Standardized Testing isn't racist... its the Junk food and Letterman

Could a system, created to achieve equality in determining the effectiveness of education, be flawed in a way to give white test takers an advantage, and create an unequal or unfair test for minority test takers? The answer to that question has shown itself evident in at every level since standardized testing became common practice. Standardized testing is an undeniable part of every American students life, so if the system itself can be defined as a perpetuating factor of modern day racism, the effects are obviously widespread with unknown depth. Determining where institutional racism exist and how it effects minority groups is the responsibility of any individual that counts them truly concerned with eliminating racism, especially members of the majority groups that have the ability to assist. If racism is being perpetuated then, there are multiple venues for its perpetuation, followed by a variety of impacts that are inflicted on the minority groups. The Marxist based theory of social conflict is the best sociological explanation for why a agent meant to evaluate the education system can be used as a tool of racism stronger than The Jim Crow Laws. The concept of “ separate, but equal” saw its end through the decision of Brown v. Board of Education, and in much of Americas’ mind schools became one of the first public entities that was equal for all races. After reviewing standardized testing it is understood that the American classroom will possibly be one of the last places that sees an end of racial disparity. Social Conflict Theory explains why such a practices are continued. The theory describes that the group that is in power, to ensure the continuation of that power, controls all structure, including but not limited to legislation, laws, ordinances, and religious practices, social norms and memberships. The theory explains why minorities, have seen improvements in test scores but still continue to lag behind the scores of whites, with the rare exception being Asian Americans, who are rightfully referred to as the “model minority”. Dr. Charles Clariborn discusses how the cycle of standardized testing is continued in his article “Does Testing Deserve a Passing Grade?” The discussion presented revolves around studies showing the only minority group scoring higher than whites on standardized testing were students defined as Asian Americans, and then only in quantitative portions of the test, with white test-takers scoring consistently higher in areas of language and comprehension. Lester Gibson of Waco, Texas became fed up with the testing issue once his second child failed the local standardized test. He demanded answers and found “Seventy-five percent of the black students and 66 percent of the Hispanic students failed the test in 1995, compared with only 37 percent of the white students”. The Waco administration blamed the failure of minorities on poverty and poor parenting, Gibson pointed to institutional racism. Interviews with two members of the education field revealed much of the same results. One interviewee, an assistant principal, and testing coordinator revealed a great deal of knowledge about the testing system itself. With that experience however she admitted that in her seventeen years though she consistently saw minorities score lower than whites she never considered it a fallacy with the test, because “ the test is standardized, it is written by professionals…” She continued to that she focused on getting teachers to teach the material on the test as test scores “ say a lot about your school, and what resources will be made available to you.” In her seventeen years she remembers multiple diversity trainings, but when asked what she brought away from the test, she focused on dealing with difficult minority parents and keep racial tension out of the classroom. A student teacher, graduate of Appalachian State University, spoke with much less experience on the system but with what she referred to as “fresh approaches to education”. When asked about standardized testing she was obviously inexperienced, sharing only the logistics of the when and where with a strong focus on the why it was necessary. Discussing in great length what was at stake with the testing. She acknowledged that minorities often didn’t due well attributing the failure to poor economic and home life situations. Fresh with ideas on how to teach, the student had little to no thoughts on race in the classroom or testing stating, “ we didn’t focus on the negatives in my education classes. We focused on how to get kids interested and how to help them learn to process information at their grade level.” Other articles point to explain the ignorance of the racial issues the two educators posses by pointing to “high stakes testing”. The thought process of the educators at the base level being the test, be it EOG, EOC or SAT is the most important thing the students will do in a school year, thus “teaching the test” becomes a unspoken norm of the educational field from third grade through the students graduation. Each area or person researched, even those who acknowledged some biasis in standardized testing pointed to other areas as a reason for minority inadequacy. The seventeen-year veteran explained, “ Our school is a Title One school, we have a low economic base, which effects lots of other areas. Any student could pass these test, and many do, but the parents of many of the minorities are not involved and do not care. They allow their children to stay up late, and eat what they want. A student that does not receive proper rest and nutrition will not perform as well as others.” In a forum discussion one commenter pointed to minorities as not caring because, “ if they do not do well they will get bailed out…it’s a cycle of dependency that minorities do not wish to break.” In the November 1993 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, Duke University professor, Stanley Fish, referenced his findings stating: "Statistical studies have suggested that test scores reflect income and socioeconomic status. It has been demonstrated again and again that scores vary in relation to cultural background; the test's questions assume a certain uniformity in educational experience and lifestyle and penalize those who, for whatever reason, have had a different experience and lived different kinds of lives. In short, what is being measured by the SAT is not absolutes like native ability and merit but accidents like birth, social position, access to libraries, and the opportunity to take vacations or to take SAT prep courses." These ideals are arguably valid but if entire races are underscoring on test due to junk food, late night television, lack of vacations and their parents goals to help their children continue to depend on others to “bail the out” then the system is equally as flawed. Although all of these arguments may be factors they do not explain the disparity that are the results of the research on minority scores on standardized testing, rather they show mere statistical outliers that have been overrepresented in a attempt to hide the institutional racism that is standardized testing. The claims are at face, easily understood, logical factors that would contribute to the end result. In examining the claims however, they reek of stereotypical jargon meant to cover the stench of racism. The claims mirror the same reasons that were given for blacks being segregated in the Jim Crow South. Pointing to differences in mannerisms or a style of child rearing in modern day America does not point to a cause, but rather to a truth, the underlying truth that racism is the cause. Can the system be biased allowing minority failure to go unnoticed or to be explained away by menial differences culture or home life? Social Conflict Theory detailed from the beginning that there would be a conflict as long as there was power, and a group attempting to maintain that power. The reasoning behind keeping standardized testing even though it has proven itself unworthy to all races is simple. With every advance in raising scores whether through teaching the test or through modifying the environment to promote better testing situations, although scores may rise, the gap between white students and minority students stays the same. The continued gap points to the continued oppression of institutional racism explained most simply by Social Conflict Theory. Results like the ones found in Waco Texas and graphs denoting that even when SAT scores rise with the students’ family income, the gap between white and black students exist just the same. Standardized testing can be explained away through a countless sets of factors that cover the truth, just as counterfeit science of the antebellum south pointed to blacks being close decedents of monkeys, thus not deserving rights afforded to other humans. Over a hundred years have passed but it is the decedents of whites who once promoted slavery that now sit back and allow the same injustices to occur through the standardized testing service, which since the implementation of No Child Left Behind has become a billion dollar industry led by a majority population. With government supported multibillion dollar racism being pushed through the educational system each year there is no doubt that racism still exist in American. That question could have been answered without the research, what has been unearthed however is how deep that racism runs. The racist movement of testing shows that even in the most progressive point of the countries’ existence, racism is spread like wire grass, blending in to the lawn of Americas’ educational system, justified by indifference. Works Cited Berlak, Harold. "Race and the Achievment Gap." Rethinking Schools 15 (2001). 1 May 2008 . Britannica. "Social Change." Britannica Academic Edition. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. 29 Apr. 2008. Keyword: Social Conflict. Claiborn, Charles. "Does Testing Deserve a Passing Grade." Britannica Academic Edition. 2001. Britannica. 29 Apr. 2008 . Editor. SAT and ACT Scores by Race/Ethnicity: 2003. Black Excel Org, 2006. 28 Apr. 2008 . Fleming, Jacqueline. "Affirmative Action and Standardized Test Scores." The Journal of Negro Education os 69 (2000): 27-37. JSTOR. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. 1 May 2008. Keyword: Standardized Testing+ Racism. Hartocollos, Anemona. "Racial Gap in Test Scores Found Across New York." New York Times 28 Mar. 202. 28 Apr. 2008 .