This article discusses unique conditions of educational risk in the Southeast Asian American student population. It points out the need to help traumatized refugee students deal with emotional difficulties before they can benefit from instruction. It includes a framework for assessing Southeast Asian-American students in which a shift in current assessment goals and practices is proposed. The article also addresses the issue of identifying skills previously developed in a different environment and explores an approach to help refugee children make the transition into the academic context.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Baca, L.M., & Cervantes, H.T. (1989). The bilingual special education interface. Columbus, OH: Merrill.
2.
Bower, E.M (1969). Early identification of emotionally handicapped children in school. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
3.
Brown, A.L., & Campione, J.C. (1987). Linking dynamic assessment with school achievement. In C.S. Lidz (Ed.), Dynamic assessment (pp. 82–115). New York: Guilford Press.
4.
California State Department of Education, Bilingual Education Office. (1986). Beyond language: Social and cultural factors in schooling language minority students. Los Angeles: Evaluation, Dissemination and Assessment Center.
5.
Campione, J.C. (1989). Assisted assessment: A taxonomy of approaches and an outline of strengths and weaknesses. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22, 151–165.
6.
Catterall, J., & Cota-Robles, E. (1988, November). The educationally disadvantaged: Demographics, consequences, and policy prospects. Paper presented at the Conference on Accelerating the Education of At-Risk Students, Palo Alto, CA.
7.
Chinn, P.C., & Plata, M. (1986). Perspectives and educational implications of Southeast Asian students. In M.K. Kitano & P.C. Chinn (Eds.), Exceptional Asian children and youth (pp. 12–28). Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
8.
Cummins, J. (1981). The role of primary language development in promoting educational success for language minority students. In California State Department of Education (Ed.), Schooling and language minority students: A theoretical framework (pp. 3–49). Los Angeles: Evaluation, Dissemination and Assessment Center.
9.
Cummins, J. (1986). Empowering minority students: A framework for intervention. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 16–36.
10.
Dao, M. (1988). A survey of the current situation of special education services for Vietnamese-American refugee children in a California school district. Unpublished manuscript.
11.
Dao, M. (1990, April). Issues in assessment of learning disabilities in ESL students. Paper presented at the conference of the National Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, San Francisco.
12.
Dao, M., & Grossman, H. (1986). Identifying, instructing and rehabilitating Southeast Asian students with special needs and counseling their parents. (ED 273 068). Washington, DC: National Institute of Education.
13.
Dao, M., & Nguyen, K.L. (1987). The bilingual home inventory, Vietnamese-English edition. San Jose, CA: Division of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services, San Jose State University.
14.
Educational Demographics Unit. (1989). Language census report for California public schools, 1989. Sacramento: California State Department of Education.
15.
Erickson, J.G., & Iglesias, A. (1986). Assessment of communication disorders in non-English proficient children. In O. L. Taylor (Ed.), Nature of communication disorder in culturally and linguistically diverse populations (pp. 181–218). Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
16.
Freeman, J. (1989). Hearts of sorrow. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
17.
Gifford, B.R. (1989). Testing: Perils and promises. The Educator, 3(1), 4–17.
18.
Jones, R.L. (Ed.). (1988). Psychoeducational assessment of minority group children: A casebook. Berkeley, CA: Cobb & Henry.
19.
Kirst, M.W. (1989). Conditions of children in California. Berkeley: Policy Analysis for California's Education.
20.
Le, L.N. (1990). Observation report of a Vietnamese refugee pupil. Unpublished manuscript.
21.
Mortland, C.A., & Egan, M.G. (1987, May-June). Vietnamese youth in American foster care. Social Work, pp. 240–244.
22.
Nidorf, J.F. (1985). Mental health and refugee youths: A model for diagnostic training. In T.C. Owan, B. Bliatout, K-M. Lin, W. Liu, T.D. Nguyen, & H.C. Wong (Eds.), Southeast Asian mental health: Treatment, prevention, services, training, and research (pp. 391–429). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
23.
Olsen, L. (1988). Crossing the schoolhouse border. San Francisco: California Tomorrow.
24.
Palincsar, A.S., & Brown, A.L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-monitoring activities. Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), 117–175.
25.
Rumbaut, R.G. (1985). Mental health and the refugee experience: A comparative study of Southeast Asian refugees. In T.C. Owan, B. Bliatout, K-M. Lin, W. Liu, T.D. Nguyen, & H.C. Wong (Eds.), Southeast Asian mental health: Treatment, prevention, services, training, and research (pp. 433–486). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
26.
Rumbaut, R.G. (1987). From Southeast Asia to San Diego: An analysis of the economic, cultural and psychological adaptation of Indochinese refugees. Proceedings of Service Delivery Models for Outreach/Prevention/Intervention for Southeast Asian Refugee Infants, Children, and Their Families (pp. 1–21). Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Health Clearinghouse.
27.
Rumbaut, R.G., & Ima, K. (1987). The adaptation of Southeast Asian refugee youth: A comparative study. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
28.
Savage, J.E., & Adair, A.A. (1980). Testing minorities: Developing more culturally relevant assessment systems. In R.L. Jones (Ed.), Black psychology (2nd ed., pp. 196–200). New York: Harper & Row.
29.
Slavin, R.E., Karweit, N. L., & Madden, N.A. (1989). Effective programs for students at risk. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
30.
Spencer, G. (1989). Projections of the population of the United States, by age, sex, and race: 1988 to 2080. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
31.
State of Minnesota Department of Education. (1987). A resource handbook for the assessment and identification of LEP students with special education needs. Minneapolis, MN: Author.
32.
Sternberg, R. (1981). Cognitive behavioral approaches to the training of intelligence in the retarded. The Journal of Special Education, 15, 183–196.
33.
Takaki, R. (1989, August 24). Another look at Asian "success."San FranciscoChronicle, p. A27.
34.
Te, H.D., Chhim, S-H., & Luangpraseut, K. (1989). Introduction to Vietnamese culture; introduction to Cambodian culture; Laos, culturally speaking. San Diego: Multifunctional Resource Center.
35.
Ton, T. T. (1985, July). Psychoeducational assessment of minority students. Paper presented at San Jose State University Summer Institute for School Personnel Working with Southeast Asian Students with Special Needs, Berkeley, CA.
36.
Tran, V.M. (1987). East-West cultural differences. In M. Dao (Ed.), From Vietnamese to Vietnamese-American: Selected articles (p. 48). San Jose, CA: Division of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services, San Jose State University.
37.
Trueba, H.T. (Ed.). (1987). Success or failure? Learning and the language of minority students. Cambridge: Newbury House.
38.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (M. Cole, C. John-Steiner, S. Schribner, & E. Souberman, Trans. & Eds.). Cambridge: Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1962)
39.
Wei, D. (1986, August). Strategies for assessing and identifying Southeast Asian children. Paper presented at San Jose State University Summer Institute for School Personnel Working with Southeast Asian Students with Special Needs, San Jose, CA.
40.
Wertsch, J. V. (Ed.). (1985). Culture, communication and cognition: Vygotskyian perpectives. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
41.
Zins, J.E., & Barnett, D.W. (1983). Report writing: Legislative, ethical and professional challenges. Journal of School of Psychology, 21, 213–227.
