Standardized Tests for the non-Standard: Problems Plaguing Students from Language Minority Backgrounds

12/27/2007

The United States’ population is composed of people that are culturally and ethnically diverse. Language is also an area in which the citizens of the United States are different. In some instances language differences hinder people in the United States as they attempt to take advantage of the educational opportunities. Those students that are not proficient in Standard English face the possibility of being assessed and diagnosed incorrectly.  The use of tests that are linguistically biased may keep anomalies in the educational realm persistent.

            Educators often use standardized tests to measure the intelligence or to asses the academic capabilities of students. Proficiency in Standard English is vital to students wishing to do well on such tests, which include IQ tests and SATs. The language exclusive nature of standardized tests has caused some to oppose this method of testing students. “These tests are often not culturally sensitive and often times pose a big problem for students whose second language is English.” (Fenbert 1) Some students that speak English as a second language have similar academic capacities as their peers, yet standardized tests do not support this conclusion. Standardized tests are used to classify students in several integral academic areas through out their careers. “School assessment purposes other than for achievement have been ranking, classification and placement of students, for treatment in special education and or school tracks.” (Hillard 4) This explanation may account for the relatively low percentage of ethnic minorities that are identified as “gifted”.

In 1992 […] schools reported 25,077,421 students in public education, 40% of them were minorities. Of that 40%, one percent were American Indian, 4% Asian American, 13.7% Hispanic American, and 21% African American. In that same year 1,412,011 students were identified [as] gifted according to [that same] report: .5% American Indian, 7% Asian American, 7.9% Hispanic American, 12.1% African American and 72.4% White. (Fenbert 1)

            Gifted students score a 130 or above on IQ tests or score within the ninety fifth percentile on standardized tests. In observation of this method of classifying students, the integral role of standardized tests becomes more apparent. Gifted students receive special education that coincides with their academic abilities, which usually means that they receive advanced education. If students that belong to ethnic minorities are not diagnosed as gifted they are unable to receive academic accommodations that will nurture their skills. Consequently these students are less likely to reach their academic potential. Some states have recognized the adverse consequences of standardized tests and have made actions to limit them.

            Several strategies for effectively bridging language barriers have been implemented in states, such as California, that have high populations of students that do not speak Standard English. Despite neglect from the professionals that deal with students first hand and are more equipped to rectify defunct learning environments, the law has actually been the acting force. “Dianna vs. California State Board of Education dealt with the failure to take Mexican culture and language into account in testing. The Mexican children actually got an average of 15-point gains on IQ tests, when tested in their native language. […] Lau vs. Nichols dealt with the failure to take Asian language into account in assessment for access to school services.” (Hillard 6) Programs such as ESL or English as a Second Language focus on accommodating students that speak languages other than English natively. Such programs allow students to learn the same lessons as their peers in their native language, while still addressing deficiencies students have in Standard English. This strategy appears to be effective because it allows students to progress despite language barriers. Also such programs encourage students to understand the importance of learning Standard English in the United States. As students learn lessons in language and other academic areas there efficacy grows. Such efficacy may lead to higher recidivism rates in educational institutions among groups that speak English as a second language. Aside from official languages students speak languages that are culturally influenced.

Ebonics is a dialect of English spoken primarily by lower class, inner city African Americans. “Ebonics, translated literally, means “Blacks Sounds”. (Rush 1) This form of English is often considered a characteristic of the uneducated. However, “linguists have not found any speech community with a native language that can be said to be logically or conceptually primitive. Likewise the so-called nonstandard dialects of English spoken by lower class families in the inner cities of this country are fully formed logical languages with only superficial differences in the means of expressions from Standard English.”(Hillard 8)  As with those that speak entirely different languages students that speak English dialects, such as Ebonics, can face similar language barriers in educational settings. Cultural perspectives can shape how students view the world and the ways students think. This theory leads to the notion that standardized tests are culturally biased. The way questions are worded causes students from different cultures to produce different answers. The correct answers are usually those that coincide with the beliefs of the mainstream culture. However, efforts to teach students using different cultural dialects, especially Ebonics, have been met with opposition.

 As mentioned earlier educators often ignore the role language plays in education.  The difficulty of getting a cultural dialect of English to be recognized is no small feat. In the Oakland Unified School District the controversy surrounding Ebonics was at its peak in 1996. OUSD was contemplating teaching African American students using Ebonics and sought aid from the federal government. Opposition arose because Ebonics was not considered to be a language. “Many people see Ebonics as “gutter language” and “slang” and are quite outspoken about it.” (Rush 1) In order for any change to be implemented those in power must recognize the problem. In this case Ebonics was not recognized as a language by policy makers. As a result funding was not received by the OUSD, and no changes in the curriculum were implemented. Some within the African American community shared the same opinion as those that failed to recognize Ebonics’ validity as a language.

Some African Americans believe that teaching children in Ebonics does nothing but perpetuate ignorance. To teach students using Ebonics would be to reinforce that which is not desirable in an educational setting. If children speak using Ebonics to learn, it would be hard for them to explain critical concepts in areas such as math or science in Standard English. To rebut this claim Ladonna Rush of The College of Wooster writes, “Acknowledging the validity of Ebonics in no way suggests teaching Ebonics in place of Standard English. Acknowledging the validity of Ebonics can and should serve to facilitate the teaching of Standard English.” The statements were made in an article written by Rush, which was later published by the Association of Black Psychologists in Psyche Discourse. The basic point being that any one wishing to succeed in mainstream American society must become proficient in English; therefore the school aged level is a good starting point to transition students from Ebonics to Standard English.

In the United States as much as twenty five percent of the population may belong to a group classified as an ethnic minority. These minority groups sometimes speak English as a second language. Some speak languages officially recognized, such as Spanish. Others speak language that are culturally influenced and have obtained less validity, such as the Appalachian dialect. The differences in language among students in the United States have prompted some within the educational realm to assert that standardized tests are used to hinder rather than promote students from language minority backgrounds. Some problems regarding language barriers have been enforced by the law, while some problems have been dismissed as invalid.

Works Cited

Fenbert, Emily. “Gifted Education: More than Just IQ Scores. Minorities and Gifted Education”. 2002 University of Michigan. http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.fenbert/minorities_and_gifted_education

Hilliard, Asa. “Assessment Equity in a Multicultural Society” March 2004 New Horizons for Learning. http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/assess/hilliard.htm

Rush, Ladonna “The Ebonics Debate”.1997 Psych Discourse, 28 (2&3), 6. http://www.princeton.edu/~browning/news/rush.html

James James Patton is a senior majoring in English at Cheyney University. He is a member of the Keystone Honors Academy. In summer 2007, Patton attended the Urban Seminar, held for students majoring in education who live primarily in the non-urban areas of the State of Pennsylvania, to get first hand experience teaching inner city public school students. He aspires to attend law school and gain experience in journalism.