This is a account written by Lindsay Allanbrook, a teacher in New York City. Last year, when the first Common Core tests were given, 97% of English language learners failed the test of English language. What is the point of testing these children in a language they have not mastered?
She writes:
State Tests and Our Newest Arrivals, by Lindsay Allanbrook
It’s that time of year again, testing season. That time of year, right
before the test, when nothing is making sense. Even my own teaching
makes no sense. In the morning, I am able to find some time for Social
Studies. We analyze the Gary Paulsen book Nightjohn. We zoom in on
moments that show resistance to slavery. We create tableaux with our
bodies and then use art to represent those moments. It is exciting and
inspiring work. We are learning what it means to resist what is wrong and
to stand up for what is right.
Then in the afternoon we must sit quietly at our desks and work on
our testing stamina. We must read texts that make no sense and try to
answer questions, which trick us. Why are we doing this? Is this what is
right?
Although there is a lot that I could write related to the struggles of
testing season in my fifth grade dual language classroom, for now I just
want to tell the testing stories of four of my students: Marisa, Jose, David,
and Natalia.
These are my four “newcomers”, students who have recently
arrived to the United States from other countries. Marisa came from Peru
last April. Jose joined us from the Dominican Republic in December. David
was in the US in third grade. He was at our school for a year and then he
returned to Guatemala. In January, his family was back in New York and
he joined our class. Natalia came here last spring; she spent two months
in 4th grade and then returned to Ecuador. A week ago, Natalia’s family
once again came to New York and she is now in my class.
I consider these four students to be lucky. They are lucky because
they are able to attend a dual language school where they receive half of
their instruction in Spanish and half in English. They are able to learn
grade level content in Spanish without being hindered by their lack of
English proficiency. They are all working hard and making tremendous
growth, week by week. Although they are diligent, intelligent students, all
four of them are behind in most areas of the curriculum. They struggle to
follow our rigorous 5th grade Common Core based Math curriculum because
none of them had the necessary foundational instruction. Even so, all four
of them will be required to take the 5th grade Common Core State Math
Test at the end of April. At least, they will be able to do it in Spanish and
they will try their best to answer the few questions that they understand.
I knew when David entered my class that he would also be required
to take the 5th grade Common Core English Language Arts Test. David was
in the US for a year and a half before returning to Guatemala. According
to No Child Left Behind, students may only be exempt from the State ELA
Assessment for their first year in the country.
(http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/bilinged/faq.html#state)
Although I understood that
David would be required to take the test, I knew it was unfair. David is a
strong reader in Spanish, yet he is a timid boy who spent a year and a half
in a foreign country (the United States), returned to his home in
Guatemala for a year and then recently came back to the United States.
He is still struggling to re-acclimate to school in the US.
Marisa arrived a week after the 2013 ELA test. At first, we thought
Marisa was lucky. She started in our school right after last year’s test, and
therefore, we thought that she would not have been in the country for a
year when this year’s test rolled around and we believed that she would be
exempt from the test. We soon learned we were wrong. Even though
Marisa entered the school less than 12 months ago, because she entered
during the month of April, she is considered to be here 12 months. In
other words, even though she was only in the school for the last week of
April, it counts as one whole month and she is required to take the test.
I was surprised and upset when I found out that Marisa would be
required to take the ELA test, but Natalia’s situation shocked me even
more. When Natalia recently returned to our school, I was sure that she
would be exempt from the test. Natalia had only been in the US for 2
months. Students may be exempt from the test for their first year in the
country, but there is a catch. According to No Child Left Behind, students
may only be exempt from one administration of the test.
(http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/bilinged/faq.html#state)
The two months that Natalia was here last year happened to fall during the testing season.
Since she was exempt from the ELA test last year, she cannot be exempt
from the test again this year.
Out of my four newcomers, Jose is the only one who is exempt from
the ELA test this year. He came to the US in December (less than a year
ago) and he has never been exempt from the test in previous years. Of
course, next year he will have to take the test.
While we work on test prep, Marisa, Jose, David and Natalia practice
their English reading on the computer. You might think some of my
students would think it was unfair that these students are not being forced
to do test prep or that Jose does not have to take the test at all. But it
seems that my students have a deeper understanding of what is fair and
unfair. When a student overheard me talking to David and realized that
David would have to take the test, he was outraged. “Does he get to take
it in Spanish?” he asked. I told him David would have to take the test in
English. “But that’s not fair!” he said in shock.
Not only is it not fair, it simply doesn’t make sense. And of course,
no matter how much we do in the next few weeks, there is no way, we can
ensure that these children will pass. They couldn’t possibly and nor could
any one of us if we were required to move to another country and take a
reading test in a language other than English after just one year. These
children’s test scores will cause people to express concern over the low
performance of English language learners instead of causing them to ask
the more obvious question, which is, “Why, why did they have to take this
test?”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The obvious answer is, “So they can close the school, fire the teachers, send the children to charter schools, and then kick out the children who can’t show success in the ‘rigorous’ curriculum.” grrrrrrr
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Hannah: to you, and to those who commented below—
From my heart, most Krazy props!
Before I was a SpecEd TA I was a bilingual [Eng/Span] TA.
There’s another name for what you and the others describe: sucker punch.
This is definitely educational malpractice, and it is an excellent example of borderline, if not full on, bullying.
But this is so typical of the self-styled “education reformers” and their educrat enablers and edubully enforcers and the casual cruelty with which they treat public school staff and students and parents.
I am reminded of an observation by P L Thomas: “And nothing angers a bitter adult as much as the pleasures of a child.”
Caveat: it is only the pleasures of OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN that angers the rheephormistas; when it comes to THEIR OWN CHILDREN…
Consider Harpeth Hall [Michelle Rhee], “Winterim”:
[start quote]
Winterim offers students the very best in experiential learning, creating for them a chance to see their academic studies take a tangible, dynamic form. They are immersed in environments where they use language skills during a home stay in France or Argentina, math skills to design a model home, analytical and science skills in a Cryptography course, or writing and communication skills at a local or national news station.
During Winterim, juniors and seniors have traveled to Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Qatar, South Africa, and Spain. These academic trips and cultural exchanges have fostered a deeper understanding of the world and the world’s needs.
In New Zealand, students studied marine biology, ecology and native cultures while participating in service learning. In Japan, students studied the art and culture of that country, in South Africa, students were immersed in service learning and issues of global poverty. In England, Greece, and Italy, students experienced the rich history and culture of civilizations that have so impacted and shaped our own American heritage. In Argentina, France and Spain, students were immersed in the language of the three countries during home stays and while interacting with their exchange hosts at local schools in Bonpland, Paris and Malaga.
[end quote]
But for the children described in the posting and the comments…
Thank y’all for advocating for them.
😎
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We had a new student arrive at the end of our state testing window. He is from Myanmar (Burma) by way of a Thai refugee camp, where he had 2 years of school. He is in 7th grade. Because of our state regulations, he only had to take the math, not the reading. Since it is a lot of reading in English, he won’t be able to do much. Maybe we should have all our government officials take a test in a language they don’t know, telling them they must pass to keep their jobs.
My ELLs are smart and capable, they just don’t know English. Giving them these tests is ridiculous. I was talking with my mom about this a few years ago. This is a woman with a diploma, nothing more, not rich either. She said, “why do they have to take it then?” It is obvious to many of us that this is wrong. Hannah got it right. Somebody wants to do away with public education, and this is one avenue to do so.
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I agree, it is painful to watch our English Language Learners struggle with these ridiculous tests, tests which label students 1,2,3,or 4. I have worked with refugees, many of whom arrive with little or no formal education, for over 20 years in what I consider to be one of the best schools in Buffalo. They, like all students, are much more than 1,2,3 or 4. The kids are remarkable in how they adjust to the cultural, academic, and linguistic demands of school. Their families are supportive and very appreciative of the what the school does to help them and their children. The staff is incredibly dedicated and rallies our school community to help provide many of the basics for our students’ and their families – clothes, food, boots, household items, books, school supplies, etc.
We have over thirty languages represented among our students, most are considered “low incidence languages” such as Burmese, Karen, Nepali, Somali, MaiMai, Karenni, Chin, Turkish, Kinyarwanda, and the list goes on… Some of our classrooms are over 70% ELL – English Language Learners. Of those non-ELLs in our school, many were English Language Learners who have tested proficient in years past or they come from homes of English Language Learners. The teachers are tuned in to the academic and language needs of these kids and provide safe, supportive, engaging, yet demanding environments for these students to learn and grow. There is not a teacher there who would trade a student in front of them for more “4’s.”
These immigrants have added to a culturally rich community, and have introduced their neighbors to amazing and interesting food, art, music, and traditions. Many of the students go on to great success in high school and beyond. Each June, when the local paper publishes pictures of all the local high school valedictorians and salutatorians, our former students are among them, English Language Learners who with enough time and support achieve great success. The operative word there is time.
Most research suggests that it takes 5-7 years (minimum) for English Language Learners to reach academic language proficiency – and that is for students with formal education in their first language. For all the “data” rage, it amazes me that this fact continues to be ignored by policy makers.
What does the state say? New York State labeled us a “PLA – Persistently Lowest Achieving” school in the first round of PLA schools. Why? Because we didn’t make AYP in ELA for our English Language Learners. Based on what? The N.Y. State tests.
Isn’t that obvious? The tests are used to label our kids as failing, our schools as low achieving, and our teachers as ineffective.
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This is a propaganda to demonstrate to our nation that public school teachers aren’t doing their jobs, that we are “failing” therefore public schools must be eradicated and be replaced with “CHARTER” schools. Unfortunately, parents of ELL students do not know about OPTING OUT. All ELL students should opt out of these meaningless exams.
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It’s particularly crazy when you consider that the US has no official language. If David ends up in a US courtroom, he can have a translator. If he needs an official document, it can be translated. If he were arrested, he’d be read his rights and questioned in his L1. So, why must he pass the tests in English–and English only?
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I work in a small, rural district and one of my duties is district test coordinator. We just had our state 3-8 writing assessment, and had an ESOL middle schooler show up the second day of testing. We had him come to school every day, but the guidance counselor waited (with my & the principal’s blessing) until the end of the official testing period to formally enroll him so he wouldn’t have to take a writing test on state standards he’d never experienced.
Unfortunately, he also showed up during the English Language Development testing window for ESOL kids. Our state was gigged by the feds during an audit last year because there had been a cut-off enrollment date for testing these kids. Now, if one shows up anytime during the window, even the last day or two, we are expected to test them. I’m willing to take the hit for not testing the kid, which makes my state ESOL coordinator very nervous. The state department folks might be willing to roll over due to some arbitrary rule, but we operate from what’s best for kids.
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Imagine what it’s like in Texas. Most of the kids in most schools in Dallas ISD (the urban district that is 4% Anglo even though Dallas has a huge Anglo population) are ELL.
“Beginners” (kids who just arrived) are a daily addition.
The kids get tested quickly to make the failure rate seem worse.
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From what I’ve read in NY, our state tests don’t make much sense even if you are a native English speaker; perhaps not being fully fluent in English is an advantage!
If you’ve seen the early episodes of “House of Cards” you know that education laws have little to do with the actual practice of education, and more to do with politics. It’s no wonder NCLB and other laws are so deaf to the actual educational needs of our students.
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To make them suffer? To prove to them that they are just second class citizens. To hold the resisers up as a negative example for all to “HURT” kids. We have a most disgusting, repressive, greedy, arrogant “people, if we can call them people, is a BAD group…and they wear their pretty gown and tuxedos…to ball at the White House talkin about education. Egads..IMAGINE ALL THE TEACHERS all that money can be used to purchase USEFUL materials for the classroom, NOT SCRIPTS from those written far from the classroom. Funny….even the answers are also given…and they are well..dumb.
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Thanks for this post. I proctor ELL students every year for state tests, and I just feel so bad for them. I found most of the ELA test was set up in a way to trick students, and oftentimes answers hinged on navigating intricacies of the language; a skill which not even most non-ELL students could possibly do at this level. On top of that, because these students get time and a half, the torture is prolonged and students end up feeling horrible about themselves. Talk about unfair!
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There is a simple explanation why ESL kids have to take the Common Core standardized test in English.
The goal of the fake ed reforms is NOT to improve public eduction. It’s to destroy public eduction and forcing ESL students who are still learning English to take the test in English will lower the average for a school turning that school into a failure faster (as defined by President Obama’s Race to the Top), so public schools may be closed and the teachers fired.
Take notice. Make mo mistake, the fake ed reform movement has nothing to do with improving the public schools. Nothing! The goal is to sweep public education away and replace it with an easy to control, opaque private sector education system that the public and democracy has no control over.
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Ms. Allanbrook’s article is one that all educators working with second language learners should be required to read. It is shameful that these students are set up to fail. I commend her for writing this very important article.
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Based on the few comments here regarding refugee students and immigrant students, I feel vindicated! Odd, I know, but my school is in the same situation. Mind you, the entire school and not just a class here and there. I am appalled at how the federal government treats the situation of educating these students. Mostly refugee students. What I am going to say next, should not in any way be construed as prejudice. If our government allows for refugee students into our country, and into our schools, then they need to step up to the plate and give more support to those schools/teachers so that they are served better! I know there is federal money that goes to districts with refugee students, but it obviously isn’t enough in addition to our already insufficient WPU. I’m not sure about the restrictions of that money either. I did however ask my district superintendent a few weeks ago during a face-to-face meeting, but in so many words or less he danced around that question and didn’t tell me.
In my district we have a New Comers program. It’s brand new as of this year and operates out of a community center for refugees. Being that it is new, it is obviously a work in progress. Unfortunately, those who operate this program are not open to collaboration with the classroom teachers who end up teaching the same students. I find very interesting though, that last January I shared an idea with my principal, that we should have a program for refugees that helps them to adjust to American life etc. I simply assumed that with the high population of refugees in our school, this would be beneficial in so many ways. Sven months later, the district is doing just that only it is not in our school. Last fall, after receiving students from this 9-day program, teachers at my school started wondering why there wasn’t some form of an intake assessment completed on the student. That would help us in the transition and bonding with the student. In January, we started getting something like an intake assessment for these students. I swear there is a mole within our faculty.
Within the last year I decided to advocate for refugee students in my school, my district and across the state. I’m involved with my teachers’ association serving on the board and other committees. My message during my involvement has been to bring attention to this situation. People other than teachers who deal with this everyday, really have no clue what we are dealing with, let alone that there is a distinct difference in meaning and actuality, between refugee and immigrant. I’m sure that the obstacles teachers are dealing with, are the unintended outcomes of allowing refugees into our country. Such a lack of foresight, vision, planning and understanding of the dynamics surrounding refugee students in public education classrooms, can only happen when those who think they have all the answers, do not collaborate with those who probably have the answers or at least practical experience that would be beneficial.
I’ve started to do some research to find information about refugee studies and how they can succeed in public schools. I have found nothing so far. I’ve tried to find a school or community program that has provided services to these students, and have done so successfully; even not successfully because we can learn from our mistakes. Again I have found nothing. I believe that this situation is still new enough that there are not programs, college preparation, or agencies that exist, to offer us teachers expertise and knowledge based on empirical research. I could be wrong, and just haven’t come across anything yet. If anyone is aware of something, I would love to know!
I believe that in order to make changes in the laws regarding refugee students in public education, we need to get the attention of our legislators and other community leaders to recognize the difference between refugee and immigrant students. How do we do that! Get our voices out there! I am proposing a change in the wording of my state association’s by-laws, that would list immigrant and refugee students separately, just like other ‘categories’ of students that are listed. If it’s successful here, I would like to take the same proposal to this summer’s RA in Denver. If it doesn’t come from the educators who really are the experts, then who is it going to come from?
If anyone is familiar with a program, agency, school, or community center that offers services for refugee students, I would love to know!
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It used to be that Enlgish language learners (ELLs) were exempt from all standardized testing for 5 years based on the longitudinal research indicating that it takes 5 to 7 or 7 to 10 years to achieve native-like proficiency in English. Then in the first term under Bush, it was whittled down to three years. Then in the second term of Bush, it was whittled down to a year. Now, it it whittled down to zero.
If an ELL comes right onto our shores as a 7th grader and has never spoken or understood a lick of Enlgish, and the test is being given three days later in school, he/she MUST take the test.
And opting out of a diagnostic and summative test, which is a federally mandated and reportable test known as the NYSESLAT, is illegal in NY state even though students taking other standardized tests have opt-out as an option. The ELA and math exams can be opted out of; the NYSELSAT does not permit opting out.
But we all know that opt-out would not even be an issue if such pernicious and junk science high stakes were not attached to assessments, students, and teachers.
Our ELL population is THE most overtested and underfunded population in NY state, and this treatment of them is yet another corroboration of the sad racism that still exists towards immigrant children.
The cost to educate such children using best practices (small group instruction as one of them) is higher than other sub-groups, but the cost to not properly educate them will be a much steeper one to society 8 to 12 years from now . . . .
Still, I remain eager and hopeful that if we band together and use the apparatus of our democracy, we can right this terrible wrong and give EVERY child what they need and deserve based a well resourced and level education setting playing field . . . . .
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This is just like saying, all students who don’t speak Japanese are required to take national achievement test in Japanese (which is so rigorous and challenging to many non-Japanese), regardless of type of schools (public, private, or international school) or length of stay in the country.
Be realistic. It normally takes 2-3 years to acquire BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and 5-7 years to acquire CALP(Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency). That means, those who come from non-English speaking country take at least 7-10 years to acquire English language through formal education or equivalent academic discipline. You cannot expect them to become literate and fluent in less than 6 months. Even though you have students from Japan, China, Taiwan or South Korea, they have a hard time keeping up with classes—especially those coming to the US at the age 10 or over.
How would you expect them to do well in the tests when your students cannot even read the instructions written in English? Enough of this absurdity.
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Yes! Enough of this absurdity!
I remember reading an article in the local paper, about a year or more ago, that was about a refugee adult trying to obtain a state driver’s license. The gentleman told his story of coming to America (I wish I could remember which country he was from) and how he was determined to have a better life here for himself and his family. He was eager to get his driver’s license because he knew that would lead to better chances of getting a job. I was so impressed by his attitude and his drive to have a better life. His biggest obstacle was passing the written test portion to obtain his license. He said he had tried 3 times but failed each time. He commented how hard it was for him to understand the test, let alone reading the booklet for the test. He had even asked his ESL teacher to help him study. The two of them had even gone so far as to approach state officials to have an alternate way to test for the written portion; pretty much like a teacher would make accommodations for a student. It was considered, but quickly realized that it probably would be a costly and lengthy process. Really?
Despite his failed attempts, he was determined to get his license. Not too many people, adult or child, would have that kind of perseverance. Impressed by his determination, I couldn’t stop thinking that his children (if he had any) were in our schools! If an adult with that kind of determination and support could not pass a state written test, let alone read and comprehend the booklet, imagine how students must feel struggling in our classrooms. Our students don’t have that kind of determination. They are simply trying to survive day to day both emotionally and physically. Until those needs are satisfactorily met, they won’t grow in other ways. Maslow’s hierarchy!
I wrote the editor of the paper expressing my thoughts. I even emailed the reporter and submitted a letter for the opinion section. Nothing was printed.
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