As schools across the country scrambled to transition to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pedro Olvera, a school psychologist in Santa Ana Unified School District, noticed a growing need for bilingual professionals in the field. With nearly 40% of students in his district being English learners who speak Spanish, Olvera saw firsthand the demand for school psychologists who could evaluate Spanish-speaking children for special education needs.
Now working as a school psychology clinical manager at BlazerWorks, Olvera assists school districts in finding qualified clinicians to fill their psychologist positions. However, the shortage of bilingual school psychologists presents a unique challenge for districts with increasing numbers of English learners, even in states like Louisiana, Iowa, and Colorado.
Evaluating a child’s need for special education services or language support is a high-stakes process, and adding a language barrier to the mix makes it even more complex. Olvera emphasizes the importance of understanding whether learning difficulties stem from language differences or disorders, especially for English learners who may already face achievement gaps.
What Sets This Job Apart
While standard assessments can help determine special education eligibility, Olvera highlights the additional layers involved in the evaluation process. School psychologists must consider how language, trauma, and culture impact a student’s learning. Monica Oganes, a licensed school psychologist with years of experience, stresses the significance of training professionals to evaluate multilingual children for special needs.
Immigrant children often bring unique challenges to the table, including trauma from events in their home countries and disparities in education quality. Evaluating English learners for disabilities requires a deep understanding of how trauma affects brain development and literacy in multiple languages. Oganes underscores the importance of recognizing cultural differences and linguistic challenges in assessments to provide accurate support for these students.
