The paper addresses the need for evaluating instructional materials to be used with bilingual or limited English speaking exceptional children. The scarcity of materials geared for this population is noted, and the need for evaluating existing materials prior to adapting them is discussed. Five questions are posed, touching on correspondence with instructional objectives, derivation of materials, validating statements, possibilities for increasing the cultural relevance, and use by a small group or individually. Guidelines for evaluation deal with theoretical foundation, content, useability, assessment, cost, and evaluation. The importance of examining teacher and student characteristics as well as the curriculum is depicted in a diagram of the classroom ecological system. After the material is evaluated for match/mismatch with student needs, the next step is explained to be adaptation. Four issues in adaptation are discussed: the child's skill level, cultural background, learning and perceptual style, and language ability. (CL)