| Latino/a Literature: A Resource For Standardized
Testing
by Manuel Hernández
Latino/a Literature is a resource for young adults and
standardized testing in America. Voices of concerns were depicted
in a
widely televised special on November 30, 2003 on Fox television.
The
prime time segment dedicated a series on education to vividly
document
stories of teens with problems with standardized testing.
America is
looking for answers and embarking on a journey of redefining
its
solutions. A resource for the teaching of literature in the
United
States of America may be Latino/a literature.
Studies indicate that there is a strong relationship between
reading and writing. Two scholars in the area (Noyce and Christie,
1989)
state that the mind assimilates information to explain the
missing link
between skills and reading/writing. Therefore it is up to
educators to
provide and include additional material and instruction to
help students
fill in the missing links. Closing the gap on standardized
testing
means going beyond the classics.
According to the United States Census statistics, there were
35.8
million people of Latino origin living in the United States
in the year
2000. Recent 2003 numbers places the largest minority near
the 40
million mark (13 percent of the U.S.A. population). Latino
writers that
migrated to the United States before, during and immediately
after World
War II, and those who were born and grew up in the United
States have
come out of the melting pot and have become a vital voice
in American
letters today. They have developed a powerful and dynamic
literary voice
and are being anthologized like never before. Even The Anthology
of
American Literature (Prentice-Hall, 1997), one of America’s
most
influential collection of classical writings, includes the
literary
works of the highly awarded writers, Tomás Rivera and Sandra
Cisneros,
alongside Hemingway, Updike and Longfellow.
Americans are demanding a quality education for all children.
One of
the four principles of the Government’s No Child Left Behind
Law is an
emphasis on teaching methods that have worked in the past.
In a workshop
that I performed for the New York City High Schools/English
Language
Learners Office in 2000 and 2001, English and English as a
Second
Language high school teachers shared testimonies (Integrating
Latino/a
Literature in The English Classroom, Part V, television production
for
the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network) on
how Latino/a
Literature had provided young adults with motivation and preparation
for the Regents exams. Mr. Joseph Lizardi ,ex-playwright and
ESL-HS
teacher from Roosevelt High School in The Bronx, New York,
said that he
had used the literary works of Latino/a writers to prepare
and tutor
ESL kids and had noticed positive results in the Regents exams.
In the English classroom, students feel a lack of personal
involvement, especially with isolated writing assignments.
Latino/a
Literature is filled with every day and common events and
establishes a
bridge between reading and writing which connects students
to ideas and
themes. It is like seeing themselves in a mirror and assessing
what,
where, how and why they are who they are while developing
reading and
writing skills necessary to enter and succeed in high school
and higher
education. How can students interact with their reading-writing
when
their choices of literature are far away from their every
day reality?
Young adults today are open to options. Media moguls and
entertainment industries have captivated their interest because
they
have offered them options. Education must stay abreast with
the
challenges that our children face today. It is our responsibility
as
teachers, administrators, parents and educational advocates
to provide
them with innovations in their educational experience. According
to
statistics by the Department of Education, only 17 percent
of Hispanic
fourth-graders read at their grade level. Imagine what may
happen to
the reading skills of these kids once they reach high school
by the end
of the decade, if there academic demands are not met wisely.
Why not
provide them with an opportunity to make literature their
own? If No
Child Left Behind reiterates that all children are provided
with
quality instruction that will give them the opportunity to
reach their
greatest academic potential, and it provides the resources
states and
school districts need to fulfill this national priority, then
provide
them with options. Latino/a literature in the English classroom
is a
resource that should not be taken for granted and may redefine
the
literary analysis of contemporary American letters.
Like the previously mentioned Editorial states, “Disappointing
test results have many causes”, but one of them are the choices
that
administrators and teachers make for their children. Additional
research
in the study of young adult literature demonstrates that language
is
learned through use rather than through practice exercises.
Second,
children need to be given opportunities to make language their
own by
making connections with their lives and background information.
Finally,
A well-designed reading/writing program should provide opportunites
for
diverse daily reading and various types of writing. The classics
are
and will always be part of the American curriculum, but Latino/a
literature provides our children with a refreshening alternative
and may
supplement a well-balanced reading-writing program and help
create
interest in reading and writing which will in return augment
scores in
the “nations report card”, the National Assessment of Educational
Progress
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