New America’s Webinar Focuses on Dually Identified Learners

Students who are identified as both dual language learners (DLLs)* and students with disabilities are often referred to as dually identified students. Despite the fact that these students make up a growing share of the country’s student population, they are often overlooked by both policymakers and the general public. To boost the visibility of this growing student population, New America hosted a webinar last week focused on the unique challenges young dually identified students and their families face.

Sara Kangas, associate professor and program director at Lehigh University kicked off the webinar by noting that dually identified students are “a population on the rise,” comprising about 16 percent of all K-12 multilingual learners. Kangas noted that the population of dually identified students actually grew by about 50 percent between 2006 and 2020. And, while the highest percentage of these students reside in the West and Southwest, the Midwest and Northeast have recently experienced significant increases in their population of dually identified students. After noting that “research and policy are not keeping up with the changing demographics,” Kangas pointed to four policy focus areas: addressing the needs of the whole child; fostering shared responsibility; enacting a strength-based, humane approach; and honoring families and communities.

The webinar then transitioned to the first panel which was made up of researchers who specialize in dually identified students and moderated by María Cioè-Peña, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. The researchers first turned to the topic of accurately assessing DLLs. “We know that standardized assessments really fall short with our multilingual learners,” said Lillian Durán, professor at the University of Oregon. Claudia Rinaldi, professor at Lasell University, pointed to the need to supplement formal assessments of these students with informal ones, such as observations and family interviews. “The challenge is we’re assessing them like we assess the majority of students,” said Rinaldi. Elizabeth Burr, senior research associate at WestEd, pointed to the danger of young students being under-identified for special education services during the early grades due to teachers thinking they should wait prior to a referral because students are still developing their English language skills. Burr also noted that lower access to health care among immigrant populations can lead to later referral for special education evaluation because it’s often pediatricians who are involved in referrals for young children.

The researchers then turned the discussion towards the critical role family engagement can play in the referral process. The panelists emphasized the importance of understanding that parents know their children best and are therefore a critical piece in the referral process. Rinaldi noted the need for teachers to establish close relationships with families early on and view the parents as an asset and an expert on their children. Panelists also discussed the importance of having bilingual staff, including paraeducators, who are able to speak the students’ home languages and develop trust with families. Burr pointed out that all teachers, regardless of their specialty, need specific training on typical oral language development so they have a better understanding of what that process looks like for young children.

The second panel, also moderated by Cioè-Peña, was made up of two parents of dually identified students: Eliana Tardio Hurtado, program associate II at WestEd, and Paola Jordan, director of the Metropolitan Parent Center in New York City. When asked how they got into this line of work, both Eliana and Paola said it wasn’t a choice because they both have children with disabilities. Describing the challenges they have each faced as the parent of a dually identified learner, Jordan emphasized the importance of learning more about her rights as the parents of a child with a disability. “IEP translation is your right, not a favor,” she said. Hurtado recalled not being seen as a “whole person” by some educators and feeling like people often felt sorry for her rather than offering help. Cioè-Peña concluded the second panel by emphasizing the difficulties faced by many DLLs in the current political environment in which anti-immigrant sentiment is growing. She also mentioned the importance of moving away from valuing independence in children as the sole criterion for success in school and life.

The webinar concluded with closing remarks from Glenna Wright-Gallo, Assistant Secretary with the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Wright-Gallo touted the actions of the Biden administration over the last several years when it comes to assisting dually identified students. Specifically, she pointed to President Biden’s executive orders concerning equity as well as a 2021 policy letter focused on IEP development for DLLs. Wright-Gallo also pointed to the importance of providing adequate funding for the recruitment and retention of DLL scholars in university programs as well as strengthening the workforce serving DLLs by recruiting special educators from unique cultural backgrounds. She concluded her remarks by noting that everyone, regardless of role, has a part to play in supporting effective, evidence-based instruction for all students.

You can find the full event video as well as related resources here.

* This blog post uses the term dual language learners (DLLs) to describe children between the ages of birth to 8-years-old who are learning English in addition to their home language. The term multilingual learner is also used to describe language learners in the K-12 school system who have been formally identified and are eligible to receive language services.