Ch 3 CEP 240 Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

CEP 240 MSU fall 2025 special education

Melting pot

A metaphor describing the United States in the early decades of the 20th century

Cultural pluralism

The practice of appreciating and respecting ethnic and cultural differences.

multiculturalism

Acknowledges basic commonalities among groups of people while appreciating their differences.

multicultural education

Educational strategy where the cultural heritage of each student is valued.

bilingual education

An educational approach whereby students whose first language is not English are instructed primarily through their native language while developing competency and proficiency in English.

English learners (ELs)

Individuals who are learning the English language; English is not their native language.

Ethnocentrism

Perspective whereby a person views their cultural practices as correct and those of other groups as inferior, peculiar, or deviant.

Bilingual special education

Strategy whereby a student’s home language and culture are used along with English in an individually designed program of special instruction.

Overrepresentation

Greater number of students from minority groups are placed in special education programs than would be expected based on the proportion of students in the general school population.

Underrepresentation

Fewer children from minority groups are placed in special education programs than would be expected based on the proportion of students in the general school population.

Nondiscriminatory testing

Federal mandate that assessments be conducted in a culturally responsive fashion.

Portfolio assessment

A type of authentic assessment; samples of different work products gathered over time and across curriculum areas are evaluated.

The educational experiences of racial and ethnic minority students often put them at risk for ______.

Dropping out of high school

In the 1960s, Americans began to question the theory of the United States being a melting pot because ____

The theory went against emerging civil rights and equal opportunities for the new immigrants

Children who are English learners typically develop conversational speech in approximately ______.

2 years

Prior to the mandates from IDEA, inappropriate placement of minority students in special education programs were often the results of biased standardized tests.

True

Julian is an English Learner (EL) who was recently diagnosed with a disability. When writing the individualized education program (IEP), the multidisciplinary team should create goals and strategies that are appropriate to Julian’s disability and reflect his language status.

True

Carlos is a student who is culturally and linguistically diverse and has a learning disability. Carlos' teachers are trying to decide the best approach to help him reach his maximum potential. They need to focus on integrating his cultural background and primary language into his learning process. What should Carlos’ teachers consider to provide the most effective support for his educational and language needs?

develop a bilingual special education plan that integrates his primary language and cultural background

When there is a greater number of students from minority groups represented in a special education program compared to the greater school population, this is called ______.

overrepresentation

Mr. Friere is writing an individualized education program (IEP) for his new student who is an English Learner (EL). In order for Mr. Friere to write a meaningful IEP, he needs goals and instructional strategies for the student that are ______.

appropriate to the disability and reflect the student’s language status

First−grade students at Green Lake Elementary are being assessed through the work they create over the course of the school year. These assessments are based on real−world scenarios and include performance indicators such as writing and work samples. This innovative assessment is called ______.

portfolio assessment

Ms. Roberts has a student in her class who speaks Portuguese and is diagnosed with a learning disability. What information should Ms. Roberts consider when choosing or creating her instructional strategies that will provide a multicultural education?

life experiences of the student

Overrepresentation in the area of giftedness and underrepresentation in special education is typically found with students from which racial or ethnic group?

Asian American