Bilingual and Culturally Competent Assessment

SCH PA760 - Bilingual and Culturally Competent Assessment

Credits: 2

This course covers bilingual language development, levels of bilingualism, and implications of different levels of bilingual language development for research and practice. The course also covers the assessment of language ability (English and other languages) such as the BVAT, WJ-III oral language scale. Nonverbal assessments are also taught including use and misuse of English- and other-language normed tests such as the WISC-IV, WJ-III, and the BATERIA-III Woodcock-Muñoz. The use of informal and curriculum-based assessments, course will cover use of translators, and the non-standardized translations of English-normed tests. Factors to consider when assessing and determining the eligibility of a bilingual student for special education services are also covered including English language ability of the student, consistency of educational background, length of time in the United States, services received before coming to the US, cultural factors, teacher report and experience, informal assessments, curriculum based assessments, response to intervention, other assessment scores (e.g. achievement, speech and language) child’s history, laws associated with the assessment of bilingual students, standards for the educational and psychological testing of bilingual students. Pre-requisite: PA500 or PA503.