The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin (TNS)
Less than 15% of Indiana’s students who are learning English have disabilities. That’s well below percentages in such states as New York or New Mexico, both of which have more than 20%.
But Indiana’s Department of Education may not be fully screening those students to ensure they receive equal educational services and opportunities.
Recently, the U.S. Government Accountability Office scrutinized states’ utilization of Home Language Surveys, which help schools to distinguish between English learners who are struggling with proficiency and those who have learning, speech or language impairments.
The survey is the result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which in part requires school districts and charter schools to determine the languages spoken in each student’s home. The survey is conducted to identify specific language needs.
It is a simple starting point to provide relevant and valid instruction for all students.
The Home Language Survey is typically administered one time, upon initial enrollment in Indiana, and remains in the student’s cumulative file.
In Indiana, the one-page Home Language Survey is offered in two languages, English and Spanish.
That’s woefully inadequate when compared to three neighboring states with similar percentages of students learning English and having one or more disabilities.
Michigan translates its survey into 11 languages; Kentucky is at 10. Ohio offers a more extensive survey, in 18 languages including Chinese, French, Hindi and Portuguese.
Indiana’s survey asks only three questions: the student’s native language, what language is most often spoken, and what language is spoken by the student in the home.
How hard, anyone might ask, is it to translate a one-page document and make it accessible through the IDOE’s website?
Perhaps worse, Indiana is among at least 17 states that have not taken steps to assess how well school districts and schools distinguish between language acquisition and disabilities.
The IDOE is required to make sure that all children with disabilities are identified, found and evaluated for special education and related services.
Granted, it can be difficult to assess whether a student’s disability is leading to educational challenges such as acquiring English proficiency. But we owe it to all students, and teachers for that matter, to explore root causes for struggling students.
In reworking the survey to accommodate wider translations, Indiana education leaders might also consider a slight rewrite of the survey by asking questions to determine what languages the child writes or reads.
It would also be useful, from an education standpoint, to know whether the child mixes languages when speaking or whether there are records from other schools the child has attended. Additional questions could help pinpoint a child’s needs.
This isn’t a big ask, but it would bring great value.
By offering a more inclusive Home Language Survey in different languages, Hoosier schools can be better equipped to assist students who struggle to learn English.
