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Assessment policies for ELLs have evolved through Response to Intervention (RTI), evaluation in both first and second languages, and supplemental measures. This study compiles assessment tools and district policies for differential diagnosis using an online survey of 75 participants from California districts. Findings show reliance on standardized cognitive tests, informal assessments, and bilingual language tests, but highlight the need for consistent bilingual support and a standardized RTI model across schools.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/assessment-tools-to-differentiate-between-language-differences-and-disorders-in-english-language-learners/594760/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/assessment-tools-to-differentiate-between-language-differences-and-disorders-in-english-language-learners/594760.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Ben ","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-18","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why are English language learners often misidentified as having language learning disabilities?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"ELLs may show language-related errors in receptive and expressive oral and written forms that resemble those of students with LLDs, especially when they are still acquiring English for academic purposes.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What assessment policy changes have occurred for ELLs over time?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Policies have incorporated Response to Intervention (RTI) models, assessments in both first and second languages, and use of supplemental assessments to improve identification.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What did the study find about current assessment practices in California districts?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Professionals used standardized cognitive ability tests, informal assessments, and bilingual language tests, but the study found a continued need for bilingual language support and a standardized RTI model across districts.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},594760,1792192763,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":81,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},2336478951081,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","UC Berkeley  \nBerkeley Review of Education  \nTitle  \nAssessment tools to differentiate between language differences and disorders in English language learners  \nPermalink  \n[https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6nj5f2x7](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6nj5f2x7)  \nJournal  \nBerkeley Review of Education, 5(1)  \nISSN  \n1947-5578  \nAuthor  \nShenoy, Sunaina  \nPublication Date  \n2014-01-01  \nPeer reviewed  \n[eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library  \nUniversity of California  \nAvailable online at [http://escholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre](http://escholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre)  \nAssessment Tools to Differentiate between Language Differences and Disorders in English Language  \nLearners  \nSunaina Shenoy 1  \nUniversity of California, Berkeley  \nSan Francisco State University  \nAbstract  \nEnglish language learners (ELLs) who are in the process of acquiring English as a second language for academic purposes, are often misidentified as having Language Learning Disabilities (LLDs). Policies regarding the assessment of ELLs have undergone many changes through the years, such as the introduction of a Response to Intervention (RTI) model, assessment in both first and second languages, and utilization of supplemental assessments. The purpose of this study is to take stock of the assessment tools and district policies that are in place to make a differential diagnosis. A total of 75 participants from California school districts, consisting of speech language pathologists, school psychologists, special educators, and paraprofessionals, completed an online survey. The results indicate that while professionals in the field utilize standardized cognitive abilities tests, informal assessments, and bilingual language tests as part of their assessment battery, there is still a need for bilingual language support and a standardized RTI model across schools and districts.  \nKeywords: assessment tools, ELLs, language learning disabilities, RTI, district policies  \nSecond language learners, typically referred to as English language learners (ELLs)2 [within the U.S. school](within the U.S. school) context, speak a different native language at home and undergo the process of learning English as a second language in school. Goldenberg (2008) describes ELLs as students who are not sufficiently proficient in English to benefit adequately from mainstream instruction. The number of ELLs is growing in the US and, in 2011, English language learners constituted 61% of the U.S. school population (5.1 million students), of whom 25%(1.5 million students) are in the California school district system alone (U.S. Department of Education [USDOE], 2011) . In California, approximately 80% of these students are Latino, 10% are Asian, and 10% are of other ethnic backgrounds (USDOE, 2011) . We tend to think of ELLs as a homogeneous population, but in fact the range of their language and academic skills is extremely variable. The challenges that ELLs face  \n1 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sunaina Shenoy, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley, 1500 Tolman Hall; Berkeley, CA 94720. Email: [sunaina@berkeley.edu](sunaina@berkeley.edu).  \n2 I use the term English language learners (ELLs) to refer to students who are non-native speakers of the English language and are in the process of acquiring the language at the beginning and early-intermediate levels of fluency.  \nBerkeley Review of Education Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 33-52  \n34 Shenoy  \nin classrooms are linked to language demands or, more specifically, to the linguistic knowledge required for productive participation. This linguistic knowledge is usually transparent to proficient English speakers (Goldenberg, 2008) but requires direct instruction for ELLs to become more proficient in English. There has been a considerable amount of research on language acquisition from the perspective of linguistics, but very little research exists on how languag","cbCaichC9tGj0Haj","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaichC9tGj0Haj","pdf",372840,21,"English","# Abstract\n## Background: ELLs and Misidentification\n## Assessment Context and Policy Evolution\n## Study Purpose and Methods\n## Findings and Implications","[{\"question\":\"Why are English language learners often misidentified as having language learning disabilities?\",\"answer\":\"ELLs may show language-related errors in receptive and expressive oral and written forms that resemble those of students with LLDs, especially when they are still acquiring English for academic purposes.\"},{\"question\":\"What assessment policy changes have occurred for ELLs over time?\",\"answer\":\"Policies have incorporated Response to Intervention (RTI) models, assessments in both first and second languages, and use of supplemental assessments to improve identification.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the study find about current assessment practices in California districts?\",\"answer\":\"Professionals used standardized cognitive ability tests, informal assessments, and bilingual language tests, but the study found a continued need for bilingual language support and a standardized RTI model across districts.\"}]","Assessment Tools to Differentiate between Language Differences and Disorders in English Language Learners | PDF",1792079793,53]