To improve access to high-quality early childhood education, California has made historic investments in Universal Prekindergarten (UPK), including the California State Preschool Program (CSPP). The state’s UPK initiative elevates the importance of multilingualism and the early identification of disabilities in children. This report offers insights at the intersection of language development for multilingual children and disability.

Given that language development for multilingual children occurs at different rates and in different ways, distinguishing a language need from a potential disability-related need can be complex. To date, however, there is no state guidance for CSPP practitioners to follow when determining whether to refer multilingual children for a special education evaluation—a procedure known as the pre-referral process.

This report presents findings from a research study designed to understand current pre-referral practices in CSPP.

Key Findings

  • CSPPs made concerted efforts to provide home language support as part of a robust early learning experience for multilingual children.
  • CSPPs cited the considerable benefit of having bilingual staff for engaging with ML children and their families.
  • CSPP educators mostly engage in a pre-referral process that mirrors California’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support framework, which was designed for students in grades K–12, not preK. The pre-referral process did not appear fundamentally altered to address multilingual language development.
  • Content experts confirmed WestEd’s analysis that administrators often conflate bilingualism with a comprehensive understanding of multilingual learners’ language development.

Recommendations

The report offers detailed recommendations, such as strengthening teacher and specialist preparation and improving the precision of pre-referral processes, including the development of user-friendly guidance.