Sheltered Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities Who Have Limited English Proficiency

Makes the core curriculum accessible to students with limited English proficiency through the use of a content-driven instructional method By Jana Echevarria W ith the constantly in-creasing number of linguistically diverse students in special edu-cation programs, teachers are in need of ways to provide instruction to stu-dents who speak a language other than English. Special education teachers have been trained in a comprehensive set of competencies to meet the indi-vidual needs of students with disabili-ties. These teachers, in turn, apply their training in the classroom by plan-ning and implementing quality pro-grams for the students. But how does one implement an effective individual-ized program if the student and teacher do not share a common language? Research indicates that the most ef-fective method of instruction for lin-guistically diverse students is instruc-tion delivered in the language they understand best—their native languag