Under federal law, parents have the right to decline, or waive, English language support services when their child is identified as an English learner (EL) in school. In this study, we focus on this important subgroup of ELs—referred to as waived ELs—at the understudied intersection of EL status and special education (SPED) status. Using longitudinal statewide Tennessee data from 2010 to 2021, we used discrete-time hazard modeling to explore ELs’ representation in SPED services by their English language service waiver status (i.e., ever-waived EL vs. never-waived EL). Results revealed that ELs’ likelihood of placement into SPED services, and specifically for specific learning disability and speech-language impairment, varied by their English language service waiver status. We describe similarities and differences in the timing and likelihood of placement trends and discuss implications for practice and policy.

中文翻译：

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被豁免的英语学习者：英语学习者和特殊教育状况的交叉点

根据联邦法律，当孩子在学校被认定为英语学习者 (EL) 时，家长有权拒绝或放弃英语语言支持服务。在本研究中，我们重点关注 EL 的这一重要亚组（称为豁免 EL），处于 EL 状态和特殊教育 (SPED) 状态的交叉点，尚未得到充分研究。使用田纳西州 2010 年至 2021 年的纵向全州数据，我们使用离散时间风险模型，通过英语服务豁免状态（即曾经豁免的 EL 与从未豁免的 EL）来探索 EL 在 SPED 服务中的表现。结果显示，EL 进入 SPED 服务的可能性，特别是针对特定学习障碍和言语障碍，因其英语语言服务豁免状态而异。我们描述了安置趋势的时间和可能性的异同，并讨论了对实践和政策的影响。