Why is MCAS Not Fair for Bilingual Students?

MCAS does not allow bilingual students to demonstrate their knowledge in the language they are most proficient in, contrary to what is mandated under the Education Reform Act of 1993. The Education Reform Act says that as long as the student is determined to be limited English Proficient, they should be allowed to have the option of taking the assessment test in their native language, regardless of how many years they have been in the United States. (Although students are not allowed to take the assessment tests in their native language beyond 3 consecutive years.) Currently there is only a Spanish version of the test and bilingual students are mandated to take the test in English if they have been in the United States 3 years or longer.

The English Language Arts test is not an appropriate assessement instrument for bilingual students who are learning ESL (English as a Second Language). The MCAS tests students’ knowledge of themes, structures and elements of English and American literature which most bilingual students have not been exposed to. There should be an alternative ESL assessment test for bilingual students.

MCAS is culturally biased against bilingual and language minority students who haven’t had the cumulative life experiences in the United States in order to understand many of the questions on the test.

MCAS is not a driving force that leads to increased accountability and improved teaching and learning for language minority students. The MCAS mandate actually has led many districts to use less native language instructions in bilingual classrooms and to transition bilingual students before they are ready to study in all English classrooms, because most students are mandated to take their tests in English. Research shows that students in late exit bilingual education programs and 2-way bilingual education programs (usually lasts 6 or more years) demonstrate the most success in academics and English. We recommend a more holistic approach to improving language minority student achievement that would include such practices as: better professional development for all teachers who work with language minority students; whole school change which respects and utilizes the students’ knowledge and cultures as assets; improved parental involvement, etc. MCAS leads to standardization, not high standards.

MCAS will lead to increased student drop-outs and failure to graduate for many language minority students, as shown by a recent Gaston Institute Report. According to the 2006 Department of Education data, 46% of 10th grade Limited English Proficient (LEP) students failed the math portion of the MCAS test, while 45% failed the English portion of the test.