High-Stakes Testing, Latinos, and English Language Learners: Lessons from Colorado

Abstract

In Colorado, the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) has been created as the performance standard to determine progress that Colorado students are making toward meeting content standards. This study utilized results of the CSAP across 3 years (1999)(2000)(2001) to determine the impact that standards-based education in Colorado is having on Latino students in general, and on Latino English language learners (ELLs) specifically. CSAP results in reading and writing in English and Spanish were compared for Latinos taking the CSAP in Spanish, Latinos taking the CSAP in English, and all Colorado third and fourth graders. This study also examined the extent to which school report card grades were affected in schools with large numbers of ELLs. Results indicate that the percentage of Latinos meeting state standards as measured by the Spanish CSAP is equivalent to, and in some cases higher, than the percentage of Latinos who are taking the CSAP in English. However, a gap exists between Latinos, no matter what their language of instruction and testing, and all Colorado third and fourth graders. This study found that school report card grades are lower in schools with large numbers of ELLs; this raises questions about the negative impact of school report card grades on schools that have high numbers of ELLs.

Examining Hispanic Student Mathematics Performance on High-Stakes Tests: An Examination of One Urban School District in Colorado

“…These results are consistent with those found by Escamilla et al (2007) when examining all Colorado third and fourth graders as compared to Hispanic students, no matter their language of instruction. These findings also provide insights into Hispanic students' progress towards eliminating the achievement gap, with the information from the meta-analysis raising doubts about the progress.…”

“…Researchers have noted gaps in achievement between Hispanic students and others in Colorado while examining the scores of these bilingual students (Escamilla et al 2007;Lenhart 2003;Mitchell 2002). On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 2005 and 2007, Colorado Hispanic students scored lower than White students, who outscored them by 31 and 32 percentage points, respectively.…”

Children of immigration

“…In the current high-stakes assessment climate, school districts are sometimes pressured to prematurely reclassify students from English language learners to Fluent English Proficient (Escamilla et al, 2003). In other cases, immigrant students languish as "long-term ELLs" (Olsen, 2010).…”

“…Though research has consistently shown that, no matter the age, developing academic English language takes time (Cummins, 2000), many states used standard ELA exams after one year of enrollment to assess Adequate Yearly Progress. Thus an impossible benchmark was set that would penalize schools with high numbers of ELLs, placing them at risk of losing standing and funding under NCLB (Escamilla et al, 2003).…”

Teacher Collaboration and Latinos/as’ Mathematics Achievement Trajectories

“…Although many teachers hold the misconception that mathematics is a universal language and that learning and teaching mathematics does not require many language skills, there is evidence that math is heavily reliant on students' verbal capacity ( Irujo 2007). In addition, many Latino/a students frequently encounter testing hurdles because they are not proficient in English, the predominant language of assessments (Escamilla et al 2003). Low scores on these assessments can, in turn, limit non-Englishproficient Latino students' future academic opportunities through inappropriate track placements and decreased confidence (Robinson 2010).…”