ERIC Number: EJ1192066
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Nov
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1568-4555
EISSN: N/A
Reclassification of Emergent Bilinguals with Disabilities: The Intersectionality of Improbabilities
Language Policy, v17 n4 p567-589 Nov 2018
In the context of the United States K-12 school system, reclassification processes of emergent bilinguals are laden with high-stakes assessments. Largely absent in reclassification scholarship is the consideration of how reclassification policies uniquely affect those learners with identified disabilities. Applying an intersectionality lens that foregrounds political and structural critique, we conducted an interpretive policy analysis of reclassification policies in two states, New Mexico and California. In the analysis, we examined the coalescence of federal and state policies governing reclassification procedures along with assessment designs and practices as they impact the educational realities of emergent bilinguals with disabilities. The analysis illuminated how existing policies and practices marginalize emergent bilinguals with disabilities by making reclassification improbable for students with intersecting disability and second language acquisition needs. We argue that the unlikelihood of being reclassified as Fluent-English Proficient has profound educational consequences for emergent bilinguals, who over time may become disproportionately represented in both special education as well as the long-term English learner population in schools.
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Classification, Bilingual Students, Educational Policy, Disabilities, State Policy, Public Policy, Student Evaluation, Evaluation Methods, Barriers, English (Second Language), English Language Learners
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California; New Mexico
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A