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Follow school-wide protocol for baseline assessments and evaluate data (ie. MAP testing). Use data as a starter for student groupings/differentiation plan.

Set up an initial form for parents to fill out to understand where they are at. Use this as a launching point for the first parent-teacher meeting. Connect with former teachers and add notes if possible.

Set initial groupings based off of school-wide assessment data, but routinely monitor students particularly early in the school year to see if material is too challenging or easy for them. Adjust differentiated materials accordingly and reassess.

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Adelman, H., & Taylor, L. (1993). Learning problems and learning disabilities. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks.

Chalfant, (1985). Identifying learning disabled students: A summary of the National Task Force Report. Learning Disabilities Focus, 1, 9-20.

Christenson, S., Ysseldyke, J., & Algozzine, B. (1982). Institutional constraints and external pressures influencing referral decisions. Psychology in the Schools, 19, 341-345.

Hallahan, D., & Kauffman, J. (1991). Exceptional children. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Hunt, N., & Marshall, K. (1994). Exceptional children and youth. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Mercer, C. (1991). Students with learning disabilities. New York, NY: Merrill.

Sindelar, P., Griffin, C., Smith, S., & Watanabe, A. (1992). Prereferral intervention: Encouraging notes on preliminary findings. The Elementary School Journal, 92, 245-259.

Walker, H., Severson, H., Todis, B., Block-Pedego, A., Williams, G., Haring, N., & Barckley, M. (1990). Systematic screening for behavior disorders (SSBD): Further validation, replication, and normative data. Remedial and Special Education, 11, 32-46.

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When schools screen large numbers of students, they may under- or over-identify students with disabilities. Find out how school-based screening can be used effectively.

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Behavior - acting out or distracting other students

Isolation & avoidant - not eager to participate

Assignments are often incomplete and student appears not to fully understand instructions.

Easily frustrated/quick to give up when completing work

Difficulty focusing, asking to get up, leave the room, etc.

Poor organizational skills (forgetting basic materials, assignments, etc.)

Poor grades on multiple forms of assessments

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How To Spot A Student Who Is Struggling | Gorick

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In this article, we’ll dive into some of the common - and uncommon! - signs that a student might need an extra hand.

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Learning Disability

Academic struggles span all subject areas

Student is not from a multi-lingual background, but still struggles to read basic directions

Difficulty verbalizing ideas in discussion, understanding root words and ideas

Difficulty remembering or retaining information

Easily distracted

Student is less responsive, even in less language-intensive activities

Student already has an IEP/history of accommodations or a diagnosed LD

Language Difficulty

Student is documented as a multi-lingual learner. English not spoken at home.

Student shows interest in the content but there is inconsistency with written assignments.

Student excels in math, science, or hands-on activities, but struggles with more language-based subjects

Student quickly understands and responds correctly when delivering the same instruction in their native language

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New to LD – Learning Disabilities Association of America

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Children with learning disabilities begin school expecting to learn and be successful. If your child is having difficulty in school, she may learn differently from other kids. Parents are often the first to notice that “something doesn’t seem right.” But sometimes knowing what to do and where to find help can be confusing.

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https://youtu.be/4WUReY6hlcQ?si=wFsw6lStJ9Iy4yhj

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/assessment-and-evaluation/articles/school-based-screening-disabilities

https://ldaamerica.org/support/new-to-ld/?campaignid=20082499826&adgroupid=148019301559&creative=659118281413&matchtype=b&network=g&device=c&keyword=learning%20disabilities&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Oq2BhCCARIsAA5hubVBuNo7ruN7rjjpJAWVW_DN1WToUG9zIvw_frSmkjdS1XK_a9f2BocaArfMEALw_wcB

https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/learning-profiles/#google_vignette

https://www.gorick.com/blog/how-to-spot-a-student-who-is-struggling#:~:text=Rarely%20turning%20in%20or%20completing,teacher%2C%20students%2C%20even%20friends)

https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-practical-ways-make-instruction-accessible-multilingual-learners/

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The National Center for Learning Disabilities

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The Path to Success for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

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Modified assessment environment

Limit distractions

Increase time if necessary

Modify the way questions are asked (perhaps include an oral or digital option)

Include more assessment opportunities for students to show their knowledge over time. Smaller chunks of assessment may be less daunting.

Strategic seating. Make sure students with accommodations are close to the action without lots of distractions.

Access to assistive technologies

Digital tools for students who struggle to write or spell

Tablets or assistive tools for speech

Allow students to record classes so they can go back and watch

Allow for more breaks, opportunities to move, fidget, etc so that students are comfortable and less anxious in class

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Intentionally pairing students and allowing them to have open-ended discussions that also include scaffolded sentence stems to assist

Dilute heavy texts and offer alternative instructions in the students native language (ie. STEM projects, etc.)

Deliver instruction through multiple mediums simultaneously (written, visual, orally, etc.)

Daily scaffolded writing assignments (sentence starters, etc.)

Highlight and emphasize key vocabulary and circle back

Utilize technology (translation devices, phones, tablets)

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English Language Learners

Teachers can make small changes to amplify language opportunities that create pathways toward success for English learners.

Designing instruction that is accessible to English learners (ELs), or multilingual learners, is of the utmost importance. It's simply not enough to make content available to learners. That's like being given a car but no keys to use it. Equitable instruction is instruction that provides every learner with what they need for academic success.

In recent years, there has been a positive shift in the way educators view and teach multilingual learners-recognizing the linguistic, academic, and cultural assets they bring. The reality is that multilingual learners enter our classrooms with unique lived experiences and traditions that add value to instruction. Teachers face the challenge of ensuring that multilingual learners are gaining content and developing language without falling behind in either. Multilingual learners who experience grade-level instruction with additional linguistic support tend to do better in school and have a greater chance of mastery.

But how does that happen when we have mountains of content to cover and grades to gather? How do we create lessons that are accessible and meaningful for multilingual learners? What does that look like in the lesson plans and in instructional practice?

Methods That Make Instruction Accessible to ELs

Multilingual learners weren't talking even when I asked them to. Lack of linguistic support, uncertainty about expectations, fear or anxiety about speaking in a new language, and other factors seemed to contribute to their silence.

Sometimes the talk was uncontrollably loud.

Conversations often seemed to stray from the topic.

1. Infuse instruction with peer-to-peer discussion and exploration. This student-centered practice allows multilingual learners to build their listening and speaking vocabularies as they negotiate meaning. There may be much content to cover, but hiding it behind a lecture that multilingual learners may not comprehend does little good. It's important for multilingual learners to uncover their understanding through interacting with peers.

Using open-ended questions and posting them for students to see.

Providing sentence stems for responses.

Intentionally pairing students for discussion and modeling the routine.

When I began carving out more space for student talk, despite the fact that quiet classrooms were encouraged by colleagues and some administrators, it was challenging for a few reasons:

Provide a similar text in the student'sfirst language.

Do a side-by-side of the original text and an audio version.

Give them a side-by-side of the original text and a text a few reading levels lower.

You may be experiencing similar struggles. I found that structuring the peer discussion alleviated these problems and created an environment that controlled the chaos and provided routines and expectations that my students needed. My multilingual learners' voices were being amplified, and it began to surface in their confidence, comfort, and writing, so I knew we were on the right track. Most of the challenges that seemed to keep multilingual learners from participating in speaking with peers were eliminated by my intentional and planned routines for speaking, such as these:

2. Offer adapted or engineered texts when reading materials are dense. As multilingual learners get older, a common challenge is that content and reading selections become more complex. You can adapt or engineer texts, chunking them into pieces with annotations and synonyms, and even use a multilingual learner's first language. Sometimes, adapting a text looks like providing a side-by-side of the original text:

3. Provide daily opportunities for written expression in all content areas with the use of scaffolds and accommodations. Daily writing can be brief, such as quick pieces that are about 3 minutes or sketch notes using visuals and words. Multilingual learners benefit from seeing teachers model writing expectations and examples at various levels of proficiency.

Other scaffolds and accommodations for writing include offering sentence starters or paragraph frames and encouraging drawing, labeling, and use of the first language. Multilingual learners at beginning levels of English proficiency pull from all of their language repertoires to access their knowledge and demonstrate what they understand and can do.

Students will perform at different levels. It took me a while to realize that my students' products didn't have to be the same. I remember expecting all my students to write lengthy essays. One of my newly arrived multilingual learners could do that, but not in English yet. He wrote his first essay primarily in his language. Stepping outside of my comfort zone was at first a challenge. How was I going to assess writing that I was unable to read? Through collaboration with colleagues who could read the language, I was able to assess my student's writing. Some teachers in similar situations have used apps to translate students' writing.

When modeling academic language and effective communication, use words from the word wall.

When reading aloud, use and point to a strategy from a reading anchor chart.

When modeling writing, show how to use a translation dictionary, thesaurus or other dictionary.

4. Utilize classroom resources. Resources such as word walls, anchor charts, and translation dictionaries can enhance multilingual learners' understanding of concepts, especially when they include pictorial or visual support. The most effective resources act as co-teachers when we're unable to assist multilingual learners as they work independently. But even this doesn't happen by magic.

Teachers can directly teach students how to use these resources by referring to word walls, anchor charts, and dictionaries:

When we model for learners how to use resources and remind them that they can use them too, they are more likely to do it independently.

Sometimes my husband (who is quite a bit taller than I am) drives my car, and when I get back into the driver's seat, I silently thank the car designers for their efforts in assuring that I'm able to adjust the mirrors, move the seat up and forward, and even move the steering wheel-I need to see the road ahead of me. Everyone does. This analogy is how I visualize us as lesson designers for multilingual learners who need to see and have access to their grade-level curriculum. We design the lessons, and we can provide the access.

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4 Practical Ways to Make Instruction Accessible for Multilingual Learners

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Teachers can make small changes to amplify language opportunities that create pathways toward success for English learners.

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Differentiation in the Classroom (Middle School Social Studies)

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Differentiation in the Classroom (Middle School Social Studies)

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Differentiated texts - prepare 3 versions of a similar text. Take out wordiness and highlight key vocabulary and areas of emphasis for students who are struggling

Group projects - occasionally group students who are at different levels and let them teach and discuss with each other. If there is a presentation involved, mandate that each shares a similar amount of responsibility so that they still own the project.

Multilingual Learners - consider translating key vocabulary for the lesson, but allow students to challenge themselves with reading material. Present material with visual mediums.

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Parent communication should be consistent so that parents are not only hearing about students when there are issues or difficulties. Make sure to establish some form of regular communication that is efficient and convenient for both you and the parent. Some of these things could be options.

Applications like Remind that provide a way for parents to get in touch

Class Dojo for tracking student progress

Monthly drop-in hours for face-to-face communication

Weekly or bi-weekly quick messages highlighting areas of student growth or leadership

For struggling students with accommodations, leverage parents knowledge of any specific conditions or personal history to get a deeper understanding of what works, what doesn't, and what hasn't been tried yet.

For families of multilingual learners, try to set up an initial meeting preferably with someone who can effectively translate and set a plan for the year.

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Set aside time to communicate with other faculty about student progress and accommodations. Data and progress can be tracked and communicated both synchronously and asynchronously.

Monthly staff meetings focused on student progress and accommodations.

Creation of a Student Success Plan each year. Incorporate the student into the process (ie. using SMART goals, setting goals for academic and non-academic areas)

Work with Special Educators for more official IEP-related documentation and interventions