Assessment of
Portuguese-Language Students in U.S. Schools
ELL/CLD/ Bilingual students academic ‘errors’
or miscues in speaking, reading, writing or spelling, explained
by their primary language’s influence on English, are
to be expected. These miscues are developmental, and they
do not constitute a learning problem or (dis)ability. They
are an indication of a natural phenomenon of linguistic interaction between the primary and the second or the new language.
Serpa (2000)
 When
you are faced with the question: “Are the errors or
miscues in reading or writing the result of a linguistic influence
or are they an indication of a learning disability?”
The first step is to ask yourself:
- What do I already know about linguistically and culturally
responsive assessment?
- What essential questions do I have about my student’s
languages and cultural needs?
- What knowledge do I need to seek that will support my
effectiveness as a teacher/assessor of these students?
To begin to explore the answer to some of these questions,
you are invited to link to STARTING
POINT before initiating an intervention or a referral for eligibility
assessment of an ELL/CLD student at the beginning, intermediate or
even advanced level of English proficiency.
Valid (re)interpretation of the assessment data collected
on a Portuguese-speaking student, you need to have acquired
the essential linguistic and cultural knowledge factors such
as:
Linguistic Factors
General
- the main characteristics of the English language. Please refer to what teachers need to know about language
- the stages of second language acquisition and the
levels of proficiency in English and Portuguese
- the difference between fluency and proficiency (BICS
& CALP)
- factors that influence second language acquisition
- research on program delivery model in USA
Language Specific
- the main characteristics
of Portuguese and how they differ from those of English.
- how the home language contributes to the Portuguese student’s
learning to understand, speak, read and write in English
as a new language.
- similarities and differences between second language
acquisition and learning disabilities indicators.
Cultural Factors
General
- cultural diversity and culturally responsive pedagogy
- country of origin and level of acculturation of students
- health and schooling
- other
Student Specific
- student’s family cultural background (e.g. values, beliefs,
child-rearing practices and behaviors) and how similar or
how different it is from U. S. majority culture.
- student's cultural identity and self esteem
- influence of each student' s culture on assessment, learning and motivation
- other
To be able to explore the distinction between linguistic
differences and learning disabilities, many educators need
to enrich their professional knowledge with an upgrade
in diversity education, which focuses on cultural and linguistically
specific information (Wilson-Portuondo, 2004).
NOTE: Portuguese-speaking students come from a diversity
of countries and academic backgrounds. This site only focuses
on those that come from Brazil & Portugal including the
Azores and Madeira.
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