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.

[ladylib]

That's not fair. Students should have textbooks and teachers who can teach. LAUSD is a corrupt school district that shortchanges students while giving their administrators beautiful offices, cars, and other perks.

That being said, there is nothing to stop a student from going to his local library and taking out a few books. Many libraries offer ESL courses, as well as literacy courses but students have to know about them.

[Michael2001]

I just reread my post, and I must've been either really drunk on really tired. Besides the spelling mistakes I couldn't even make a coherent statement. My apologies

[ladylib]

Victor needs a little guidance, that's all. I bet no one from the corrupt LAUSD is willing to help him out, either.

[Michael2001]

If klansman BillyBob has 8 crosses, and you can burn each cross three times, how many black people can he intimidate?

Of course I'm being an a-hole, but I've been racking my brain and I can't come up with a racist question.

[Michael2001]

21

[MEGoody]

"Whites and students of Asian descent typically score better than blacks and Latinos on standardized tests."

And of course this has NOTHING to do with the whites and Asians actually studying harder. ::::sarcasm off::::

[Amerigomag]

culturally biased toward whites and Asians.

If these tests are culturally biased toward whites why are Latinos complaining?

Maybe they meant to say culturally biased toward white Europeans? No that would still include Latinos.

Maybe they meant to say culturally biased toward white, US citizens? No that would still include the bulk of Latinos.

The only posibility left is that they meant to say that the tests are culturally biased against citizens of another country. That must be it. The tests are culturally biased against Mexicans, Nicaraguans, and Salvadorans.

In that case I'm in complete agreement with their arguments.

[Warrior Nurse]

4(x)-1=11

How is the answer racist. Oh if you don't learn English over Ebonics then you can pass any test.

Instead of Bling-Bling and the law of the Ghetto how about learning Newton's 3rd law of thermodynamics?

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Their MO...teach to the lowest common denominator. It's pathetic. It's not going to get better until Bush and the Repubs do something about it. I hope something gets done soon. I for one, and sick to death of the race card being played, over and over again.

Cutting off all welfare might be a start, as well as Section 8.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

that's "am sick to death of the race card" etc., not "and"

[jimt]

For instance, the influential Standard Achievement Test (SAT) requires students to be familiar with terms like "conservatory" and "regatta."

And you're highly unlikely to learn them if you don't read books, and all your time is spent watching rap videos or listening to salsa music and playing soccer.

Duh !

Familiarity with the language is essential to communication. That doesn't make it "racist".

[Diva Betsy Ross]

They claim that context based problems - like word problems - are racist. It is a common canard - 4 apples minus two apples = x. Blacks eat fewer apples, so are less familiar with the context of the question blah blah.

As usual the racists who make their living on maintaining the victimhood of blacks are not held accountable for their lies/mistatements, nor is there ever any reasonable discussion.

Blacks are supporting these racists less and less.

[BamaGirl]

Didn't they actually do that a few years back, that is, explicitly make some test biased FOR blacks and hispanics, and white and asians STILL outperformed them?

Anyone have a link to that?

[BamaGirl]

You can download the statistics on how CA kids from grades 1 -- 12 perform on tests focusing on Reading, Math, Language and some other subjects I can't remember. If anyone is interested in the URL I can dig it up.

Anyway, the data includes race information, so just out of curiosity I tallied the numbers for performance in mathematics (how could that be culturally biased?). If you looked at the percent of each race in the top 25%, 50%, and 75% the results were almost consistently in this order:

1. Asians
2. Whites
3. American Indians
4. Hispanics
5. Blacks

This ordering showed up almost consistently across each grade. Of course, there was no indication of socioeconomic status, so that might have played a role.

[sport]

I wonder if studying would help then pass the test?

[ladyinred]

This is sooo not true.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Hukkked on Foniks wurkd fur mee!!

[mhking]

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[willyboyishere]

NOT THIS CRAP AGAIN!!!!Do they never tire of running this
wayward flag up the flagpole to see if anyone is still feckless enough to salute it???? Drop out of "underfunded" schools and educate yourselves! It's easy!

[honeygrl]

"We have very little books."

They are probably making all the white kids carrying the larger books...