NYCDOE Preschool Evaluations Fall 2011.pdf
This document presents why a shift in approach to disability evaluation of preschoolers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is needed. Current standardized tests do not meet standards of acceptable validity or reliability for minority children. They also contain numerous inherent linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic biases. Appropriate assessment requires use of appropriate methods of evaluation and consideration of the prior knowledge and experiences of the child. Children must always be compared to peers of their own cultural group/speech community rather than the normative sample used in tests.
