Problems With Spanish AIMS
Kelly Pearce
Spanish-speaking elementary school students will be able to take the AIMS test this April in their own language. But the Spanish version of Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards has its problems: *Less than half of eligible Spanish-speaking students took the pilot test last spring. *There may be a group of students not prepared for either the English or Spanish version of the test, said Lisa Graham Keegan, state superintendent of public instruction. High schoolers don't have a choice. Only an English version exists. *And some say there shouldn't even be a Spanish AIMS, which cost more than $1 million. LOW TEST TURNOUT About 47 percent of limited-English-proficient third-graders took part in the pilot Spanish AIMS test last spring, 28 percent of fifth- graders and 23 percent of eighth-graders. Not all eligible children took the initial Spanish exam, district officials say, because the Department of Education asked that only Spanish-literate students participate, those who could read and write in the language. Although a child may speak Spanish at home, he or she may not be able to read and write it. The low turnout is a problem because it takes a substantial sample of students to build reliable, valid test questions. Although the pilot-test numbers are low, a Spanish elementary school version probably will be ready, officials said. CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE Schoolchildren are allowed to take only one AIMS test in Spanish. After that, they are expected to grasp English enough to take on the regular version. Keegan worries about those not ready for either. "I'm afraid these kids are being lost," she said. "They deserve better than this." State education officials don't have a solution. Districts are doing what they can to prepare Spanish speakers for the test. In elementary school, the stakes aren't that high. Although all third-, fifth- and eighth-graders must tackle AIMS, they don't have to pass the test to move to the next grade. In high school, however, students must pass AIMS to graduate. And no Spanish test exists. That's despite the fact that students with Spanish-speaking roots often scored lower than students with English-language backgrounds in reading, writing and math during the first round of testing last spring. In 1992, two Nogales parents filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Education claiming there aren't enough programs for limited-English students. When AIMS came about, it, too, was added to the lawsuit. The parents say the test is unfair and should be scrapped or should not be required for graduation. A U.S. District Court judge in Tucson likely will rule early this year. Last week, a federal judge in Texas upheld that state's graduation test, rejecting discriminatory claims. Sophomores take the AIMS test this spring, the first class that must pass to graduate. NO SPANISH AIMS While some fight for a Spanish AIMS, others fight against it. Mary Mendoza, co-chair of the English for the Children Initiative, doesn't think there should be a Spanish version of the annual Stanford 9 test, either. She's all for students being immersed in English, even those new to the language. "They won't be able to take the English version if they continue to be taught in Spanish," said Mendoza, who helped launch a petition drive to replace bilingual education with one year of English immersion. Her group has until July to gather 101,000 signatures. If successful, the idea would be put before state voters later this year. Jorge Amselle, vice president for education with the Washington D.C.-based Center for Equal Opportunity, suggests that Spanish speakers take both Spanish and English versions of the test and that both be graded. Others welcome a Spanish-only exam. "If we want to access students' academic level," said Julianne Lein, with the Glendale Elementary school district, "then we need to test in the primary language to get a good read." |