Washington yanks Latino passage from statewide exams
CURT WOODWARD
The Oregonian
Mar 27, 2007
SEATTLE -- A story depicting Mexican immigrant children picking strawberries for less than $1 an hour will be removed from a statewide test after an outcry from Latino leaders and test opponents.
Terry Bergeson, Washington state's top public education official, said the book excerpt should not have been used without an explanation that the scenes were from the 1950s and not the present.
Opponents of the high-stakes statewide test and a national Latino group said they were not satisfied.
"This is not over. It's just getting started," said Maria Salazar, a regional vice president for the League of United Latin American Citizens.
The passage in question, part of a reading skills test for high school sophomores, is an excerpt from "Breaking Through," an award-winning fictionalized memoir by Francisco Jimenez.
Bergeson removed the excerpt after a nonprofit group opposing the statewide test sent state officials and news media an e-mail reportedly from a Latino student who said he was offended by the story.
An excerpt of the book provided by Bergeson's office depicts a migrant family's experiences working for a strawberry grower in the 1950s. It was included in the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, a standardized test that can determine whether a student graduates.
"I looked forward to weekends, when my brother, Papa, and I worked together. Roberto and I found ways to have fun. We raced to see who could pick faster and fill more crates," it reads in part.
The story also says the two boys were paid 85 cents an hour for their labor, while their father got $1 an hour.
The nonprofit Parent Empowerment Network said the student who sent the e-mail requested not to be publicly identified. Group director Juanita Doyon said the student was a high school sophomore from western Washington.
Bergeson, the state's elected superintendent of public instruction, said the book excerpt was reviewed as part of the test to guard against bias and insensitivity.
