Texas Tests Harbor a “Soft Bigotry” of Their Own

By
Jennifer Morales and Ed Morris

Center for Education Research, Analysis, and Innovation
School of Education
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
PO Box 413
Milwaukee WI 53201
414-229-2716

December 06, 2000

CERAI-00-33

Texas Tests Harbor a “Soft Bigotry” ofTheir Own

By Jennifer Morales and EdMorris

During the televisedpresidential debates, George W. Bush decried “the soft bigotry of lowexpectations” that public schools have historically held for poor and minoritystudents. He touted Texas’ high-stakes testing regimen for improvingopportunities for minorities. Bush and the state board of education claim theTexas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), a series of tests administered in3rd through 10th grades, will hold schools to high expectations for allchildren.

The real experiences of many poor, minority youth suggest otherwise. Instead ofliving up to his promise to leave no child behind, the Texas education reformsthat Bush inherited and expanded upon are placing unnecessary obstacles in thepaths of otherwise promising students.

Margarita is one such student, recently interviewed by University of Texasprofessor Angela Valenzuela while conducting research on the Texas education“miracle.” Margarita’s family came to the U.S. three years ago to pursue theAmerican Dream. Immigrants from Mexico, her parents looked forward the day thattheir two oldest children would graduate from high school and enter college --a first for their family. Her parents moved to the United States “para que loshijos se superaran” -- “so that the children might get ahead”. Margaritaembraced her family's aspirations that all of their children would go tocollege.

According to her teachers, Margarita was an excellent student who had met allof her credits for graduation. Though very capable, she struggles with her secondlanguage, English, in high-pressure situations. Rather than testing her trueabilities, the tenth-grade TAAS, a requirement for graduation, was reallytesting her literacy in the English language.

One sign of her commitment to making it to college was her willingness toendure the humiliation and stress that came with taking the three-day TAAS testsix times.  On her final attempt, she was only 4 points shy of a passingscore.1

Margarita and her family are not the only ones to see their hopes dashed by thestate’s testing system. Boston College professor Walter Haney recently foundthat since TAAS was implemented, only 40% of minority students have progressedfrom ninth grade to graduation.2Among the state’s Latino students, thosewho like Margarita have limited English skills are even more adverselyaffected.

Although Texas does not collect data on the dropout rates of students withlimited English skills, TAAS scores illuminate their predicament. According toTexas Education Agency statistics, such students’ test scores were among thelowest in the state and were in fact virtually identical to those of thestate’s special education students.3 Students withlimited English skills also experienced the least amount of improvement in TAASpassing rates annually statewide.4 Based on thisevidence, it’s clear that the TAAS tests leave many students behind.

If the TAAS system remains in place, the problem it causes for many minoritystudents will only grow. According to the Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics, in1998 more babies were born to Hispanic mothers than to any other ethnic groupin the state of Texas -- children who will be entering our school system infive or six years.5The steadily increasing rate of births toHispanic mothers represents a huge demographic bubble that will soon popagainst the barriers that these tests constitute.

TAAS’s one-size-fits-all approach ultimately makes students, rather thanschools, bear the brunt of “accountability.” The state's interest is hardlyserved by an accountability system that shuts the door on talented andcollege-aspiring children. A complete overhaul of Texas’ assessment program isin order. In the meantime, a consideration of additional criteria forgraduation that could override an unsatisfactory TAAS score, including teacherrecommendations, a student portfolio, or classroom grades, is the least thatthe state can do.

The accountability system that Governor Bush heralded on the campaign trail isnot only indifferent to the needs and goals of immigrant and minority youth inTexas, but is personally devastating for children like Margarita. If aTexas-style “accountability” plan is implemented on a national scale, a largertragedy of lost opportunity promises to unfold.

1 Valenzuela, Angela. Unpublishedfield research, 1999.

2 Haney, Walt. “The Myth of the TexasMiracle in Education.” Education Policy Analysis Archives, Vol. 8,No.  41,  August 19, 2000. Available at:http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n41/

3 Comprehensive biennial report onTexas public schools:  A report to the 76th Texas legislature. Austin: Texas Education Agency, 1998.

4 Ibid.

5 Texas Vital Statistics -- 1998Annual Report. Austin: Texas Department of Health, 1999. Available on-lineat: http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/bvs/stats98/text/98natal.htm