Participation and Performance of Students from Non-English Language Backgrounds: Minnesota's 1996 Basic Standards Tests in Reading and Math. Minnesota Report.

In the assessment literature, a general recommendation has been to disaggregate scores and other data for students with limited English proficiency (LEP). This has rarely been done for most non-English language background (NELB) students in the United States, with the partial exception of Spanish speakers. Nationwide Spanish speakers make up the largest group of LEP/NELB students, but in Minnesota Southeast Asian students make up the largest single group of students with a language other than English spoken at home. While LEP/NELB students share some common characteristics, there are enough noteworthy differences to justify separate studies. This document reports on the achievement of LEP/NELB students from the largest seven language groups in Minnesota (Hmong, Spanish, Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian, African languages, Russian) during the 1995-1996 school year when the Basic Standards Tests were first implemented. The data also records whether the student received any English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) or bilingual services during that school year. While the results may not surprise ESL teachers, it should be informative to policymakers. Seven tables with detailed test results are presented for all language groups. (Contains 19 references.) (KFT)