This digest discusses the difficulty of assessing the speech and language of culturally and linguistically diverse students and recommends strategies for identifying communication disorders. It begins by reviewing what qualifies as a communication disorder, discussing the limitations of speech and language tests, and outlining test considerations. Critical information that needs to be gathered to determine if there is a communication disorder is then highlighted and includes: (1) comprehensive data concerning the student's significant current and past exposure to particular languages and dialects, and consideration of the student's proficiencies in those languages and dialects; (2) data about the student's speech and language skills in a number of settings and covering different types of language, such as social language and more demanding uses, such as for comparison, synthesis, and problem solving; (3) parent/long-time caregiver reports that include developmental history, parent's education, family history, and parent's perceptions; (4) teacher interviews and portfolio reviews on overall school performance; (5) outcomes of tasks designed to probe particular areas of speech and language; and (6) information on the student's ability to learn. The digest closes by discussing factors that evaluators need to analyze to determine whether any apparent difficulties are due to a communication disorder. (CR)