Technical Assistance Document for Assessment and Evaluation of Preschool Children Who Are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse

This manual presents New Mexico state guidelines for the assessment and evaluation of preschool children who are culturally and linguistically diverse, and focuses on the principles of parent participation and nondiscriminatory evaluation as defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the New Mexico Administrative Codes. A discussion of recommended practices reviews the literature on family participation, the assessment of cultural factors, language assessment, evaluation procedures, and report writing. The New Mexico definition of "developmentally delayed" is presented. The next section presents the specific assessment/evaluation guidelines concerned with: (1) referral and screening considerations (family, child, considerations of learning difficulties, early developmental opportunities, poverty, and decision making); (2) language assessment (language dominance, language proficiency); (3) acculturation and ethnic identity (family, child, school, community); (4) determining language/s of assessment; (5) translator/interpreter considerations (role of the interpreter/translator, types of interpretation/translation, qualifications, and considerations for modifying and adapting traditional practices; (6) non-discriminatory evaluation procedures; and (7) report writing (format, interpretation, recommendations). Appendices provide information on models of language proficiency, theories of second language acquisition, and assessment forms. (Contains 54 references.) (DB)