Bilingual children are often referred for assessment to determine if educational or mental health supports are necessary for academic, social-emotional, or personal success. However, practitioners unfamiliar with the complex factors affecting second language acquisition run the risk of misinterpreting assessment data. For example, assessments that purport to examine a student's cognitive or academic abilities may instead measure language proficiency or the effects of immigration or poverty.

This book explores the interplay between factors impacting English language learners and...