Can anyone on this list respond to this psychometrics question? This
comment is part of a discussion about the underidentification of
non-English proficient children in gifted and talented programs. Any help
appreciated. ("ELL" means English Language Learner, a non-native speaker
of the second language)
Pete Farruggio
>this has been a sore point to me for several years, the
>underidentification of ELLs and Non English speakers for GATE. I'll put
>aside my reservations about the validity of IQ tests and the concept of
>the "g factor" and measurable intelligence for the moment, because if
>we're going to have GATE programs with special funding, then at least ELLs
>should have a fair chance at qualifying. My district supports bilingual
>ed and we are trying to build and improve a district-wide K-6 maintenance
>program.
>
>Our GATE program uses the Raven's Matrix as the qualifying test, along
>with teacher recommendation and grades and some other factors; but the
>only ones of my ELLs who ever qualified over the years have been those
>with the highest English skills, in fact pretty close to redesignation. I
>have never looked at a Raven's test, but I am told that it is mostly
>"language free" It's supposed to be one of those exams with lots of
>pictures and diagrams, an abstract thinking measure.
>
>So let's forget cultural and social class issues , and stay within that
>narrow perceptual world of the abstract diagrams for a minute. The kids I
>refer to as "strong candidates" were gifted, in my long-term observation,
>in just these very narrow, middle class types of thinking; but it was
>demonstrated within a mostly Spanish language environment.
>
> I keep thinking that there must be something to the testing environment
> that hides a language bias. For example, the test is administered by the
> same person every time, an English monolingual. At some testings, at my
> request they provided a "translator" in the room, but that was a
> bilingual paraeducator with not much education, certainly not a
> Spanish-educated cognitive psychologist. What happens when you are
> confronted with a "word-free" problem, but you don't understand the task
> because the instructions were given in a language you don't understand?
>
>Maybe this is not how the test works, but I'm skeptical because my
>strongest candidates have been recent arrivals to the US in my 6th grade
>class who had virtually no English, yet NONE of them ever passed this test.
>
>Pete Farruggio
>
>
>
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