Non-Native Children Left Behind: Second Language Learners & Standardized Assessments
Standardized testing has become the central focus of the educational system in the US. Students who just step foot in the country are required to take part in this standardized testing. All students in Connecticut (grades 3-12) are required to take the mathematics and science (5th, 8th, and 11th grade) portions of the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Aptitude Performance Test (CAPT) no matter how long they have been in the country. Although math is viewed as a universal language, the majority of questions are word problems on the assessment. Once students have been in the country for 12 months, they must take the entire assessment, including the reading and writing portions.
Standardized assessments are usually developed for the mainstream population and administered only once per year. The scores on these tests are used to determine many decisions such as exit criteria, graduation, and adequate yearly progress (AYP), as well as recently being linked to teacher evaluations. Accommodations such as word-to-word dictionaries, taking the assessment on a computer with a reader, and extended time are offered to students who have been identified and labeled as ELL by the state. However, these are chosen by the student’s designee. If the correct paperwork is not filled out in advance or chosen by the designee, the child will not receive any accommodations, even if they are ELL and want them (See Smarter Balanced and Accommodations).
