School personnel perspectives on the assessment and evaluation of immigrant students from Punjab

Public schools across the United States are becoming more culturally diverse and Punjabi students are a population of students that has grown in school districts. Special educators and school psychologists are inadequately prepared for this growth of students and are struggling to provide effective, relevant, equitable, and appropriate interventions and evaluations. Following a review of the literature, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore and understand the perspectives and experiences of these school professionals. A questionnaire was filled out by each participant followed by a focus group interview. Experiences and perspectives were shared. Findings suggested that there is a need for preparation programs to include practices and strategies that improve outcomes for immigrant students. Findings also suggested that in-service educators and school psychologists need training opportunities, access to necessary tools, and require increased support from knowledgeable experts and administrators. Implications of results and future research are discussed.