ABSTRACT
The intersection between English as an additional language and special education offers a rich example of the factors affecting quality education as we think about general education practices, intervention programming, referrals, types of assessments, and placement. Equipping teachers with the necessary tools to provide a quality education for all students is a challenge in today’s schools. Quality is a recurring topic of debate traversing both the special education and second language processes as student populations in public schools become more diverse and we work to unpack equitable access to the language and content of school for all students. Educational researchers offer research and evidence-based practice frameworks, strategies, and assessment practices for quality improvement, but they are not definitively finessed or accepted. Response to intervention (RTI; academic progress), now being reformulated as multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS; academics and behavior), is one example. A progression of tiered quality instruction and ethnically sensitive as well as culturally responsive and sustaining assessment are overarching goals, but managing tiered quality instruction in the daily life of the classroom poses challenges. This chapter offers a description of what educational researchers propose as quality practices to address and promote diversity and inclusion from both second language and special education perspectives.
