U.S. orders state to up minority test scores

Terry Webster

Thursday, Aug. 10, 2000 | 11:16 a.m.

The U.S. Department of Education has ordered Nevada to closely monitor low test scores for students with limited or no English language skills.

Following a complaint filed with the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights in Seattle, a five-page directive was sent to the Nevada Department of Education setting out how it was to analyze and improve the test scores.

The directive points out that under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, every public school district must give minorities with limited English skills the same educational benefits that other students receive.

The students addressed in the directive typically are those who come from countries where English is not the primary language.

"Anytime something comes down from the Office for Civil Rights, we take it very seriously," said Paul La Marca, team leader for the state's standards, curriculum and assessment division. "But this is not a new thing. We were concerned about the disparities in performance long before the complaint was filed."

Gary Jackson, regional director of the civil rights office, declined to say who filed the complaint or to give any details about it.

The state has until the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year to fully implement the directive.

Since the last school year the state has been tracking scores from the national TerraNova exam and the state's High School Proficiency Exam by district and by students' English proficiency.

"The first thing we have to do is to look at the data," state Superintendent Mary Peterson said. "We certainly need to be doing a better job of helping those kids."

Results of the TerraNova test already tracked by the state over the past three years show that students with limited English proficiency consistently averaged scores about one-half of what other students scored.

The state study also reveals a disparity among races in the passing rate on the October 1999 High School Proficiency Exam given to juniors.

On the test, required to get a high school diploma, white and Asian 11th graders had significantly higher pass rates than Hispanics, blacks and American Indians.

In math, 60 percent of white students and 56 percent of Asian students passed on their first try on the test. Only 27 percent of Hispanics, 24 percent of blacks and 27 percent of Indians passed.

On the reading portion, 77 percent of white students and 68 percent of Asians passed, while 46 percent of Hispanics, 47 percent of blacks and 56 percent of Indians did.

La Marca, who forwarded the test information to the civil rights office in April, said he has not yet received a response.

If the federal officials determine the scores are disproportionate, at either the state or local level, certain actions can be taken.

First, the state will be asked to review its tests to determine whether they are "valid and reliable." If the tests are acceptable, but the scores are not, the federal officials will meet with the state to determine alternatives for the students.

If students with limited English score significantly below the state's academic standards after the 2001-2002 school year, the state will determine whether districts have curriculums that meet the needs of those students.

The state also will determine whether students with limited English are given the same opportunity to learn material that they are later tested on. If the state determines a district does not have an adequate program, a corrective plan will be designed.

Further, the state can order districts to design remedial programs for limited English students who fail to perform adequately on standardized tests.

It is too early to tell if the plan will cost school districts money, La Marca said.

"Hopefully, school districts are already doing these things."

Clark County School District spokeswoman Mary Stanley-Larsen said the district is aware of the directive and is awaiting the results of the study.

Further questions should be addressed by La Marca, she said.

"We're usually the last to know about anything," Clark County School Board member Shirley Barber said. During public board meetings, she has repeatedly asked for information on minority test scores.