First, there is a “pre-referral process” including screening and intervention to identify problems experienced by students in the regular classroom, identifying the source of the problems (student, teacher, curriculum, environment, etc.) and taking steps to resolve the problems in the context of the regular classroom. This process seeks to eliminate unnecessary and inappropriate referrals to special education. See document entitled “Referral and Evaluation of Language Minority Students”

A referral to special education should only happen after all other avenues have been explored, and you can conclude that the child’s needs cannot be met by the regular education program.

It is recommended that the child be in the school system for more than a full academic year before a referral to special education is justified.

Often times, special education identification has already happened in another state and the student will customarily have to be retested in order to be identified for services in Indiana.

All referrals of LEP students to special education should include the results of tests in the child’s native language and in English to provide evidence that the difficulties are present in both languages.

In searching for a bilingual evaluator or interpreter for assessment purposes, the candidate must be a non-biased party who is fluent in the native language of the student. Ideally, the interpreter/translator should be from the same language, country, and cultural background of the student to avoid linguistic and cultural miscues.

In order to be served by speech and hearing, there must be a process of evaluation, provided it is appropriate. Most language minority students do not have speech problems. They are second language learners and that is not a handicap.

Please direct questions and comments about the web site to Dara N. López.