Uncovering Diversity: Examining the Representation of English Learners in Special Education in Washington State
Author: Greenberg Motamedi, Jason
Date: 2016-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Special Education,English Language Learners,Disabilities,Student Diversity,Disproportionate Representation,Enrollment Rate,Gender Differences,American Indian Students,Alaska Natives,Spanish Speaking,Afro Asiatic Languages,Limited English Speaking,Racial Differences,Language Minorities,Demography,Student Characteristics,Student Records,Data Analysis

English learners and students with disabilities both need educational supports to succeed in school. However, the kinds of support these two groups of students need may be different, and not receiving appropriate supports may have negative consequences on student learning (Callahan, 2013; Scott, Boynton Hauerwas, and Brown, 2014). To provide appropriate supports, schools need to accurately identify students who are both English learners and have disabilities. Research that examines the proportion of English learners identified for special education often has contradictory findings. Depending on the population examined or the method used, English learners may be over- or underrepresented in special education compared to students who are not English learners (Morgan et al., 2015; Skiba, Artiles, Kozleski, Losen, and Harry, 2016). Either way, these students are at risk of not receiving appropriate educational supports. This study uses 2012/13 data from Washington state to compare the percentages of current and former English learners (&quot;ever-English learners&quot;) in special education to the percentage of never-English learners in special education. It also compares the grades at which ever- and never-English learners are first identified for special education. The study further examines whether representation in and identification for special education varies by gender, home language, race and ethnicity, English learner status, and level of English proficiency. The study found that overall, ever-English learners were as likely to be in special education as never-English learners. During the 2012/13 school year in K-12 schools, 13 percent of both ever- and never-English learners were in special education. The study also found that ever-English learners were identified for special education in later grades than never-English learners. Some groups of ever-English learners were under- or overrepresented in special education or identified in later grades compared to never-English learners. (1) Girls were underrepresented in special education and identified for special education in later grades than boys, regardless of their English learner status; (2) American Indian/Alaska Native ever-English learners were overrepresented in special education and identified in earlier grades than other never- and ever-English learners; (3) English learners who spoke home languages other than Somali or Spanish were underrepresented in special education compared to never-English learners; (4) English learners who had been classified for five or more years, without attaining proficiency in English, were overrepresented in special education compared to never-English learners, and former English learners who had been proficient in English for two or more years were underrepresented in special education; and (5) English learners with beginning and intermediate English proficiency were overrepresented in special education and identified in later grades than never-English learners. Methods and Data Tables are appended.