RSVP for the 2025 Dr. Jane Blumenfeld Lecture Series
Topic: Bilingual Assessment: Navigating Language Difference and Disorder
When:
April 9, 2025, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Venue:
Virtual via Zoom (RSVP below to obtain the link)
Description:
In education and special education contexts, we often view language through a monolingual (largely English) lens. Yet bilingualism is common in the US and the world. In this talk, Dr. Peña will discuss some of the myths around bilingualism that influence current practice. Next, she will share strategies that have been applied to bilingual assessment and discuss their strengths and limitations. Finally, she will present current findings from her research that aim to increase diagnostic accuracy and discuss future directions in bilingual assessment.
About the Presenter:
Elizabeth Peña, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a professor at the UC Irvine School of Education, a certified speech-language pathologist, and a Fellow of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Her research focuses on differentiating language impairment from language difference, particularly in bilingual children. She examines dynamic assessment, which tests the ability to learn new language skills, in contrast to standardized tests that assess existing knowledge. Dr. Peña also studies how bilingual children use their conceptual knowledge across two languages and how they develop semantically. Her work has led to the development of tools like the Dynamic Assessment and Intervention protocol and the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment to reduce misdiagnosis in bilingual children.
About the Series:
The Dr. Jane Blumenfeld Lecture Series at the University of New Mexico (UNM) honors the legacy of Dr. Jane Blumenfeld, a distinguished alumna and former professor in the College of Education & Human Sciences (COEHS). Dr. Blumenfeld was a trailblazer in advocating for the education of children with special needs, especially those from minority communities. Her commitment to overcoming the challenges these students face has had a profound and lasting influence on special education in New Mexico.
Funded by an endowment, the lecture series continues Dr. Blumenfeld's mission by bringing together experts to discuss cultural and linguistic diversity in the diagnosis and assessment of special education. The series serves as a platform for exchanging knowledge and promoting discussions on best practices in the field.
Price:
Free
Admission Information:
Please RSVP below.
Contact Information:
Department of Special Education
specialeducation@unm.edu
505-277-6915
