Educating culturally and linguistically diverse students presents unique challenges. Yet with these students we often mistake poor performance and low test scores as indications that a student might have a disability, rather than focusing on the nature of the education a diverse student is receiving as it interacts with their second language development. These students have different circumstances and development compared to monolingual learners; however, if we do not understand or accept this, we are essentially undermining their educational experience. This course will provide educators with a solid base for understanding the many challenges facing culturally and linguistically diverse children as they enter the school system and are expected to progress and learn in ways that are not always fair and equitable--which may lead to poor academic performance and mimic intrinsic signs of disability.

This self-paced course is the first in a series on Effective Instruction, Intervention and Assessment of Multilingual Learners designed to provide educators with foundational skills that will be further developed and applied in future courses. 

Course Developer: Dr. Samuel Ortiz