Testing Limited English Proficient Students

TESTING LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT STUDENTS

Milbank (2002) reports that on January 8th of this year, President George W. Bush signed into law the most sweeping educational bill since 1965, and that one of the hallmark elements of this bill is accountability which is to be determined through the ongoing assessment of student performance for all students. However, long before this bill was signed, North Carolina had made accountability an issue and pursued the fair testing of students, especially students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP students). This paper presents a brief analysis of this policy and its attendant practices in the State using the framework of John Kingdon (1995) whose model holds that several influences operate on public policy formulation, enactment and implementation.

The Problem, The Climate and The Advocates

According to Kingdon (1995), for a policy to be enacted, there must be a widespread perception that there is a public problem need of a policy solution, an acceptable solution available, a sociopolitical climate that supports the policy, and advocates committed to the solution. In this regard, LaCelle-Peterson and Rivera (1994) state that the standard-based educational reform initiatives of the 1990s made it clear not only in North Carolina but the nation in general that all students required ongoing sound assessment as to whether they were achieving the high standards set for

. . .
oral reading of questions in English, familiar person giving the test, and translated directions. LEAs are required to use other assessment methods for exempted students to demonstrate their progress in English and/or other subject areas. The advocates for this policy consisted of the North Carolina State Board of Education, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and several other key state educational agencies which developed the policy in accordance with Federal Guidelines. Comparisons of data collected prior to and after the implementation of the policy indicate that LEP achievement scores have risen considerably (North Carolina State Board of Education, 2001). Considered Alternatives and Extent To Which The Policy Was Implemented Over the years, a variety of assessment methods were considered and adopted for policy implementation. These included informal assessments, testing on a one-to-one basis by someone the child knew and felt comfortable with, specially developed tests specifically directed at the LEP student, and a host of other testing methods and practices aimed at fairness. All of these practices have been used since 1995 at various schools in North Carolina (Rivera, Vincent, Hafner & LaCelle-
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Approximate Word count = 1258
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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