If I were reading

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Home : 2008 : April : 22

If I were reading
By mt

in a different culture, I might very likely also have trouble drawing conclusions. But if I am NOT drawing those conclusions, then yes, word-calling is what I am doing. Reading is making meaning of text! If a student cannot
say what they read, then they are not reading effectively at that level. I read Spanish, but not fluently. I pick up the gist, but the subleties are lost to me. If I took a reading test in Spanish, I would not do so well, even though I am an excellent reader in English. I would not be proficient in Spanish! I could tell you the main idea, even some supporting details, but I'd

miss the humor, sarcasm, or whatever else was there. What I'm doing, largely, is word-calling.

No one is saying that kids from another culture can't read well. But if they are failing to infer, for whatever reason, they are not making sufficient meaning of the text, and their level is reported as low. Unfortunately, we cannot

"Yes, cultural bias IS a problem, but it is one that should be addressed by NORMING our kids to the culture they must compete and survive in, NOT by norming the test to our kids, thereby creating a false sense of accomplishment and success. Eventually these kids have to compete in the professional world which really doesn't care about their socioeconomic or cultural backgrounds. All it cares about is whether an employee can do the job correctly, efficiently and provide a good image."

Exactly. This quote did, however, cause me some confusion with the rest of that post. It seems to contradict itself.