Day -28: Testing Inequitites

We finished our standardized testing in English. Tomorrow we get to start standardized testing in Spanish. Makes sense, right? Our bilingual program is attempting to enable students to achieve on grade level in both Spanish and English, so of course students should be assessed in both languages.

But it's not all it's cracked up to be. In my five years of being a bilingual teacher, I have administered three different state standardized tests in Spanish - the SABE (for three years), the Aprenda (for one year), and this year the STS - State Standardized Tests in Spanish. So can my students' scores be compared longitudinally? Of course not. Can I become familiar with the format and structure of the test so that I can prepare students well for it? Nope. There are reams and reams of documentation about the state standardized tests in English - released test questions, test blueprints. What is there for the state standardized tests in Spanish? One little pdf that lists how many questions will address each state standard in language arts and math.

Plus, in their infinite wisdom, the state has decided that only students in the US less than 12 months plus English Learners in bilingual programs need to take this test. That means that my students who have developed strong English skills in our bilingual program and have been redesignated as Fluent English Proficient don't get tested in Spanish. That makes sense, doesn't it? As numerous studies show, it is these redesignated students who outperform all other students (including English-only students) in standardized tests and other measures of achievement. So let's take all our highest-achieving students and throw out their scores.

Plus, since my Fluent English Proficient students don't get tested in Spanish, that means that I have to figure out something for them to do during the 8 hours of testing we will have over the next two weeks.

And best of all, we still haven't gotten students' results back for last year's standardized tests in Spanish. Try as I might to use data to inform my instruction, it's a little tough to do when I don't actually have the data.

But my students will valiantly fill in their bubbles tomorrow nonetheless.