The purpose of the Guide is to offer recommendations to states developing policies and
procedures on 1) the identification of English learners with disabilities, and 2) Individualized
Education Program (IEP) development for English learners with disabilities. The Guide focuses on
English learners with disabilities whose language proficiency and disability may be related within
an educational context. For some English learners with disabilities, English language proficiency
is unrelated to their disabilities (e.g., a student may be an English learner and have a physical
disability for which they receive special education services). Furthermore, the Guide identifies
specific areas in need of additional research to inform state policy and procedures.
Although this Guide addresses English learners with language-related disabilities, it does
not address the subset of these students who have the most significant cognitive disabilities.
Nevertheless, state policymakers should give special consideration to English learners with the
most significant cognitive disabilities as they develop or revise their policies and procedures.