State Testing In English Upsets Bilingual Schools

CHICAGO (WBBM) - School officials say the upcoming standardized test for elementary school students in Illinois could be trouble for at least 55,000 bilingual students who’ll have to take it as well as for their schools. 

WBBM’s Bernie Tafoya has the story.

Third through eighth graders in Illinois begin taking the ISAT on March 3rd.

Under No Child Left Behind rules, bilingual students who used to take a separate test will have to take the ISAT and take it in English. 

Chicago Schools CEO Arne Duncan says that “doesn’t make sense.”

Duncan says the Chicago school system has offered to pay to have the ISAT translated into other languages for bilingual students, but Matt Vanover, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Education, says there’s not enough time.

He says the state board has checked with test-producing companies which said it “can’t be done” in time. 

Vanover says the state is willing to work on the translation suggestion for next year.

Vanover admits it’s not a perfect situation, but he says it’s the “best we could do within the time constraints that we had.”

Phyllis Weaver, director of the English Language Learning program for Wheaton School District 200 says she’s worried about the more than 500 bilingual students in her district.

She says, “If you’re given a test you’re not prepared to do… it’s demoralizing.”  She adds that school officials are afraid students are going to say, “What’s the use? Why should we do this?”

Besides being demoralizing for bilingual students, local school officials say the expected lower scores will make schools look bad under No Child Left Behind Act standards.  Wheaton's Phyllis Weaver says schools could be seen as "failing" under No Child Left Behind because of some of the scores of bilingual students.  She says that would affect entire communities.

The state’s Matt Vanover says bilingual students will be given plenty of “accommodations”, including more time to take the tests and test directions read in the students’ native languages.

To that, Chicago Schools CEO Arne Duncan says, “If I had to take a test in Chinese tomorrow, if you gave me an extra 10 minutes or an extra two breaks. I don’t think I’m doing to do very well on the Chinese test”.

Vanover says the federal government threatened to cut off millions --if not billions--of dollars to Illinois if the testing were done any other way this year.