Adelanto Elementary School District (AESD) serves a diverse community, with nearly 17% of students identified as English Learners (ELs). For parents of these students, a difficult question often arises: Is my child struggling because they are learning a new language, or do they have a learning disability?
Getting this answer right is critical. Misidentification can lead to students being placed in special education when they don't need it, or—more commonly—students with disabilities being denied services because schools say, "they just need more time to learn English."
Difference vs. Disability: The "Wait to Fail" Trap
Many Adelanto parents report being told to wait before requesting an assessment. Schools may claim that a student needs to reach a certain level of English proficiency before they can be tested for special education. This is incorrect and illegal.
Common Signs of a Learning Disability in EL Students
- Struggles with learning in both their primary language and English
- Family history of learning difficulties
- Difficulty following instructions even when translated
- Slow progress despite high-quality English Language Development (ELD) instruction
- Significant gap between their listening comprehension and reading skills
Legal Fact: A lack of English proficiency cannot be the determining factor for special education eligibility, but it also cannot be used as an excuse to delay an evaluation if a disability is suspected.
Your Right to Bilingual Assessments
Federal and state laws are clear: assessments must be conducted in the language and form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally, and functionally.
Why Standard Tests Fail EL Students
If an Adelanto student who speaks primarily Spanish is given an IQ test in English, the test isn't measuring their intelligence—it's measuring their English skills. This often leads to scores that look like an Intellectual Disability when the student is actually perfectly capable.
What a Valid Assessment Needs
- Native Language Testing: Assessment in the student's primary language (e.g., Spanish) whenever feasible.
- Non-Verbal Assessments: Using tools that rely less on language to measure cognitive ability (like pattern matching or puzzles).
- Bilingual Evaluators: School psychologists and speech pathologists who are fluent in the student's language and understand cultural nuances.
- Comparison to Peers: Comparing the student's progress to other students with similar language backgrounds, not just native English speakers.
How Independent Evaluations Provide Clarity
Adelanto Elementary School District has reported staffing shortages in the past, including outsourcing speech services. This can sometimes lead to a lack of available bilingual staff to conduct thorough assessments.
If AESD evaluates your child and finds them ineligible—or if you feel the evaluation was not culturally proper—you have the right to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE).
A Better Approach to Assessment
An independent bilingual evaluation can distinguish between language acquisition issues and true learning disabilities by:
- Conducting true bilingual testing in both English and the primary language.
- Analyzing error patterns (e.g., are the errors typical for a Spanish speaker learning English, or are they signs of a disorder?).
- Interviewing parents extensively about the child's development in their home language.
- Observing the student in different settings to see how they use language socially vs. academically.
Bilingual Assessment Experts for Adelanto Families
Bilingual Evaluators
We have experienced bilingual school psychologists and speech-language pathologists who can assess in Spanish and other languages.
Culturally Valid Tools
We use assessment tools that are normed for diverse populations to ensure fair and accurate results.
Dyslexia vs. ELL Expertise
We specialize in untangling complex cases where reading struggles could be due to language barriers, dyslexia, or both.
Get Clarity for Your Child
Language should never be a barrier to special education services. If you disagree with an evaluation from Adelanto schools, we can provide the independent second opinion you need.
