Assessing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

Given the growing numbers of linguistically and culturally diverse students in the schools--and their disproportionate representation in special education--it is critical for school psychologists, school administrators, and educators to become knowledgeable about the impact of culture and language on student achievement and behavior. This important, accessible resource synthesizes a complex body of literature in a manner that is easily understandable, and provides practical suggestions to improve prereferral and special education decision making.--Jessica Blom-Hoffman, PhD, Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology, Northeastern University

This book contains a wealth of information that every school psychologist and child psychologist assessing English language learners should have at hand. The issues are clearly presented and carefully argued. The reader is led to appreciate the need for a complex, integrated approach for untangling the relative influence of cultural and linguistic factors on test performance.--Jonathan Sandoval, PhD, School of Education, University of California, Davis

A 'must read.' This book provides an excellent, integrated approach to assessing culturally and linguistically diverse children. Coverage includes legal and ethical requirements, the use of interpreters, practical information about specific measures, and other relevant topics. It will be of value to a broad range of professionals serving children in schools, community agencies, and hospitals. The book will also serve as a first-class text for psychologists-in-training because of the many resources it contains and the completeness with which each topic is treated.--Ena Vazquez-Nuttall, EdD, Combined Doctoral Program in School and Counseling Psychology, Northeastern University

This book serves as a solid introduction to the challenges facing educators, particularly school psychologists, who work with children from diverse backgrounds. The scenarios presented throughout the book provide practical guidelines and examples of situations that school psychologists are likely to encounter. A particular strength of the book is the consideration of culture and language as dynamic and changing rather than static and absolute. The discussion of issues in bilingual assessment is particularly important and helps to frame the state of the art.--Elizabeth D. Peña, PhD, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas at Austin
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