Seven Steps to Separating Difference From Disability

Learn more about Catherine Collier's PD offerings Catherine Collier, Ph.D. has over 45 years experience in equity, cross-cultural, bilingual, and special education. Dr. Collier is a nationally recognized expert on diverse learners with learning and behavior needs. She established and directed the Chinle Valley School, Dine Bitsiis Baa Aha Yaa, bilingual services for Navajo students with severe and multiple disabilities for the Navajo Nation. She was the director of a teacher-training program, Ikayurikiit Unatet for the University of Alaska for seven years, preparing Yup'ik Eskimo paraprofessionals for certification as bilingual preschool, elementary, and special educators. She was an itinerant (diagnostician/special education) for Child Find in remote villages in Alaska. For eight years, Dr. Collier worked with the BUENO Center for Multicultural Education, Research, and Evaluation at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she created and directed the Bilingual Special Education Curriculum/Training project (BISECT), a nationally recognized effort. She is active in social justice activities for culturally and linguistically diverse learners and families. She started the first bilingual special education programs for the Navajo Nation and the White Mountain Apache. She is currently the director of the national professional development project Curriculum Integration for Responsive, Crosscultural, Language Education (CIRCLE) at Western Washington University. She works extensively with school districts on professional and program development for at-risk diverse learners. Dr. Collier provides technical assistance to university, local, and state departments of education regarding programs serving at-risk cognitively, culturally and linguistically diverse learners. She works with national organizations to provide professional development in the intersection of crosscultural, multilingual, diversity, special needs issues in education.

Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Building and Sustaining a Foundation for Learning Our Diverse Students Enculturation and the CLD Student Enculturation Jose Case Study 2. Establishing and Supporting Resiliency Cognition and Language A Brief Review of Language Acquisition Issues Cognitive Learning Style Jose Case Study 3. Instructional Intervention and Differentiated Instruction Culture and Language Cognitive Learning Style Experience Sociolinguistic Development Acculturation Jose Case Study 4. Intensive Intervention and Progress Monitoring Asking the Right Questions How to Use the Information Jose Case Study 5. Resolution or Referral Testing Adaptation of Assessments Jose Case Study 6. Integrated Services Bias in Service Plans Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Intellectual Exceptionalities Learning Disabilities Integrating Special Needs and CLD Needs Jose Case Study 7. Maintaining and Sustaining CLDE Programs Service Options Teacher Preparation Specific Skills and Competencies for Teachers Jose Case Study Conclusion Glossary References Index

"The book is particularly useful to educators because it offers in-depth information about the influence of language and cultural differences. This helpful resource also outlines school-aged children's and adolescents' response to acculturation based on educators' perceptions and expectations of these individuals' school success." -- Joyce Williams Bergin, Professor and Assistant Dean, College of Education "This book is timely and an important resource for all schools with diverse populations to have in their professional libraries and in their Child Study Team rooms. This book would also be a complete text to use in an ESOL certification class devoted to planning interventions for students of concern." -- Karen Kozy-Landress, Speech/Language Pathologist "This is a complete guide for practitioners. I would be able to pick up the book and determine my child's stage in the study team process and where we should go next. Each step in the book stands alone as a reference." -- Margarete Couture, Principal "This book offers a detailed, easy-to-follow approach to determining the needs of students who are having difficulty learning, including assessments and interventions. I am putting the knowledge I obtained to good use, and will continue to use it as a reference." -- Kay Kuenzl-Stenerson, Literacy Coach