A CORE SPECIALTY
Bilingual Spanish–English Psychoeducational Evaluations
A bilingual evaluation is not an English evaluation with an interpreter added at the end. It means selecting the right instruments, weighing language and schooling history, assessing in the language that shows what a student actually knows, and separating language difference from disability.
Who this is for
Districts without a bilingual evaluator
Your team has a Spanish-speaking student to evaluate and no one on staff who can assess in Spanish. Sky Island can take that evaluation under contract.
Teams facing a language-difference question
The referral question is whether this is a disability or still-developing English. That distinction needs someone who can assess in both languages.
Families who want to be part of it
Consent, interviews, feedback, and the report conversation happen in the family’s preferred language, so parents are participants rather than spectators.
IEE requests involving language
An independent evaluation where the original assessment did not account for the student’s language history.
What a bilingual evaluation includes
Language and schooling history
Home language use, years of instruction in each language, program history, interruptions in schooling, and current instructional language.
Instrument selection
Tools chosen for the student’s language profile, with documented reasoning — including nonverbal and Spanish-language measures where they are appropriate.
Assessment in the right language
Direct assessment in Spanish, in English, or across both, conducted by the evaluator rather than relayed through a third party.
Cultural and contextual review
Consideration of cultural context, acculturation, and classroom expectations before any conclusion about disability is drawn.
Findings the team can use
A report that states clearly what is language, what is not, and what instruction and support should look like next.
Family feedback in Spanish
A conversation where the family can ask real questions and get real answers in the language they think in.
Who conducts the evaluation
Evaluations are conducted by Enilda Sutton, Ed.S., NCSP — Nationally Certified School Psychologist, Arizona Department of Education certified, with over a decade of PreK–12 experience and full working fluency in Spanish and English.
- Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP)
- Arizona Department of Education Certified School Psychologist
- Over a decade of experience in PreK through 12th grade
- Bilingual in Spanish & English
Where we work
Bilingual evaluation services are available to schools, districts, charter schools, and families across the greater Northern Arizona area, with scope and scheduling set per contract.
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Common questions
Is this the same as using an interpreter?
No. An interpreter relays language; a bilingual evaluator selects and administers instruments in the student’s language and interprets the results in light of language history. Both have a place, but they are not interchangeable.
Can you tell language difference from disability?
That is the central question of a bilingual evaluation. It is answered with language history, assessment in both languages, contextual data, and professional judgment — not with a single score.
Will the report be in Spanish?
Reports are provided in English for the educational record, and findings and recommendations are explained to the family in Spanish. Translation arrangements can be discussed per contract.
Can a district contract Sky Island for just one evaluation?
Yes. Single-evaluation contracts are common, particularly when a bilingual assessment need arises unexpectedly.
Have a bilingual evaluation you cannot staff?
Tell us the referral question, the timeline, and the student’s language history. We will tell you what is realistic.
CONTACT SKY ISLAND