Addressing Disproportionate Special Education: Identifying and Supporting English Learners with and without Disabilities

The overidentification of English Learners receiving special education services is a pressing issue in our public schools. Research shows that factors such as test bias, poor instruction, and insufficient professional development for educators working with diverse student populations drive this disproportionality. Furthermore, educators may lack the skills needed to differentiate if a student is learning English as a second language, displaying characteristics of a disability, or both, and then how to determine appropriate services.

We will discuss the many factors contributing to the overidentification of English Learners in Special Education and offer tips for schools on how to address this issue and provide the right support for these students.

Panelists:

Jennifer Albury

Jennifer Albury joined Holyoke Public Schools as a special education teacher at Morgan School in 2015 and moved into the ESL department in 2016 as a 7th-grade ESL teacher at STEM Academy. In 2020, Ms. Albury moved into ESL instructional coaching. Before coming to Holyoke, Ms. Albury created and ran a language school in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she lived with her family for 11 years. She is dedicated to celebrating and accelerating multilingual education through ESL, bilingual education, and heritage language.

Kimberly Dion

Kimberly Dion is currently a Vice Principal and has held various other educational positions, including middle school science teacher, middle and high school special education teacher, special education supervisor, Director of Student Services, and Educational Administrator at a therapeutic day school. Kimberly has been an adjunct instructor in the Graduate Special Education Program at Bay Path University since 2015 and is finishing her doctorate in Educational Leadership.

Sherry Elander

Sherry Elander has had a long and impactful career in special education. As a special education teacher, Sherry devoted her career to ensuring students with disabilities had equitable access to all educational opportunities, especially meaningful transition planning and programming, including community involvement. Sherry had the privilege of being one of the very first Transition Specialists in the state of Massachusetts and, since then, has worked tirelessly to establish and grow the transition programs in Westfield. Sherry is a current adjunct instructor for the Transition Specialist program here at Bay Path University.

Blanca Nieves Ludizaca Torres

Blanca Nieves Ludizaca Torres teaches second-grade ESL in Worcester, MA. She is also the president of her school's ELPAC (English Language Parent Advisory Council). Blanca’s first language is Spanish, and she began her journey of learning English when she was in 2nd grade. Blanca is Puerto Rican and has a condition called Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, which causes albinism and blindness. In elementary school, she wasn’t given ESL but placed in special education classrooms, which she did not need. This was common until her junior year in high school when she could advocate for herself. Blanca is a strong advocate for her students and their families.

Jaclyn Eisnor, MEd

Jaclyn is a Bay Path University Alumni and works as an Elementary ELL teacher for the Norton Public Schools. Jaclyn began her career in education seven years ago as a speech and language therapist. She returned to school after recognizing her passion for language and the need for more ELL teachers. She obtained her Master's in English as a Second Language from Bay Path University. After graduating, she was fortunate enough to remain employed at Norton Public Schools as an ELL teacher and is in her second year in this position. Jaclyn has a unique perspective because she has experience working with language differences and language disorders with diverse student populations.

Jody Gray-Linden

Jody Gray-Linden is an ESL teacher at the Higginson Inclusion School in Boston, MA, with over twenty-five years of experience working with diverse learners in the USA and China. Specializing in teaching English to young learners, Jody draws on her extensive background in early childhood education to design lessons that promote equitable literacy practices and foster academic language development. Her experience supporting diverse student populations has inspired her to seek a doctoral degree in educational leadership focusing on ESL education.

Kyra Duggento

Kyra is a K-2 special education teacher at Springfield Prep Charter School in Springfield, Massachusetts. She earned her Master’s degree in Moderate Disabilities PreK-8 and her Bachelor of Science degree in Neuropsychology from Bay Path University. In her classroom, Kyra combines her passion for working with diverse student populations and her training as an educator to make a difference every day in her students' lives.

Brenda Touchette

Brenda is a special education teacher at the Center for Applied Behavior Analysis in Worcester. Brenda has over 17 years of teaching experience in many educational settings, including public, private, and residential settings, with students of all ages and a range of disabilities. Finally, Brenda is working towards earning her Special Education Administrator’s License.