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Example Of A Letter To California Department Of Education

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Letter to California Department of Education
Christina R. Hentz
Grand Canyon University

Letter to California Department of Education

The Honorable Tom Torlakson
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
California Department of Education
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901

After analyzing the curriculum used to teach and assess our English Language learners here at Harrison K-8 in Pomona Unified and I have come to the conclusion that Common Core State Standards standardized nationwide testing is as much a part of this curriculum just as the common core state standards are. It is quite evident that this testing is culturally biased and does not take into consideration or have adequate accommodations for the English language learners and their learning styles. By definition, “cultural bias in testing refers to a situation in which a given test is inappropriate for a certain audience. When a test does not test the student's actual knowledge of a taught subject or includes details tied to a culture that the student is unfamiliar with, …show more content…

Scholars agree that when designing assessments there must be input from those that are linguistically and culturally knowledgeable. Assessments should be multifaceted and tailored to meet the needs of the individual student, not a test that is given one way and only one way. The U. S Department of Education itself reviewed the assessment and concluded that they needed to better accommodate students with disabilities and English language learners. ("CARE-ED", 2015) When testing EL’s, the assessment should take into consideration the proficiency levels of the students and distinguish between whether it’s testing content or proficiency. English learners should be assessed at the proficiency level that they are at or tested in the language they are more proficient

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