Country Studied: United States of America
Types of learning difficulties the Best Practice is supporting:
- Reading and writing difficulties
- Social or emotional difficulties
- General or specific learning difficulties
Aims and objectives of Best Practice
This best practice is the sixth chapter of a toolkit developed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), the English Learner (EL) Toolkit. This resource was designed mainly for educators and administrators supporting students learning English as a second language, so that they can receive high-quality education with equal opportunities and reach their full academic potential. Other stakeholders involved in ELs education can find this toolkit informative and useful as well. Chapter 6 offers support to help educators differentiate between language acquisition difficulties and learning difficulties, providing tools like checklists and comparisons to guide educators in understanding the root of a student’s struggles. By identifying the cause, educators can tailor their approach and select the most effective strategies to support the student’s learning, whether it involves language acquisition or addressing a specific learning difficulty.
Short description of Best Practice
The sixth chapter of the EL Toolkit, as well as the other nine that complete the document, provides: information on civil rights and legal obligations to ELs, checklists that state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs) can use for self-monitoring, sample tools to be adapted in practice and further resources. Provided that the Toolkit in general does not dictate specific approaches, curricula and lesson plans, the following supporting resources are in the chapter:
- Tool #1 – List of policy recommendations on referral, identification, assessment, and service delivery to ELs with difficulties;
- Tool #2 – Table to support educators differentiating between language acquisition processes and manifesting of a learning difficulty, illustrating common learning behaviours in the classroom and offering clues about whether they might stem from language difficulties or a learning disability;
- Tool #3 – Checklist for the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team when drafting an IEP for EL with difficulty;
- Tool #4 – Tips on how to use resources from the Civil Rights Data Collection, to spot potential gaps in equity and opportunities in U.S. public schools and analyse them;
- Tool #5 – Dos and Don’ts on how to properly select accommodations for students with difficulties;
- Further resources
3 Key learning Principles that were used in this Best Practice to support
learners with LD
1. Distinguishing Language Acquisition from Learning Difficulties – This principle is crucial because educators need to differentiate between a student’s developing English skills and a potential learning difficulty. Tool #2 (table) in chapter six provides a comprehensive list of learning behaviours accompanied by indicators that can help to assess whether they are simple language difficulties or stem from an LD. This will help educators finding the best approach and teaching strategies.
2. Individualized instruction – After assessing a LD, an instruction tailored to the learner’s specific needs is needed. The additional resources present at the end of the chapter provide further information on how to modify teaching approaches, materials, and assessments to address the unique learning styles and challenges faced by students with LD.
3. Collaboration and Support – Chapter 6 puts a particular emphasis on the importance of collaboration between educators, parents/guardians, and any related service providers. This collaborative approach ensures everyone involved understands the student’s needs and works together to implement effective accommodations and strategies for the provision of high-quality education.
Strategies used as part of Best Practice
- Adapting instruction to various learning styles.
- Individualized Learning Plans.
- Guidance on creating and implementing individualized learning plans.
- Collaboration with support services and professionals.
- Creating a positive and supportive classroom environment.
Evidence as to why this was considered Good Practice
This document can be considered a good practice by reason of the public institution that developed it, the U.S. Department of Education, a fact that carries several positive aspects, such as:
- Access to extensive research and expertise in education;
- Alignment with national standards and legal requirements like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ensuring that educators have access to information on compliance and best practices for serving students with difficulties;
- Free and readily available resource to educators across the country and abroad, promoting wider access to valuable knowledge and resources.
- Transparency and accountability, as the document can be reviewed and evaluated by educators and stakeholders, ensuring its quality and effectiveness.
Transferability
While transferability can be complex, since this best practice is deeply rooted in the US school system, legislation, actors and social structure, some parts of it can be definitely adopted in other contexts and school settings in different countries, mostly tool #2 and #5. Nevertheless, it can always be interesting to see, from a European perspective, how educational matters and, specifically, managing LDs in language instruction, are administered in different systems, with a view to continuous improvement and possibility to adopt good practices.
Resources used as part of Best Practice
This best practice can be found at the following link:
Critical issues
Chapter 6 of the EL Toolkit provides a considerable amount of valuable and useful information on policies, guidelines and legal requirements when working with ELs with LDs. The paper could have been even more complete with a section dedicated to a lesson plan proposal and the use of assistive technologies.
Any Additional Information or Resources
