Use trained staff, parent interviews, and EL classification committees to reduce initial EL misclassifications¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Participants attributed inconsistencies leading to misclassification to lack of guidance, lack of training, and lack of expertise. Recommended strategies include district-wide experts training school staff using scenarios and cases of potential EL students, informal parent interviews about students with complex linguistic histories before or after the classification assessment, a school or district EL classification committee of qualified trained educators reviewing potential misclassifications with parents involved, and EL experts consulting on ambiguous classification results.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Educators with appropriate EL expertise; appropriately qualified and trained committee members; parent involvement in deliberations and decisions

Constraints¶

• Strategies are intended to be utilized within the provisional classification period

Target Learners¶

• Potential and initially classified English learners with complex linguistic histories

Target Learning Goals¶

• Reduced EL misclassification and sound classification decision-making

Related Strategies¶

• Regularly examine the validity of classification instruments and procedures, monitoring accuracy for student groups prone to classification errors
• Establish a provisional classification period of roughly 45 to 90 days to detect and correct initial EL misclassifications

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• H. Gary Cook & Robert Linquanti. (2015). Issues and options associated with initially classifying English learners (ELs). Council of Chief State School Officers. https://www.ccsso.org