Low performance on teacher certification exams: A hidden consequence of English language learners' underdeveloped first language?

The value of dual language education was central to learning as Texas emerged as a national leader in 1983 with bilingual educational opportunities for public school students. This study identified Spanish first-language preservice teachers' struggles with state-mandated standardized teacher certifi cation examinations. It suggested that dual language education would help prepare future English language learners for standardized testing. The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test (GMRT) - Level 10/12 was used to determine a uniform measure of the reading ability of 259 pre-service teachers from a South Texas university. Results showed a disparity between bilingual, Spanish-first-language pre-service teachers and their English-first-language counterparts. This indicated pre-service teachers' early educational experiences may have lacked the socio-cultural supportive school environment needed for ELLs to flourish linguistically, academically, and cognitively in their first language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]