The Ministry of Education's websites offer these links to specific areas to support learners with special education needs.
Bilingual Assessment Service Information
This service enables state and state-integrated schools to access a targeted group of trained Resource Teachers (Learning and Behaviour, RTLBs) to administer bilingual assessments of the learning needs of students from language backgrounds other than English. A bilingual assessment can distinguish between language learning needs, additional special learning needs, and social/emotional needs, through dual assessment in their first language and English.
Migrant and refugee background students with special education needs, including those who receive ESOL funding, are entitled to special education services available in New Zealand schools. They would need to meet the eligibility criteria for that particular service (e.g. RTLB and RT Lit support, speech language therapy, ORS funding, Supplementary Learning Support). International fee-paying students are not eligible for these services.
The same applies for ESOL funding. A student who has any kind of special education funding is still eligible for ESOL funding as well, provided they meet the ESOL funding criteria.
The Migrant, Refugee and International teams ESOL Update newsletter provides full information on these criteria.
Twice exceptional (or 2E students) are sometimes also referred to as double labelled, or having dual exceptionality. These are gifted students whose performance is impaired, or high potential is masked, by a specific learning disability, physical impairment, disorder or condition. They may experience extreme difficulty in developing their giftedness into talent.
Gifted students with disabilities are at-risk as their educational and social/emotional needs often go undetected. Educators often incorrectly believe twice-exceptional students are not putting in adequate effort within the classroom. They are often described as ‘lazy’ and ‘unmotivated’. Hidden disabilities may prevent students with advanced cognitive abilities from achieving high academic results. 2E students perform inconsistently across the curriculum. The frustrations related to unidentified strengths and disabilities can result in behavioural and social/emotional issues.
Updated on: 25 Aug 2015
