Assessing English Learners of Non-Spanish Languages

Assessing English Learners of Non-Spanish Languages

Many English Learners speak a home language other than Spanish, a population for whom commercial tests rarely offer native-language norms. This session presents a structured, defensible workflow for these students: anchoring the evaluation in English proficiency level from the WMLS III, confirming cognitive potential with the equitable WJ V Nonverbal battery, and then running a well-established Ability/Achievement Discrepancy Analysis using the student's own oral language score as the predictor. A step-by-step, illustrative case study puts the workflow into practice, showing how school psychologists can recognize when a below-average achievement profile reflects typical second-language acquisition rather than a true, unexpected academic deficit.

Continuing Education Credit:
Participants who attend majority of the live session will be eligible to receive CEUs. Additional details regarding CE credit requirements and documentation will be provided during the webinar

Learning Objectives 

1. Explain the value of the WMLS III: Describe why anchoring an evaluation in English proficiency level is essential to ELs whose home language has no available norm-referenced test.
2. Apply a 4-step workflow: Walk through the English-CALP anchored workflow (WMLS III → WJ V Nonverbal → Targeted Oral Language → Contextualized Achievement).
3. Differentiate difference from disability: Use the student's own oral language score as the predictor in an Ability/Achievement Discrepancy Analysis and cross-check the result against nonverbal ability and proficiency level, to reach a defensible conclusion.

About the Speaker

Dr. Pedo Olvera, Ph.D is a published writer and teaches coursework at Cal Baptist University (Riverside, CA) in the areas of assessment of ELLs, cognitive assessment, and enhancing collaboration with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families.  In addition, he provides clinical support and professional development support with Bilingual Therapies for clinicians in tele-practice.  Dr. Olvera has been a bilingual school psychologist in public and private settings for over 21 years.