IRC publishes new book!
Special Education Considerations for English Language Learners:
Delivering a Continuum of Services
By Else Hamayan , Barbara Marler, Cristina Sanchez-Lopez , and Jack
Damico
Caslon Publishing
Publication Date: March 2007
How can educators serve English language learners (ELLs) who are experiencing learning difficulties at school? This handbook advocates the creation of school-based teams that include ESL/bilingual specialists, special education specialists, and other professionals who collectively have the expertise needed to explore factors that influence ELLs' response to intervention. These factors include the learning environment created for ELLs, personal and family factors, physical and psychological factors, previous schooling, oral and literacy development, academic achievement, and cross-cultural factors. The authors provide tools and strategies that intervention teams can use to assess the nature of the ELLs' learning difficulty, collaborate in service provision, create a continuum of services, and measure the ELLs' response to intervention.
About the Authors
Else Hamayan is a psychologist and former Director of the Illinois Resource Center in Des Plaines . She advises teachers and administrators on second language learning, special education, culture learning, and dual language instruction.
Barbara Marler is a Consultant for the Illinois Resource Center . She has 26 years experience as an administrator, teacher, trainer, and consultant, and has dedicated her career to developing appropriate interventions for ELLs experiencing difficulties at school.
Cristina Sanchez-Lopez is a Consultant for the Illinois Resource Center . She collaborates with educators on the ELL/ELD/LD interface, middle school mathematics, literacy across the content areas, parent involvement, and supporting Pre-K educators who serve ELLs. She has taught at the elementary, middle, and university levels in the US and Mexico .
Jack Damico is the Doris B. Hawthorne Eminent Scholar in Special Education and Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette where he teachers graduate courses, conducts research, and writes in the areas of language and learning. He is an ASHA Fellow, and is the author or editor of more than 90 publications.
For more information and to order, visit www.caslonpublishing.com .
Assessment and Accountability in Language Education Programs:
A Guide for Administrators and Teachers
By Margo Gottlieb and Diep Nguyen
Caslon Publishing
Publication Date: February 2007
Finally - a practical, research-based, field-tested assessment and accountability system for language education programs! This user-friendly guide shows practitioners how to collect, analyze, and use evidence of their students' second language development and academic achievement over time to:
- respond to district and state accountability requirements
- guide classroom instruction
- improve programs for language learners
- drive professional development of teachers
- compare the effectiveness of different types of programs
- inform policy
- strengthen advocacy
This book provides a step-by-step process that practitioners can follow to develop an assessment and accountability system that is appropriate for their English as a second language, dual language, transitional bilingual, world language, or heritage language programs. It is grounded in practice, and provides teachers and administrators with the tools they need to demonstrate that their language learners are achieving.
About the Authors
Margo Gottlieb , Ph.D., is a nationally recognized specialist in the design of assessments for English language learners in pre-K-12 settings, the evaluation of language education programs, and the development of English language proficiency standards. She is Director of Assessment and Evaluation at the Illinois Resource Center , and Lead Developer for World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA), a multi-state consortium. Her latest publications include Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges from Language Proficiency to Academic Achievement (2007) and The ELL Assessment Kit (2007).
Diep Nguyen , Ph.D., is an award-winning program developer and practitioner. She is Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services of Des Plaines School District 62 in Illinois , and was Director of Bilingual/Multicultural Programs of Schaumburg School District 54. She has conducted action-oriented ethnographic studies on bilingualism and education in her district, and is a frequent presenter at national and state bilingual and TESOL conferences.
For more information and to order, visit www.caslonpublishing.com .
English Language Learners at School: A Guide for Administrators
By Else Hamayan and Rebecca Freeman (Editors)
Caslon Publishing
Publication Date: January 2006
This practical handbook is for administrators who are working to ensure that English language learners (ELLs) can achieve in their schools. Hamayan and Freeman have brought together 57 leading researchers and practitioners in the field to answer the questions that administrators are asking (72 total) about educating ELLs. Topics addressed include policy and accountability requirements for ELLs, linking the school and community, how children learn in two languages, program development, implementation, and evaluation, classroom instruction and assessment, professional development, addressing special needs, advocacy, and more... The answers that experts provide are research-based, grounded in practice, and written in clear, concise, accessible language. Every chapter includes guidelines for action that administrators can apply to effectively educate the English language learners in their schools.
For more information and to order, visit www.caslonpublishing.com .