Are you an early-career Diagnostician or School Psychologist preparing to conduct bilingual evaluations next school year? If you have not received specific training in this area, it might seem like a daunting and complex task. We invite you to join our "Foundations of Bilingual Assessment" online workshop series to gain insights into the second-language acquisition process and learn how to design and interpret best practice bilingual evaluations. Our experienced training team, Carmen Cisneroz and María del Carmen Needham, bring over 36 years of combined expertise and are ready to guide you through this journey.
Practicum, Internship, and Early Career Supervisors may attend with their student/mentee for free. Contact Lindy Frazer at Lindy.Frazer@esc13.txed.net for a discount code.
Session Description:
Assessing emergent bilingual students is a complex process. This three-hour session is designed to provide school psychologists and educational diagnosticians with a clear foundation to approach the process with greater confidence and clarity.
Participants will explore the second-language acquisition process, review essential evaluation procedures, and practice interpreting data to differentiate language difference from disability. Through case examples, discussion, and practical tools, attendees will walk away with a deeper understanding of what makes bilingual assessment complex - and the foundational knowledge needed to approach it more effectively.
A one-hour follow-up session on 9/23/25 will provide space for questions, reflection, and case discussion to support the application of key concepts to real-world practice.
Presenters:
Carmen Cisneroz is a bilingual school psychologist with 18 years of experience evaluating and supporting emergent bilingual students. She has conducted numerous bilingual evaluations and has mentored over 30 practicum students, interns, and early-career school psychologists in mastering the bilingual evaluation process. As an immigrant from Colombia, Carmen is deeply committed to advocating for second-language learners, drawing on both her personal journey and professional expertise. She holds a Bilingual Evaluation Specialist Certificate from Region 13 in Texas and is an active member of the NASP Bilingual Interest Group (BIG) leadership team.
María del Carmen Needham is a bilingual school psychologist with 18 years of experience conducting Spanish bilingual psychoeducational evaluations. She practices in Texas, Indiana Michigan, California, Colorado, and Hawaii, serving both rural and urban districts. She is a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and was born and raised in the barrios of McAllen, TX.
Carmen is a proud Our Lady of the Lake University- School Psychology graduate. She was part of the 2009-2010 Bilingual Evaluation Specialist Cohort, trained under Dr. Criselda Alvarado, co-author of the Batería IV Woodcock Muñoz series. Carmen is deeply involved in professional leadership and advocacy, currently serving as the NASP MAC-Latinx Co-Chair and the Texas Association of School Psychologists (TASP) Area 4 Representative. In a historic achievement, she was recently elected by her peers as NASP’s Texas Delegate, becoming the first Person of Color and Latina to represent Texas at NASP.
Beyond her professional roles, Carmen actively fosters community engagement by helping to moderate several Facebook groups, including Said No School Psychologist Ever, School Psychologists of Peloton, and Bilingual Evaluation Specialists-Texas.