Case Study – Is This Child Mislabeled Page 2
Case Summary
Serge Romanich, an 8-year-old Serbian refugee with limited English language skills was
enrolled at Oakwood Elementary School in the 3rd grade. Serge and his family were displaced
from their home in Serbia by war. Because of the conflict, Serge did not begin formal schooling
until his family sought refuge in France. Because of his language skills and the prolonged illness
of his mother, his learning in France was very limited, and he was a non-reader. Since relocating
to America, Serge had acquired limited English skills. Placed in a traditional classroom, with
additional resources from a Limited English Proficiency program, Serge continued to struggle
with comprehension and made little progress. His teacher recommended testing for the
possibility of a learning disability. After initial resistance to the idea, his mother agreed. Serge
was tested, primarily in English with some testing done in his native language and diagnosed
with a learning disability. He was placed in an individualized resource program, with small
group and LEP instruction as well as individualized instruction. Despite his placement, Serge
failed to make real progress in the 4th grade with these accommodations, still weak in English
proficiency.
During the next year, Serge worked with a new resource teacher, Mrs. Evans. She took
additional time with Serge in language arts, as well as two hours of individualized instruction per
day. Mrs. Evans also familiarized herself with Serge’s Serbian culture and customs. He began
to make significant advancements in English, as well as improving his academics.
Discussion
Based on the evidence in the documentation, Serge was not adequately tested for a
learning disability. Because of his poor language skills, testing should have been provided in his
native tongue as well as in English, and then a comparison of the results from the two tests could
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have been conducted. Because the testing revealed an average scoring of intelligence on the
Leiter test, which is a non-verbal test used with non-English speakers, as well as scoring in the
average range in mathematics on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, it would appear
that Serge is not learning disabled, but rather severely challenged by his limited English
proficiency. Mathematics requires reason and logic but a limited grasp of language. This would
indicate, in my opinion, that he had the capability for learning, he simply required more language
skills.
While a placement in the learning disabilities program was not a good fit for Serge, as he
made no noticeable gains during his first year in the program, an inclusive classroom setting
would not have been adequate for him either, without some significant accommodations due to
his lack of English proficiency. However, once placed with a resource teacher who took the time
to learn about his culture and his country, Serge seemed to make greater strides both in language
acquisition as well as academics. Had these resources been available to him in an inclusive
classroom from the beginning, he might have been more successful in 3rd and 4th grade. Without
similar resources, however, it is doubtful that Serge would have been more successful in an
inclusive classroom.
Mrs. Evans took an interest in her Serbian students, taking the time to learn about their
country and culture. By making this personal connection, as well as being able to incorporate
what she learned into the lessons she taught, she gave Serge a better opportunity to connect with
his lessons, his teacher, and his new culture. To know how different cultures view education,
learning, and the teacher-student relationship can be very beneficial in reaching students with
little exposure to the American culture. This was a good idea which seemingly paid big
dividends for her student.
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SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Serge’s 3rd grade teacher was right to notice his struggles and advocate for additional
resources and testing to help him reach his potential. While testing was not completely in his
native language, at least some of the testing was in Serbian. Mrs. Evans was in tune with his
struggles and went so far as to learn about his culture and customs to better serve him as a
resource.
Weaknesses
To assume that a child who has had little to no formal education, weak in language skills,
and cannot read, must have a learning disability is extremely short-sighted. Testing should have
been done in his native tongue, since his primary struggle was language acquisition. To continue
the process for an entire year without any measurable gains would also indicate that the program
was not structured to adequately evaluate progression benchmarks. It is also telling that Mrs.
Evans noticed a number of Serbian students in the school, and yet there seemed to be no access
to a translator or assessments in Serge’s native language.
Opportunities
As Serge made his initial visit with his aunt serving as a translator, this would have been
a good opportunity to involve her as a resource for him both in the classroom and in the testing
situation. Training teachers to work with ESL students such Serge would be a benefit to many
students in this diversified school environment. Developing better ways to test students with
limited English skills would also be an opportunity for growth and learning in the school,
especially a school with significant diversity.
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Threats
Labelling students as learning disabled based on testing that is not adequate or
appropriate for ESL students could create life-long learning and self-esteem issues for mid-
labeled students. Not being able to adequately assess these students may put unnecessary
burdens on the learning support personnel as well. Progress for the students and for the school
could be hampered by inadequate testing and resources, as well as additional strain on teachers.
Recommendations
As an administrator, testing and resource availability would be a priority to prevent
situations like this from reoccurring. Pre-admission testing in a student’s first language would be
a step toward placing the student in the best possible position for success from the beginning.
Waiting for the classroom teacher or LEP teacher to make testing recommendations allows for
quality instruction time to be lost and more pressure on the classroom teacher to try and help a
struggling student without the proper resources. Benchmark testing for all students, but
especially those that are at a disadvantage would be important, so progress could be assessed and
deficiencies address in a more timely and effective fashion.
Teacher training and professional development would be a necessity as well. Having
teachers trained specifically to work with ESP and LEP students in an inclusive classroom
setting so that language acquisition skills can be a focus would be very important. Having
culturally diverse learning materials available to the teachers as well as training on how to teach
students from diverse backgrounds in an inclusive environment would be key to success for
teachers and for students.
