English learner with an IEP
Last updated
An English learner with an IEP is a student learning English who also has a disability, and who is entitled to both language support and special education.
Topic: Services, placement and staff
In plain terms
Federal law requires schools to provide English language development services and special education when a student qualifies for both. Evaluations must be given in the student's native language or other mode most likely to give accurate results, and a disability cannot be identified mainly because of limited English. Families have the right to an interpreter at IEP meetings.
How it shows up in an IEP
Language needs are one of the special factors the team must consider. Goals should account for language development, and baselines may need to be taken in both languages to separate language learning from a disability.
Example
A Spanish-speaking second grader with a language disorder receives English language development daily and speech therapy. The SLP measures vocabulary in Spanish and English.
The rule
Federal reference: 34 CFR §300.304(c)(1), 34 CFR §300.324(a)(2)(ii).
Related terms
- Special factorsSpecial factors are five issues the IEP team must consider for every student: behavior, English learning, braille, communication and assistive technology.
- Evaluation (special education)A special education evaluation is the set of assessments a school uses to decide whether a child has a disability and what services the child needs.
- Eligibility determinationEligibility determination is the team decision, made after an evaluation, about whether a child has a disability under IDEA and needs special education.
- Procedural safeguardsProcedural safeguards are the rights IDEA gives parents and students, and the steps schools must follow, to keep special education decisions fair.
- Receptive languageReceptive language is the ability to understand language: words, sentences, directions, questions and stories.
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