My beef with standardized tests and ESL

[creekland]

Maybe today I just need to vent? I dunno.

 

Our school is doing state testing and has been for the past 11 days. As a sub, I get to test for teachers who are absent. Today is science testing and I get ESL (English as a Second Language) students. If a student has been in this country for 8 months (so I'm told - I didn't verify it), they must take our tests in English and it "counts" for our school scores. I am allowed to restate a question as long as I don't give a single clue as to how to answer the question.

 

So... how is a student who isn't all that great at English supposed to know what a Grass Carp is? Or a Walleye Pike? I could see some city kids not knowing what those are. Then there was Science Fair. These were all words used in questions where one didn't have to know exactly what those words meant to get the question (meaning they weren't asking what a Grass Carp was).

 

I think I did ok explaining those without leading to an answer, but one would think they could have chosen better words to put in their questions IMO.

 

Besides the above, the kids would need to know several science terms (intensity, UV wave, photosynthesis, metamorphic, etc, etc, etc) that most kids just don't learn in their first years of learning the language. Yes, if they've had a certain class, they would learn the word, but not all kids coming to us have had those classes here. But our school will take the hit for them not knowing "stuff" up to par.

 

I'm not anti-standardized tests as they are useful for groups of students, but quite honestly it would be nice if the powers that be recognized more exceptions to the rules need to be made.

 

Just a vent. I get frustrated with what I see sometimes. One can't really "fix" the above. Maybe someday the power of thinking or the power of groups can.

[lionfamily1999]

The tests are for a certain grade, if they've been here for the past 8 months, in that grade, then they should've learned those words/concepts in class. IOW, as much as I dislike the sols (VA's standardized tests) they are very specific when they outline what will be on the test. Teachers teaching to the test know exactly what will be on it and they've had time to prepare the students.

[creekland]

The tests are for a certain grade, if they've been here for the past 8 months, in that grade, then they should've learned those words/concepts in class. IOW, as much as I dislike the sols (VA's standardized tests) they are very specific when they outline what will be on the test. Teachers teaching to the test know exactly what will be on it and they've had time to prepare the students.

 

Our 11th grade tests are not as specific. In science (and math) they are testing everything back to 8th grade classes. PA tests in 8th and 11th (earlier too, but I don't work there so am not as up on which years).

[lionfamily1999]

Our 11th grade tests are not as specific. In science (and math) they are testing everything back to 8th grade classes. PA tests in 8th and 11th (earlier too, but I don't work there so am not as up on which years).

That's the problem with answering questions from another state (with different standards). SOLs stop before high school here, so we have nothing like that. It surprises me that they would require knowledge from a class taken during a different school year. That could even be difficult for transfer students from within the US.

[Nan in Mass]

I was talking to a special ed teacher the other day. She was complaining that all her students had to take our state test (the MCAS). She said just getting some of them all to sit down to take the test was difficult, let alone keeping them sitting until the end of the time period. She said that one mother gave her an order which made her job easier. The mother said that as long as her son held the pencil put in his hand, he was taking the test, and as soon as he put it down, he was done with the test and could go eat his lunch. His test lasted about ten seconds and he wasn't traumatized by the experience, like some of the others. Talk about the state tests lacking sense...

-Nan

[tex-mex]

 

So... how is a student who isn't all that great at English supposed to know what a Grass Carp is? Or a Walleye Pike? I could see some city kids not knowing what those are. Then there was Science Fair. These were all words used in questions where one didn't have to know exactly what those words meant to get the question (meaning they weren't asking what a Grass Carp was).

 

I think I did ok explaining those without leading to an answer, but one would think they could have chosen better words to put in their questions IMO.

 

Besides the above, the kids would need to know several science terms (intensity, UV wave, photosynthesis, metamorphic, etc, etc, etc) that most kids just don't learn in their first years of learning the language. Yes, if they've had a certain class, they would learn the word, but not all kids coming to us have had those classes here. But our school will take the hit for them not knowing "stuff" up to par.

 

I'm not anti-standardized tests as they are useful for groups of students, but quite honestly it would be nice if the powers that be recognized more exceptions to the rules need to be made.

 

Just a vent. I get frustrated with what I see sometimes. One can't really "fix" the above. Maybe someday the power of thinking or the power of groups can.

I taught ESL in urban poor school districts and this was a huge issue with standardized testing. There is a big difference with being ESL language proficient in one area (i.e. verbal) versus true language proficiency in another (i.e. reading comprehension). I taught in Southern CA and my ESL students usually fell at the 30-40% percentile. It was depressing. And unfair.

 

I'll be honest with you - many times on the standardized test there are questions that I know I never covered. Those questions were not part of the textbook I used. It was a question simply conjured up by whoever was paid to design the test. (This was before No Child Left Behind -- nowadays schools have pre-tests BEFORE the real standardized test on a quarterly basis. :glare: Ironically covering questions that will appear on the test. Which goes against the principle that the standardized test is meant to be taken "cold".) Many times, I'd freak out when standardized testing time came and realized we were not even 3/4 into the math textbook. A lot of my fellow teachers felt the same way.

 

But the state wants numbers. Data. Got to get those test scores up. Regardless of the fact some of these new immigrants can barely write or read at a level to take the test. In my 3rd grade class, the majority of the students were at a 1st grade level. It is so frustrating. ESL should be in essence over a period of years (when I taught in the stone age - early 90's) to develop fluency and exit the system to be mainstreamed in a regular ed class. But the test only tests them as if they are regular ed. students. So unfair. (And yes to the other poster on Special Day Class special ed. students having to take the same test. Crazy, huh?)

 

I finally quit when I realized I was so bitter and disillusioned with the system. It is impossible to change it, IMO. Sorry you had to witness that.

Edited April 6, 2011 by tex-mex

[Murmer]

I taught ESL in urban poor school districts and this was a huge issue with standardized testing. There is a big difference with being ESL language proficient in one area (i.e. verbal) versus true language proficiency in another (i.e. reading comprehension). I taught in Southern CA and my ESL students usually fell at the 30-40% percentile. It was depressing. And unfair.

 

I'll be honest with you - many times on the standardized test there are questions that I know I never covered. Those questions were not part of the textbook I used. It was a question simply conjured up by whoever was paid to design the test. (This was before No Child Left Behind -- nowadays schools have pre-tests BEFORE the real standardized test on a quarterly basis. :glare: Ironically covering questions that will appear on the test. Which goes against the principle that the standardized test is meant to be taken "cold".) Many times, I'd freak out when standardized testing time came and realized we were not even 3/4 into the math textbook. A lot of my fellow teachers felt the same way.

 

But the state wants numbers. Data. Got to get those test scores up. Regardless of the fact some of these new immigrants can barely write or read at a level to take the test. In my 3rd grade class, the majority of the students were at a 1st grade level. It is so frustrating. ESL should be in essence over a period of years (when I taught in the stone age - early 90's) to develop fluency and exit the system to be mainstreamed in a regular ed class. But the test only tests them as if they are regular ed. students. So unfair. (And yes to the other poster on Special Day Class special ed. students having to take the same test. Crazy, huh?)

 

I finally quit when I realized I was so bitter and disillusioned with the system. It is impossible to change it, IMO. Sorry you had to witness that.

 

 

This is the same for Special Ed kids too. Everyone is treated as if regular ed but may get a few accommodations that some random person saw as appropriate for that diagnosis. Then when a population ie ESL or SpEd "fail" the whole school fails because they didn't do enough. Its a sad, sad situation. Tests should be 1 piece of a puzzle.

[creekland]

This is the same for Special Ed kids too. Everyone is treated as if regular ed but may get a few accommodations that some random person saw as appropriate for that diagnosis. Then when a population ie ESL or SpEd "fail" the whole school fails because they didn't do enough. Its a sad, sad situation. Tests should be 1 piece of a puzzle.

 

Today I had a couple of kids who can't read beyond a VERY basic level (not even 4th grade IMO). These weren't ESL kids, but learning support. That was fun. (sigh)

 

Testing is over today - for a month. Then we do Keystone tests (testing them for the future students).

[tex-mex]

This is the same for Special Ed kids too. Everyone is treated as if regular ed but may get a few accommodations that some random person saw as appropriate for that diagnosis. Then when a population ie ESL or SpEd "fail" the whole school fails because they didn't do enough. Its a sad, sad situation. Tests should be 1 piece of a puzzle.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. The entire public school educational system is so gridlocked it is absolutely tragic.