To avoid misidentification due to language differences, which practice is essential?

• A. Use a single language test for all students.
• B. Conduct assessments without interpreters.
• C. Use fair, valid, reliable measures appropriate to language and culture; involve interpreters.
• D. Skip assessments for multilingual students.

Answer: (C)

To accurately identify a student’s needs when language differences are present, assessments must be fair, valid, and reliable for the student’s language and cultural background, and interpreters should be involved as needed. This approach helps ensure that what is being measured reflects the student’s true abilities rather than language proficiency or cultural unfamiliarity. Using measures that are appropriate to language and culture reduces bias and measurement error, making results more reliable for decision-making about services. Involving trained interpreters helps capture the student’s performance and responses accurately, avoiding miscommunication that could be mistaken for a disability. It’s also important to use a variety of data sources rather than relying on a single test. Conversely, using only one language test for all students, testing without interpreters, or skipping assessments for multilingual students can lead to misidentification or denial of needed supports.