1. Multicultural and Bilingual Aspects of Special Education
Chapter 3 1

2. Topics America and multiculturalism Education and cultural diversity
Multicultural and bilingual special education
Identification and classification of disabilities
Assessment issues
Instruction in multicultural and bilingual special education

3. America and Multiculturalism
Building a diverse and just society
Personal freedom and pride of all groups
Respect for others' cultural heritage
Criticism of multiculturalism
Erosion of moral foundations and undermining academic competence
Problems implementing multicultural education
Egocentric attitudes of all cultural groups
Disagreement about curriculum
Racism and discrimination

4. Education and Cultural Diversity
Definitions of culture
Values and typical behavior
Languages or dialects
Nonverbal communication
Awareness of one’s cultural identity
World views or general perspectives
Subcultures
A part of the larger or general culture
Some are voluntary, some involuntary

5. Education and Cultural Diversity (cont’d)
General purposes of multicultural education
Promote pride in one’s own heritage and understanding of others
Foster positive attitudes toward diversity
Ensure equal educational opportunities
Deciding what and how to teach
Which subcultures?
What information should be taught and how?
Use of language

6. Multicultural and Bilingual Special Education
Ethnic Groups
Common historic origin; shared identities, heritage, and traditions
Behavior patterns; political and economic interests
Exceptionality Groups
Share a set of abilities or disabilities that are especially valued or require special accommodation 2

7. Multicultural and Bilingual Special Education (cont’d)
Primary objectives
Ensure that ethnicity is not mistaken for educational exceptionality
Increase understanding of the subculture of exceptionality and its relationship to other cultures 2

8. Multicultural and Bilingual Special Education (cont’d)
Addressing Disproportionate Representation
Have available strong academic programs that foster success for all students
Implement effective policies and procedures for early intervention, referral, assessment, eligibility, classification, placement, and reevaluation
Increase level of home, school, community involvement
Use diverse community resources 2

9. Identification and Classification of Disabilities
Assessment
Screening
Quick measure to determine who may need further assessment
Difficulty in assessing students for special education
Bias of abilities of ethnic minorities
Test bias
Response to Intervention (RTI) 3

10. Assessment of Progress
Progress Monitoring
Curriculum-based measurement
Outcome Measures
Search for culture-free and culture-fair tests
Testing Accommodations
Administration modifications
Use of a bilingual dictionary
Use of native language

11. Instruction in Multicultural and Bilingual Special Education
Capitalize on cultural differences
Dilemma regarding recognizing or ignoring linguistic differences
Grouping students based on cultural affiliations
Classwide peer tutoring

12. Instruction in Multicultural and Bilingual Special Education (cont’d)
Teaching tolerance and appreciation
Working with families
Improving instruction for language-minority students
Native-language emphasis
Sheltered-English approach

13. Instruction in Multicultural and Bilingual Special Education (cont’d)
Adopting Effective Teaching Practices
Scaffolding and strategies
Challenge
Involvement
Success
Mediation and feedback
Responsiveness to cultural and individual diversity

14. Instruction in Multicultural and Bilingual Special Education (cont’d)
Socialization
Help students develop appropriate social perceptions and interactions (social skills)
Cooperative learning
Building pride in one’s cultural identity
Issues of classroom discipline
Teaching students to work for social change