Protesters Call High School Exit Exam 'Racist' (Critics Say Tests Are Biased Toward Whites, Asians)

NBC - 4 ^ | February 26, 2003

[Michael2001]

LOS ANGELES -- Demonstrators urged the Los Angeles school board Tuesday to reconsider the use of tests they say are racist and unfair to blacks and Latinos.

Some people believe the California High School Exit Exam and other standardized tests are culturally biased toward whites and Asians.

"We are concerned about the racist tests that are going on in the schools today," said Paige Leven of the Coalition for Educational Justice.

The demonstration was timed to coincide with proposal from school board members Genethia Hudley Hayes, who is black, and Jose Huizar, who is of Latino descent. They want state officials to explore the "legal, financial and policy implications of establishing a moratorium on the high stakes consequences of the (high school exit exam)."

At the same time, Hayes and Huizar want to continue using results from the exit exam as a "diagnostic tool."

Whites and students of Asian descent typically score better than blacks and Latinos on standardized tests. Huizar said the gap was at least a "20-25 percent disparity."

Last spring, the school board voted 4-1 to consider alternatives to the Stanford 9 and high school exit exam after Hayes and Huizar suggested the tests were biased against nonwhites from poor families.

But Superintendent Roy Romer said the two tests are required by state law.

Tuesday, Hayes and Huizar proposed that the district consider adopting or expanding "alternative or interim assessments to improve the quality of information available to individual classroom teachers."

The alternatives would include "language arts performance assignments" for grades 2-9 and quarterly assessments in math.

Hayes and Huizar also want to create a task force to devise an "Opportunity to Learn Index that would provide public information on ... students' equitable access to tools, resources and materials that inform the educational conditions under which they are assessed."

Demonstrators said many inner-city students were disadvantaged.

"We have very little funds. We have very little books," said Victor Banuelos, an 11th-grade student at Los Angeles High School.

Hayes said she was concerned that the district was considering offering two kinds of high school diplomas -- one saying the student passed the exit exam, and the other saying he or she did not.

The school board will vote on the Hayes-Huizar proposal in two weeks.

[Michael2001]

Whites and students of Asian descent typically score better than blacks and Latinos on standardized tests. Huizar said the gap was at least a "20-25 percent disparity."

So of working to help blacks and Latinos to prepare fro the tests, they just call the tests racist. By this logic basketball must be racist since blacks outperform whites, who outperform Latinos and Asians.

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[Zavien Doombringer]

I am saddened, really saddened.

[goodnesswins]

Democrat credo - keep 'em dumb and stupid.....

[San Jacinto]

We have very little books," said Victor Banuelos, an 11th-grade student at Los Angeles High School.

Well, that way they are easier to carry.

[biblewonk]

Protesters Call High School Exit Exam 'Racist' (Critics Say Tests Are Biased Toward Whites, Asians)

Tests tend to be biased towards people who actually study, so I guess the title is true in a lot of cases.

[reelfoot]

Can anyone explain to me how you can make math racist? How about chemistry? Physics?

[Koblenz]

standardized tests are to determine what you know. Granted, they might be able to make the case that the education received by various ethnic groups might be inferior to other groups, but as long as the test is the same test for blacks and whites, and doesn't include things that would be naturally racist (I really can't think of any examples: a math problem is a math problem is a math problem, grammar is grammar, etc), it's hard for the test to be racist.

[Sender]

Such tests by their very nature cannot possibly be "racist" as all students at the school had the same curriculum. There are not black classes and latino classes and white classes who all give out different educations. All students must show that they retained some of the knowledge after sitting in class for 3 years...so if one group doesn't remember anything or doesn't understand the tests, they want to scream "racist"? Oh yeah sure.

[classmuse500]

"We are concerned about the racist tests that are going on in the schools today," said Paige Leven of the Coalition for Educational Justice.

I don't see any mention of WHY or HOW these tests are racist. Paige Levin! Say something useful, idiot!

[winodog]

I wonder what part of the test makes it racist?
Are they asking for testing to be done in ebonics and spanish?
It seems like more of the same whining and moaning about how unfair things are instead of working hard to make things better.

[Bahbah]

"We have very little books."
I insist they be givin larger books immediately.

[Hill-William]

Couldn't agree with you more,... tests are biased towards those who study. My assessment is based on 31 years in "edu ma kation" which automatically disqualifies me from making a judgement. To "really" understand the problem you have to have a degree in journalism or be a "feel your pain" liberal. But I repeat myself.

[familyofman]

"Can anyone explain to me how you can make math racist? How about chemistry? Physics? "

I sure can't & don't know how you could - unless you failed the exam. This canard has got to go - by claiming racism people are just burying their heads in the sand, afraid to look the problem square in the eye.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Why not let black and hispanic educators try to put together new tests to make sure that there is no racism? Surely they could come up with questions that didn't advantage whites and asians.

Why aren't they telling us the examples of questions that are racist?

Presumably, some questions are racist to different degrees, while other aren't, and statistics would bear this out. Why not just toss out the questions on which blacks and hispanics fared disproportionally poorly, and tell us the results? Hmmm?

[IYAS9YAS]

Well, most of the books are printed on white paper...ba da bing ;^)

[KarlInOhio]

Can anyone explain to me how you can make math racist?

If 4 klansmen can build and light 12 crosses per hour, how many can be elected to the Senate?

How about chemistry?

By only studying white substances instead of "chemicals of color".

Phisics?

If a polo ball has an initial speed of 10 meters / second and it left the mallet and an angle of 30 degrees, how much time will it take to land? Express results in millichuckers.

[TheBigB]

Can anyone explain to me how you can make math racist?

teacher: "2+2=4"

dumb student: "RACIST!"

There ya go. It's easy. :)

[Im Your Huckleberry]

In other words, they're biased towards students who come from cultues that actually place a "value" on "learning" and on "education".

Oh, okay, I see...so we should change the tests to conform to the standards of ignoramuses and those who come from cultures where education is mocked, those achieve are ridiculed for their "book learnin'"...

I think I'm getting it now...