English-Only and Ridiculous English as a Second Language Tests
August 7th, 2005Here’s a story I found pretty frustrating:
In Austin, Texas, students were complaining about how moronic their ESL (English as a Second Language) exams were. I actually went and found the sampler for the test that the article refers to: NYSESLAT Test Samplers-2005. And it is pretty shocking that they’re giving high-school age students “questions” like this one:
So the deal is, if the students pass the test, they pass out of the ESL program. And unsurprisingly, the number of students in the program determines how much funding there will be:
Districts routinely go out of their way to help students who have completed the ESL program, even though they no longer get state money to do so. But if the proficiency test proves so easy that many students exit the program, “then it’s going to drastically reduce the state aid we get in the coming year,” said Kim Ganley, who coordinates ESL programs for the Webster district, where students speak about 20 languages.
This is the kind of thing that makes me doubt the motivations of the “English Only” movement. Their argument goes that the only way to really help students adapt is to move them into an all-English environment as quickly as possible. But tests like this are almost pointless. They prepare students for precisely nothing, let alone for moving into high-school level classes. The students are complaining because they know this perfectly well.
If one were really cynical, one might guess that tests like these are actually designed to submarine students’ honest attempts to integrate into the English-speaking world. I’m pretty cynical, myself.
I am not a fan of the NYSESLAT by any means. I believe it to be a boring attempt to gauge the knowledge and skills of an ELL in one fell swoop - an impossible task. Before the NYSESLAT rolled around (before NCLB), we used multiple measures to gauge a student’s English abilities and skills…these measures included State tests, school tests, teacher-based observations, and English tests such as the LAS. Multiple measures helped to designate a child as English proficient or in need of services (as should be). The NYSESLAT came around and tried to boil of that down into one test - a terrible, pedagogical mistake. But, you cannot judge the NYSESLAT on the test “sampler”. What is shown there is the simple stuff. There are other, more difficult, areas of the test. Often, the cut-off number to test out of the program (depending on grade level) is extremely high. There are students here in NY who have passed their English Regents but have not tested out of ESL with the NYSESLAT. Either way you look at things, the NYSESLAT does not accurately measure a student’s true ability to manipulate and affectively use the English language.
- Charlie @ 15 May 2006I also believe the NYSESLAT is a horrible exam, for a number of reasons.
I am an ESL teacher with kindergarten and first grade students in a New York City public school. When students who speak another language at home enter the NYC system, they are given a test called LAB-R (Language Assessment Battery - Revised). In kindergarten and first grade, the LAB-R is fairly simple, mostly based on oral language and with very little reading and no writing. Many students “pass out” of ESL during this exam, and many end up with scores right around the cutoff point.
Those who are at or below the cutoff point become English Language Learners, and must take the NYSESLAT to officially pass out of ESL. Each student must be given four tests: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Older elementary school children have experience taking tests, but have you ever tried to administer a STANDARDIZED TEST to kindergarten or first grade students? Believe me, it is quite a difficult task, both for the teacher proctors and the confused students taking the exam.
Also, the NYSESLAT is extremely difficult at the elementary level — I suspect that if all students in K and 1 were given this test, only about 10 - 20% would pass, whether or not they were ELLs.
It is an awful test, and although I have heard that New York City is considering abolishing the NYSESLAT as the sole criterion for ESL eligibility, we are about to start getting ready for the NYSESLAT in about a month.
- Adilah @ 16 March 2007I hate that test, it is ridiculous. How can you decide if one can pass out of ESL based on one single test? I took that test last year and my score was right on the passing line! Now I have to take 2 period of ESL and that made me feel like I’m a fool because now I’m LEARNING with all those level 2s! I can’t even take a elective class because of that and lots of classes doesn’t take ESL students!
- Ann @ 19 April 2010It does seem that everybody is into this kind of stuff lately. Don’t really understand it though, but thanks for trying to explain it. Appreciate you shedding light into this matter. Keep it up
- cleaning businesses @ 7 June 2010