Illinois District Rejects NCLB LEP Testing Requirement

[Peter Farruggio <pfarr@cal.berkeley.edu>]

> DIST. 93 AGAINST GIVING TESTS TO KIDS STILL LEARNING ENGLISH
>
> (Chicago) Daily Herald -- February 22, 2008
> by Emily Krone
>
> A DuPage County school district could be the first in Illinois -- 
> and perhaps the nation -- to refuse to administer mandatory state 
> exams to students who haven't yet mastered English.
>
> The boycott by Carol Stream Elementary District 93 would be an act 
> of civil disobedience against the state's decision to force English 
> learners to take the same tests as their fluent peers.
>
> Nearly 10 percent of the district's 4,300 students were categorized 
> as having limited English skills in 2007.
>
> The federal No Child Left Behind law requires that all public 
> schools annually test all students in select grades.
>
> District 93 officials say they're willing to break the law this 
> spring to shield students from the frustration and humiliation of 
> taking an exam not designed for them.
>
> "The board believes it's appropriate to do that," District 93 
> Superintendent Henry Gmitro said. "While there may be consequences 
> for the adults in the organization, we shouldn't ask kids to be 
> tested on things they haven't been taught."
>
> Illinois dropped the test that was designed for English learners 
> this fall, after the U.S. Department of Education made a final 
> ruling that the test wasn't an adequate measure of state learning 
> standards. The old test was written in simpler English.
>
> As a stopgap measure, English learners will take standard 
> assessments with some special accommodations, such as extended time 
> and audio recordings, while Illinois develops a test that will meet 
> federal guidelines.
>
> Politicians and educators throughout Illinois have aggressively 
> opposed the move, predicting it will cause districts to fail and 
> face serious sanctions under the federal accountability law.
>
> A group of Chicago parents plans to keep their children home during 
> the March testing, while local school officials have petitioned 
> state lawmakers for a one-year reprieve for English learners. And, 
> some other superintendents say they also would consider a boycott.
>
> But District 93 administrators are the first school employees to say 
> publicly they will not administer the test to some students, 
> Illinois State Board of Education spokesman Matthew Vanover said.
>
> Indeed, the district could be the first in the nation to mount this 
> type of challenge, though others have rejected federal money in 
> order to opt out of the high-stakes tests.
>
> A Wisconsin teacher made national news last year when he protested 
> the emphasis the law places on standardized testing by refusing to 
> administer the exams -- for a single day. Threatened with 
> termination, he proctored the exams the second day.
>
> "The frustration is widespread, but this action is unique, to the 
> best of my knowledge," said Robert Schaeffer, public education 
> director for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing.
>
> Schaeffer said his group supports parents, students and educators 
> who take such stands, but does not push them to do so because of the risks.
>
> Vanover said he couldn't speculate on what penalties the state might 
> hand down.
>
> "We would encourage them to move forward with the testing and give 
> these students an opportunity to share what they have learned," 
> Vanover said. "And once those students have done that to best of 
> their ability, the test should end."
>
> Though the law says the test must be administered, it doesn't 
> stipulate that students must finish the test.
>
> U.S. Department of Education spokesman Chad Colby said a boycott 
> could jeopardize the district's federal funding. And, he said, it 
> would undermine the law's intent, which is to hold schools 
> accountable for what students learn.
>
> District 93 received about $631,000 from federal sources during the 
> 2005-06 school year, slightly more than 1 percent of its total revenue.
>
> Other suburban school officials said they would consider a boycott 
> as they continue to weigh their options.
>
> The Marquardt Elementary District 15 school board in Glendale 
> Heights has authorized Superintendent Loren May to make the final 
> decision on whether to administer the tests.
>
> "There's no clear pathway on what may or may not happen," May said. 
> "It's about making a decision about what's best for the children."