Standardized testing has been affecting many students across the country negatively. Students are now having to focus on tests rather than learning useful skills and knowledge. Standardized testing has been hindering students of color’s ability to succeed in school because teachers now have to teach to the test. Teachers tend to change their curriculum to focus more on testing because students’ test scores are sometimes used to measure the quality of a teacher (Ford, 2012). Standardized testing holds a great amount of weight, which can determine whether a student gets to move on to the next grade, receives a high school diploma, or receives educational services (Ford, 2012). Standardized tests are failing Native students in New Mexico because they are focused on Western views and knowledge. As a result, more Native students are feeling less motivated to continue their education. Native students come to the belief that they are not good enough or smart enough, as a result, they lack the motivation to try. 

Standardized tests are failing Native students because they are focused on Western views and knowledge. This past school year, my 6-year-old brother, who attended a tribally controlled school, experienced one of his first standardized tests as a 1st grader. My brother, who’s first language is Tewa, struggled with the reading comprehension portion because it is culturally biased. On the test, it asked him a question about a person walking his dog, who is on a leash, and on the sidewalk. This question was very confusing for my brother because on the reservation we do not have sidewalks, therefore he did not know the regulation of a sidewalk. Also in my community, we do not walk our dogs on leashes, instead, we allow them to roam free throughout the community, as a result, my brother did not know how a leash worked. In conclusion, my brother could not successfully answer the question because the questions were made for students who live in communities that valued westernized ways of living.

A teacher in NYC had a similar problem with her kindergarten students who spoke Spanish. The teacher, Darla said that her students could not understand certain questions, which resulted in their confidence levels going down (Feeney, 2014). My brother, who also lost confidence after the test, came home sad because he was the last one testing. I told him that he was just like me when it comes to testing, so he should not worry about it because I believe that did a good job.

Image #1: https://www.nmhealth.org/about/asd/ohe/otl/

Image#2: Tunte Vigil