST: The research
MD

Reading Comprehension StrategiesReading Comprehension Strategies
(National Reading Panel)(National Reading Panel)
 Comprehension monitoring
 Using of graphic and semantic
organizers
 Using of the structure of the
stories
 Answering of questions
 Generating questions
 Summarizing
Calderon, Margarita
(2011)
National Reading
Panel (2000)

Reading ComprehensionReading Comprehension
StrategiesStrategies
 Other researchers
 Predict
 Determine important information
 Summarize
 Make inferences
 Visualize
 Ask and answer questions
 Make connections
 Monitor comprehension
Calderon, Margarita (2011)

Text Comprehension InstructionText Comprehension Instruction
Comprehension is the reason for reading. It
is purposeful and active. It can be developed
by teaching comprehension strategies.
 Comprehension strategies can be taught:
- Through explicit instruction
- Through cooperative learning
- By helping readers use strategies flexible and
in combination. National Institute for Literacy. (2003) PUT READING FIRST: The
research building blocks for teaching children to read.
Second Edition. Jessup, MD

Comprehension StrategiesComprehension Strategies
 Conscious plans or sets of steps that readers use
to make sense of the text.
 Monitoring comprehension:
- Being aware of what is understood
- Identify what is not understood
- Use of appropriate fix up strategies to resolve problems.
 Using graphic and semantic organizers:
- Use of diagrams or other pictorial devices to illustrate
concepts and interrelationships among concepts in a text.
National Institute for Literacy. (2003) PUT READING FIRST: The research
building blocks for teaching children to read. Second Edition. Jessup, MD

 Generating questions:
- Help to integrate information from different
segments of the text.
 Answering questions:
- Give students a purpose for reading
- Help to focus on what is needed to be learned
- Help think actively while reading
- Encourage monitoring of comprehension
- Help review content and relate to what is
known National Institute for Literacy. (2003) PUT READING FIRST: The research
MD.

 Recognizing Story Structure:
- Find out how the content and the events of a
story are organized into a plot.
 Summarizing:
- Identify and generate main ideas.
- Connect the main or central ideas.
- Eliminate redundant and unnecessary
information.
- Remember what was learned.
National Institute for Literacy. (2003) PUT READING FIRST: The research building blocks for
teaching children to read. Second Edition. Jessup, MD

Reading ComprehensionReading Comprehension
StrategiesStrategies
ELLs need the
text to be
chunked into
smaller segments
in order to focus
on strategy
development.
(Metacognitive
Strategies) Calderon, Margarita (2011)

TO KEEP IN MINDTO KEEP IN MIND
 When working with ELLs:
- Build strong positive relationships
- Value cultural diversity in teaching and
learning
- Provide sufficient attention and opportunity to
oral language development
- Differentiate instruction as necessary
- Provide explicit instruction
(Klingner, Artiles, & Mendez-Barletta, 2006)
Klingner, Janette K., Hoover, John J., & Baca, Leonard M. (2008) Ch. Conclusion. In Why do English Language Learners Struggle with Reading?:
Distinguishing Language Acquisition From Learning Disabilities. Corvin Press, Thousand Oaks, California.


TO KEEP IN MINDTO KEEP IN MIND……
Combine phonological awareness with other reading and
English Language Development activities (no matter
what language).
 Provide Explicit vocabulary instruction to facilitate
reading comprehension in students’ first language and in
English.
 Teach and encourage the use of reading comprehension
strategies.
 Help students develop a strong foundation in their first
language as a way to promote literacy in both the native
language and English.

Phonics TermsPhonics Terms
 Phoneme segmentation: ability to hear a spoken word and
pronounce its individual phonemes /h/ /i/ /l/.
 Phoneme blending: ability to hear a word broken into
phonemes and combine the phonemes into the word: /b/ /u/
/g/ to “bug.”
 Phoneme manipulation: ability to add, delete pr move
phonemes in a word and pronounce the word that results.
 Phonics: instruction in how the sounds of speech are
represented by letters and spelling.
 Onset: the consonant sound(s) that precede the vowel
sound in a syllable. /c/ is the onset of cat. /sc/ is the onset
of scat
 Rime: the vowel sound and what follows it in a syllable.
/at/ is the rime in cat. /ast/ is the rime in blast

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