Pete,
While I worked at UCSD San Diego City schools got a Title VII
grant to find alternative ways to identify ELLs for gifted programs. The
director of the project was Rosa Perez. I don't think the project is
still ongoing but I am pretty sure that they are using some
of alternative procedures to identify gifted ELLs. You might contact
the district office.
Esteban Diaz
>
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>
> 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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>
> <html>
> 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)<br>
> <br>
> Pete Farruggio<br>
> <br>
> <blockquote type=cite cite>
> <dl>
> <dd>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.<br>
> <br>
>
> <dd>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.<br>
> <br>
>
> <dd>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.<br>
> <br>
>
> <dd> 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?<br>
> <br>
>
> <dd>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.<br>
> <br>
>
> <dd>Pete Farruggio<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
>
> </dl></blockquote></html>
>
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>
>
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