Disproportionality:
Inappropriate Identification of
Culturally and Linquistically Diverse Children
Every student is a unique snapshot of American culture. Whether our children speak Spanish, Korean, or non-standard English, live in Hispanic or white households, or qualify for food stamps -- they bring to the classroom a wealth of experiences, skills, learning styles, and abilities that add value. Far too often, children from diverse backgrounds who fall behind in their learning are inappropriately labeled as needing special education. What they may really need is academic support and the opportunity to learn in a culturally responsive environment.
-- NEA President Reg Weaver
 Disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in special education programs has been a concern for nearly four decades. [1] One of the most complex issues in the field of special education today, disproportionality refers to the "overrepresentation" and "under-representation" of a particular demographic group in special education programs relative to the presence of this group in the overall student population. Approximately 13.5 percent of all students in K-12 schools receive special education services. However, some subgroups of CLD populations receive special services at rates that are significantly higher or lower than the overall national rate. [2]
Disproportionality exists in various forms and at different levels. For example, overrepresentation can be present in any or all of these ways:
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National, state, and district level over-identification of CLD students as disabled;
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Higher incidence rates for certain CLD populations in specific special education categories, such as mental retardation or emotional disturbance;
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Significant differences in the proportion of CLD students who are receiving special education services in more restrictive or segregated programs;
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Excessive incidence, duration, and types of disciplinary actions, including suspensions and expulsions, experienced by CLD students.
Some CLD groups are under-represented because the proportions of these students who receive special services are notably less than the percentage of these same students in the overall school population. For example, Hispanics and Asian and Pacific Islanders are generally under-represented in special education programs while American Indians/Alaska Natives are under-represented in programs for the gifted.
Why is disproportionality a concern?
Research suggests that a child's race and ethnicity significantly influence the probability that he or she will be misidentified as needing special education and that disproportionality can have immediate and long term negative effects. [3] Labeling students as disabled when they really are not leads to unwarranted services and supports. Misidentified students are likely to encounter limited access to rigorous curricula and diminished expectations. And, more importantly, it creates a false impression of the child's intelligence and academic potential. Here's why:
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Once students are receiving special education services, they tend to remain in special education classes.
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Students are likely to encounter a limited, less rigorous curriculum.
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Lower expectations can lead to diminished academic and post-secondary opportunities.
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Students in special education programs can have less access to academically able peers.
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Disabled students are often stigmatized socially.
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Disproportionality can contribute to significant racial separation.
Discipline and segregated classes
Studies show that CLD students with disabilities are often educated in more segregated or restrictive environments than their white peers. For example, African-American, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and ELL students with disabilities are more likely to be taught in separate classrooms or schools than students who are white or Asian and Pacific Islander. [3] In addition, CLD students have higher rates of office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions from school. Often, they receive more severe punishment than white students do for the same type of behavior. [4]
Contributing Policies and Procedures
A variety of policies, procedures, and practices exist at the national, state, district, school, or classroom levels that can lead to overrepresentation or under-representation of CLD populations in special education programs and under-representation in gifted and talented programs.
Who Really Is Disabled?
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African-American students who are viewed as having "challenging behaviors are referred more often for special education programs for emotional disabilities. [2]
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American Indiana/Alaska Native children receive special education labels and services at twice the rate of the general student population. [2]
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Asian and Pacific Islander students are less likely to be identified for special education but are overrepresented in gifted and talented programs. [2]
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English-language learners (ELL) are more likely to receive special education services in school districts with relatively small ELL populations than in districts with large populations. [3]
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In an effort to define the issue of disproportionality more clearly, Congress included provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that require states and school districts to collect and publicly report data on race and ethnicity in these circumstances:
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the various disability categories assigned to students;
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the restrictiveness of class and school placements of all students with disabilities;
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the incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary actions, including suspensions and expulsions experienced by all students.
Researchers have found that some specific state policies and procedures contribute to disproportionality. For example, differences in how states define special education categories, such as specific learning disabilities and emotional disturbance, and state special education eligibility criteria can influence the procedures used to identify students as disabled. [5] When school polices or procedures strain needed supports or restrict options for students, disproportionality can be intensified. For instance, funding policies that create large general education class sizes or constrict the availability of early intervention programs and support services impede the ability of teachers to give students the personalized attention they need. Also, rigid discipline policies, such as zero tolerance rules, may inadvertently promote lower tolerance for cultural differences. This, in turn, can increase discipline-related referrals of CLD students.
Call to action
All stakeholders -- classroom teachers, parents, and community leaders, school and district decision makers, and state and federal policymakers -- have an important role in decreasing disproportionality. Working together, we can make changes in state, local, and classroom policies, procedures, and practices so that every child, no matter his or her cultural or linguistic background, receives an appropriate education in a great public school.
References:
1 Gamm, S., Disproportionality in Special Education: Identifying Where and Why Overidentification of Minority Students Occurs, (Bethesda, Md.: LRP Publications, in press).
2 U.S. Department of Education, Twenty-fourth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (Washington, D.C.)
3 de Valenzuela, J.S., S.R. Copeland, C. Huaqing Qi, & M. Park,. Examining Educational Equity: Revisiting the Disproportionate Representation of Minority Students in Special Education. Exceptional Children 72, no. 4 (2006): 425-441; Keller-Allen, C., English Language Learners with Disabilities: Identification and Other State Policies and Issues, (Alexandria, Va.: Project Forum, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, 2006).
4 Cartledge, G., K.Y. Tam, S.A. Loe, A.H. Miranda, M.C. Lambert, C.D. Kea, & E. Simmons-Reed, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Behavioral Disorders, (Arlington, Va.: Council for Exceptional Children).
5 Harry, B., J.K. Klinger, K.M. Sturges, & R. Moore, "Of Rocks and Soft Places: Using Qualitative Methods to Investigate Disproportionality," in Racial inequity in special education, ed. D.J. Losen and G. Orfield, (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Education Press, 2002).
Hollins, E.R., Culture in School Learning, (New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1996).
Campbell-Whatley, G.D., & R. Gardner III, R., Strategies and Procedures for Designing Proactive Intervention with Culturally Diverse Population of Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders and Their Families/Caregivers, (Arlington, Va.: Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, 2002).
Resources
Building the legacy: A training curriculum on IDEA, disproportionality and overrepresentation module . National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). (2007). www.nichcy.org/training/contents.asp
C.A.R.E.: Strategies for closing the achievement gaps . National Education Association. Washington, DC. (2003).
The role of general education teachers in the Response-to-Intervention (RtI) process. National Education Association. Washington, DC (2006).
Meeting the challenge: Special education tools that work for all kids . Ralabate, P. Washington, DC: NEA Professional Library. (2002).
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