In the scenario where a student on ESOL shows progress in conversational English but academic English lags, and parents request an evaluation for a learning disability, what is the most appropriate response?

• A. Deny the request and defer to ESOL progress alone.
• B. Agree to evaluate using nonverbal IQ measure in addition to other standardized measures.
• C. Use a solely English-language IQ test.
• D. Provide only a teacher rating scale.

Answer: (B)

Evaluations for suspected learning disabilities in students learning English as a new language must minimize language bias. A thorough psychoeducational assessment should include measures that don’t rely heavily on English, so you can tell whether difficulties are due to language acquisition or to a true learning disorder.

Using a nonverbal IQ measure alongside other standardized assessments provides a way to gauge cognitive ability without the confounding influence of academic English proficiency. This helps distinguish between language-structure challenges and underlying learning difficulties. Relying only on English-language tests or solely on teacher ratings can misrepresent a student’s true abilities and lead to unnecessary labeling or missed needs.

So, the most appropriate approach is to conduct a comprehensive, language-fair evaluation that includes nonverbal intelligence data plus additional standardized measures, appropriate achievement assessments, and gathered observations. This approach gives a clearer, fairer view of whether a learning disability is present and informs suitable supports.