Missouri Seeks to Aid ELLs Now Overlooked: Those With Disabilities

Language deficits can mask other issues.

Missouri is grappling with a special education problem that may come as a surprise to educators elsewhere. Far from over-identifying a key group of minority students for such services, the state has found that it’s underserving such a group: English-language learners.

The state is trying to combat a lack of referrals of English-language learners to special education in Missouri, where only 825—or 4 percent—of such students are receiving special education services, compared with 15 percent of all students, according to data from the state education department.

At one time, Missouri likely had a problem with overrepresentation of English-language learners in special education, but as educators realized it’s against federal law to assign children to such classes if they don’t have a disability, “the pendulum swung the other way and got stuck,” said Theresa M. Armentrout, an instructional specialist for migrant education and English-language learners at...