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Volume 10
Article 6
Issue 1 Focus: Tough Questions. Hard Choices.
1994
Recommended Citation
Harmon, Mary Rose (1994) "Standardized Tests for Non-Standard Speakers/Writers: State-Wide Writing Assessment and Dialects,"
Language Arts Journal of Michigan: Vol. 10: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.1579
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Language Arts Journal of
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Standardized Tests For Non-Standard
Speakers/Writers:
State-Wide Writing Assessment and
Dialects
As state-wide writing assessment rapidly be MCTE President and Project Manager ofthe group
comes a reality for all fifth, eighth. and tenth of educators who wrote the Assessment Frame
grade students in Michigan, schools near the time work. reports that a subcommittee has been
when the successful completion of state-man established to "ensure a fair assessment for stu
dated high school proficiency tests in writing dents for whom English is a second language" and
loom as necessary for state endorsement on a that another has "considered the needs of spec1al
student's diploma. Based on the Assessment education students" (6). Additionally. a Bias
FrameworkForTheHighSchoolProjlciencyTestln Review Committee will meet in early 1994 to
Writing (1993) developed by The Michigan Coun revieW the test and its prompts.
cil ofTeachers ofEnglish (MCTE). the tests which Stlll. I remain deeply concerned. Put simply,
will determine a student's being endorsed as my question is: Given the evidence of negative
proficient in writing are currently under con attitudes toward non-standard dialects of En
struction and will soon be piloted in schools glish widespread among English language arts
around the State. professionals, can an assessment instrument
Such tests raise a number of serious con and procedure fairly score the writing perfor
cerns. One of the most serious centers around mance of students whose home languages and
whether writing tests can be designed and scored dialects are other than so-called standard En
which fairly. validly. and reliably assess students glish?
in an unbiased fashion in regard to gender. ethnic Official documents of the English language
or racial background, socio-economic or religiOUS arts profession conSistently assert the value of
background, native language, sexual orientation, linguistic diversity. The 1974 Students Right to
and intellectual or physical abilities. Indeed, Their Own Language Proposition adopted by the
MCTE has taken a strong position on this issue National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
and has insisted that "it is imperative that the Council on College Composition and Communi
profiCiency examination validate the experiences cation (CCCC) affirmed students' rights to their
of all Michigan students" (MeTE Position State own patterns and varieties of language, "the
ment, 2). To this end, Ellen Brinkley. former dialects of their nurture," and stated that teach-
Spring 1994 19
ers must "respect and uphold the right of stu standard usage and dialectal speakers consis
dents to their own language" (Allen 144). In 1987, tently linked with humor and with words like sub
the NCTE condemned "any attempts to render standard, shabbiness, corruption, queer talk, mis
invisible the native languages of any Americans pronunctation, mangled language, deviation. and
or to deprive English of the rich influences of the peculiarity. Both the 1992 and the 1994 editions
languages and cultures of any of the people of of McDougal Littell's Literature and Language
America" (Daniels vii). NCTE is on record as twice incorrectly assert that "standard English is
"affirming America's multilingual heritage" language that is appropriate at all times and in all
(Daniels iii). The 1989 CCCC National Language places" (317,946). Closer to home. a 1993 flyer
Policy, while it asserts the necessity of enabling advertising the upcoming presentations at the
all students to achieve competency in the lan October MCTE Conference may have betrayed
guage of wider communication, so-called stan unconscious language biases as it titled one
dard English, demands respect for the many seSSion "Coping With Dialect Diversity in The
languages "which have contributed to our rich Writing Classroom." Fortunately, no session by
cultural and linguistic heritage." The CCCC that title appeared on the actual MCTE Confer
policy "supports programs that assert the legiti ence Program.
macy ofnative languages and dialects and ensure
that proficiency in the mother tongue will not be
lost" (Smitherman 116). Linguist Roger Shuy has found
Despite the offiCial positions of the NCTE and that most of the teachers he
the CCCC, the largest organizations ofteachers of interviewed consider non-standard
English language arts, a great deal of negativism speakers to have a "limited" rather
toward dialectal variants of English remains than a "different" vocabulary.
among English language arts professionals and
in the literature of the profession. Linguist Roger
Shuy has found that most of the teachers he In a professional climate so often chilly to
interviewed conSider non-standard speakers to ward non-prestigious variants of English, can
have a "limited" rather than a "different" vocabu test writers produce a test format that can fairly
lary. Too often their teachers conclude that these score Michigan students' writing proficiency? In
students' lack of school vocabulary and lack of a recent conversation with me, Victor Villanueva,
school grammar indicate an inability to make well-known sociolinguist and three-time speaker
complete thoughts (Kutz and Roskelly 59.) In a at November'S NCTE Convention, voiced skepti
College Composition and Communications article cism. When I asked him if he thought it poSSible
written in the mid 1980s. Thomas Farrell argues for a state-wide writing assessment to be unbi
that "students whose dialect doesn't include the ased against and non-exclusionary of dialectal
full inflection ofthe verb 'to be' (e.g. Black English speakers and writers, he replied, "I don't think so;
Vernacular speakers) are unable to discuss states I really doubt it" (personal conversation, 1993).
of being rather than actions and end up being If Villanueva's doubts prove accurate, large
incapable ofabstract thought" (Kutz and Roskelly numbers of Michigan's students will be assessed
59). Larry Andrews reviews what Gere and Smith unfairly and denied a state endorsement in writ
have called widely held "Ignotions About Lan ing as they graduate. Primarily affected will be
guage," all ofwhich disparage non-standard vari those non-standard speaking students whose
ants of English, and states that many of these writing retains phonological, syntactic. and se
"Ignotions" are commonly found and reinforced in mantic features of their home dialects. Although
the grammar books used in the schools (128 grammatically correct within the student's dia
130). lect and often rhetorically powerful, features of
My recent analyses of high school American students' home dialects may render their writing
literature antholOgies (Harmon 1993) found non incompetent or non-profiCient. Incompetent in
Spring 1994 21
Competent and effective writing does not always English language arts professionals in Michigan
require the use of so-called standard written associated in any way with the assessment tests,
English. a valuable. if perhaps unanticipated, spin-off.
2. Sample papers used during the actual
test reading to exemplify the various scores to be
assigned to papers by readers as well as those Works Cited
samples which appear in published materials Allen. Harold B. "Attitudes of the National Coun
which detail or explain the Proficiency Test in cil of Teachers of EngUsh." Ed. Sidney
Writing must include among those samples rated Greenbaum. The English Language Today.
"proficient" papers by students who write effec New York: Pergamon, 1985.
tively in dialect or experience dialect carryover in
Andrews. Larry. LanguageExplorattonandAware
their writing. Among those papers scored "non
ness. New York: Longman, 1993.
proficient" must appear some papers which dem
onstrate correct standard English usage but are Brinkley. Ellen H. "MCTE Writing Framework
deficient for other reasons. Update." MET September 1993:6
3. The words "standard writing conventions" Daniels. Harvey A.. edt Not Only English. Urbana:
or "standard English" must disappear from all National Council ofTeachers ofEnglish. 1990.
published materials relating to the test and from
test leaders' discussions of the tests' scoring at Harmon. Mary Rose. A Study oj Soctolinguistic
scoring sites as readers receive training. Texts and Subtexts as Found In Five High
4. Readers should be chosen from diverse School American Literature Anthologies. Un
populations and areas of the state. published Doctoral Dissertation, 1993.
5. Most important, and, admittedly most Kutz. Eleanor and Hephzibah Roskelly. An Un
dIfficult. readers and scorIng site leaders grading quiet Pedagogy. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook.
essays which determine Michigan's evaluation of 1991.
a student's writing proficIency must be selected
Ltterature and Language. Yellow Level. American
carefully partially on the basis of their language
awareness, sensitivity. and expertise. Readers' Literature. Teacher's Annotated Edition.
training. a task not likely to be achieved in a few McDougal, Littell and Company, 1992; 1994.
short hours of generalized training. must ensure Michigan Council ofTeachers ofEnglish Manage
a thawing of the chilly attitudes found toward ment Team and Advisory Committee. Assess
dialectal language use apparent among too many ment FrameworkJor The Michigan High School
English language arts professionals. This train Proficiency Test in Wrtting. Lansing: The
ing should work to dispel language "ignotions" Michigan Department of Education. 1993.
and prompt movement away from the language
"MCTE Position Statement on The Michigan High
policing that too often reveals evidence ofnegativ
School Proficiency Examination." MET May
ity toward dialectal language use and users.
1993:2
It is in bIas review in conjunction with the five
measures above that my hopes lie for a writing Smitherman, Geneva. "The 'Miseducation of the
proficiency test which does not disadvantage Negro'-and You Too." Ed. Harvey Daniels.
large groups of the student population due to Not Only English. Urbana: National Council of
their home languages and dialects. an examina Teachers of English, 1990.
tion that reliably. validly and fairly "validates the
Villanueva. Victor. Personal conversation. No
experiences of all Michigan students" (MeTE Po
vember 22, 1993.
sition Statement 2) as it assesses their writing.
And it is in the careful implementation of these Wolfram. Walt. Dialects in Amertcan English.
measures that I find potential for fostering real Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Prentice Hall. 1991.
growth and learning about language among all