Chapter 19: Co-Teaching Twice-Exceptional Students: Perspectives From ESOL/Special Education Teacher Education

Today’s classrooms include multiple opportunities for teachers to reach students with a wide range of learning differences, including those with varied skill sets. Educating children requires a unique set of skills, and educating multilingual learners and children with exceptionalities requires more than simply imparting information. This chapter examines the policies that influence diverse learners and the core teacher competencies and research-based instructional strategies needed to effectively co-teach students who are twice-exceptional; that is English learners (ELs) with a high-incidence disability identification according to the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) of 2004.

Drawing from a culturally relevant pedagogy framework (Ladson-Billings, 1995b), this chapter uses an interpretive case study methodology for practitioners to draw upon the existing knowledge related to teaching English learners in special education (EL-SE). We explore which co-teaching model teachers of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and special educators employ. We describe the most frequently used model and the rationale for co-teaching, specifically in two elementary EL-SE classrooms and two middle school EL-SE classrooms during summer school. The findings and recommendations are strategies for assisting school districts and universities that prepare teachers to support the unique needs of students learning a second language who also need scaffolding for their disability in a co-teaching setting.