Many minority students have voiced frustration with bilingual service requirements within the Granite School District.
This past November, roughly seventy students from Skyline were mandated to take an English language proficiency exam. Every student selected is classified as a child where a language other than English is spoken in their home. Most of these students are either immigrants themselves (first generation) or the children of immigrants (second generation). This means that although a second language may be spoken in their home, their first language may very well be English. For others, they might have been born in a foreign country but moved to the United States at a young age, so they are already fluent in English.
An original screening test is given to all the students who were flagged for the requirements above. This test is then used to qualify students to take the World-class Instructional Design & Assessment (WIDA), which is an English proficiency exam.
Unlike other mandated tests, such as the Aspire, students cannot be opted out by parents for WIDA or the screening.
Arushi Rai, a Senior who was selected, says the school refused to take her excellent ACT score, look at the advanced English courses she’s taken, or even consider that she’s been in the American school system for more than 12 years in exchange for taking the test.
When told about student frustrations like these, Vice Principal Benjamin Anderson emphasized that it’s simply “a requirement by the federal government that we have to be in compliance with.” He explained the mandate originates from the federal government, is passed to the district, and then to schools within those districts, like Skyline.
Anderson continues to say, “It wasn’t something that [we] as a school investigated beyond the fact that we are just trying to be in compliance and test the students that the district asks us to.” Why wasn’t the school investigating this when many students had an issue? It could be that these issues were never brought up as formal student complaints, but even so, there were still cases with many roadblocks, so how come no one in power stopped to ask why?
Anderson says, “We want [students] to be able to speak English […] well and be in a position where they are able to assimilate into American culture, jobs, and all of those things.” Notably, school leaders are encouraging assimilation, which describes when individuals or groups “gradually adopt the practices, values, and behaviors of another culture, often losing their original cultural identity in the process” (nvcc.edu). Instead, they should help students acculturate to their environment, meaning individuals acclimate but “retain their original cultural identity” (nvcc.edu).
So, how is the district selecting which students take the test? According to Anderson, a computer system flags students based on their school registration data. However, there seem to be some inconsistencies that have been unaccounted for.
Rai says, “It was strange to see what students they were picking and choosing to take the screening.” Although she moved to the U.S. when she was four or five years old, she says English is listed as her first language in the system, which has her confused about why she was still flagged.
Rai mentions other anonymous students who had circumstances just as strange. For example, one student born in the United States who is bilingual was still forced to test. Another example is a student and their sibling who have the same demographics, both moved to the U.S. a few years ago, and yet one was flagged while the other was not. These inconsistencies seem to be a common and irritating issue for several people. So, why are students who are fluent still being forced to prove their English proficiency?
Isabelle Pitcher, another Senior who was wrongly flagged, has been the only known case to partially avoid it, only “after a very long process of calling and having to still go in and take part of it.” She was born and raised in the United States, learned Spanish, then began English at age three and French in first grade. Although she is fluent in all three languages, she was still labeled as a student needing evaluation.
The system seems to make the assumption that when another language is learned first or spoken at home, students aren’t fluent in English.
Pitcher also says that she was constantly getting removed from class to finish it “at the end of the quarter and missing all these tests and presentations. […] When you’re getting pulled out of class every single day to complete a test to prove that you speak the language […] [of] the country you’ve lived your whole life in […], obviously you’re going to get annoyed.” Pitcher described how, even though she was eventually excused, the process was extremely tedious and frustrating.
Anderson says that the screening is more difficult to pass than the WIDA itself. He also claims that students who don’t pass the initial screening with proficiency are required to take the full WIDA test later. Although this might be true, Skyline student Rai feels there might be something else going on. She says, “When I went there, most of the students were Hispanic or people of color. There were a lot of kids in the testing room [who] I could confidently say their English proficiency is [adequate] enough [to] where they shouldn’t have to take a test to prove it. […] It’s about, are you really selecting the correct students to take this, or are you just doing it based on demographic indicators that a computer system is uploading?”
Prejudice is an unavoidable and constant part of humanity. When prejudice is acted on, it becomes discrimination. Whether or not this is what’s happening in the school system, if students suspect or feel this way at all, it’s a problem in itself. Rai says, “It might not even be their fault, frankly. It might just be whatever system they use to check off certain students [for testing] could just be faulty, but even then, that’s their responsibility to fix.”
All involved students were pulled out of their classes to take the screening. Some students, like Rai, found it pointless and thought their time could be better spent elsewhere; thus, they put less effort into it. Unfortunately, as a result, Rai was sent to take the WIDA test later on. She refused and was eventually pulled out of class once more by Instructional Coach Marisa Cones and told they would “constantly keep pestering [her]” if she didn’t take it, so she might as well just do it.
Why is the district focusing on students like Rai instead of those who could truly benefit from it? For example, they could use these resources to assist kids who struggle with English proficiency, regardless of their background.
Multilingual Services and Testing, like WIDA, have the potential to be beneficial, but the way it’s being implemented is negatively impacting students.
Ideally, the algorithm designed to flag students as participants should be altered to better identify testing candidates. The other option is that anyone who is flagged for the test should have the ability to use ACT scores, English class grades, teacher references, and more as a substitute for taking the screening or WIDA.
Although reworking the test on a national level might be a challenge, there are still many things that Skyline and any school district can do to make this a more positive experience for students. Instead of pulling students out at any given time of day, allow them to come in during a time that best fits their academic schedule. After all, they are in class to learn, and by letting them choose a timeframe, they are likely going to feel more respected and less divided from their peers.
Even if the test must be done, the school absolutely has the ability to improve communication between them and students. The school should show acknowledgment that this test might not be ideal but also explain their restrictions due to government mandates.
The Granite School District’s Services for Multilingual Learners says, “We recognize that students may be bilingual or multilingual already, and are working on mastering their language skills in English.” However, the definition of bilingual in Oxford Languages is “(of a person) speaking two languages fluently.” Yet, people don’t see the district testing white, multi-generational Americans.
The Granite site also states, “The WIDA Screener helps us know the student’s language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.” When asked about the contents of the test, Rai describes that it’s “very redundant, [and] speaks to you as if you are a second grader, […] so it makes you feel very small and very dumb in that situation.” Not only has this test been a source of vexation among students, but also of belittlement.
When these difficulties were brought to Anderson’s attention, he said, “I’m not surprised; students often think that things are unfair.” Although it might not be intentional, it is important that the district does not make students feel dismissed.
In order to foster an environment where youth are taught to resist harmful power, they need to feel like their troubles are worth a solution or, at the very minimum, being troubleshooted.
On another note, Rai says, “It’s odd that in the current state of the U.S, the school does not listen […] and does not see how this could be harmful.” When many world events seem intense and even threatening to some groups, it is important to make sure that people in your care do, in fact, feel cared for. It is crucial to have trust going both ways between the school and its students, but especially for students to have assurance in those who have authority over them.
Rai even said that students in the testing room joked about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) being called on everyone there. Although this is extreme, it should make staff wonder what is causing such drastic jokes. Rai continues, “While at that point it was a joke, if you really think about it, they are taking a bunch of foreign students, putting them in a room, separating them from their peers, and then saying ‘now you have to take [an exam] to test your English proficiency.’”
By continuing practices that make students feel discriminated against, they risk tainting the trust students have in them. Rai says, “[The school is] making students who are already different, feel more different based on terms and test scores that [they] feel are necessary.”
By singling out some students from others, the enforcement of mandates is reinforcing exclusion among classmates and causing those separated to feel exceedingly minoritized.
Rai continues by saying that in the current circumstances of the United States, “it is very important to not isolate people just because of their background or because of their abilities. It’s even more important to hear out your students when they are claiming [problems].”
When Anderson was told about students’ emotions on the matter, he said, “However kids feel about it is somewhat irrelevant to the sense that schools are tasked with the job of trying to help students become better and educate them.”
Although the goal of those who manage and run the educational system is to teach young minds, teaching doesn’t solely stem from government requirements. The feelings of kids should be a priority because these mandates are negatively impacting students’ sense of self and belonging in their school communities.
Students deserve to be listened to and fought for, even if there are requirements that need to be fulfilled. Just because there is a federal mandate doesn’t mean student frustrations shouldn’t be heard and addressed. It is important to evaluate the processes by which these mandates are being carried out in order to account for the impact they might have on students.
Societies and systems don’t change positively if every person automatically complies with power without consideration for consequences. What are educational leaders reinforcing in youth by dismissing their desire for change? What indirect lessons are these practices teaching about ignoring impact?
Rai offers, “Maybe they truly don’t know, […] but as an educator and a leader in education, you should be looking for answers.”
