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Teacher penalized for CSAP protest

JOHN COLSONpitkin county correspondent

ASPEN – The Aspen School District cut the pay and hours of a Spanish teacher this week after he refused to participate in standardized testing currently under way at Aspen Middle School.Sam Esmiol admitted that he “refused to give the tests because he feels the exams do not test Latinos fairly.”Esmiol said in an e-mail that the Colorado Student Assessment Program, or CSAP tests “discriminate against Latino students and treat teachers unfairly.” The CSAPs are designed to gauge student progress in key subjects.District Superintendent Diana Sirko confirmed that Esmiol, a first-year employee, had been partially suspended.Esmiol, 38, said his suspension is for morning test periods only; he continues to teach regular classes in the afternoon.”I’m not trying to make a statement against the school district,” Esmiol emphasized during a telephone interview yesterday. He is, however, trying to alert the public to what he feels are inequities in the way the state administers the CSAP tests.The format of the tests is unfair because “teachers are expected to translate multiple-choice questions to a group of Spanish-speaking students,” he explained in his e-mail. “This is unfair because some students will understand and answer the question while other students need more time and explanation. Individual students cannot move at their own pace.”He also said teachers are not adequately prepared to administer the tests.”Oral translation is subjective,” Esmiol said. “Students’ test scores are influenced by the quality of the translation. These tests do not accurately represent their abilities.”Students in grades three through 10 are taking the CSAPs this week and next. The federally mandated tests are designed to gauge achievement levels in such basic subjects as English, mathematics, reading and science. “The state says everybody must test, no matter what,” Aspen Middle School assistant principal Tom Coviello said.Esmiol is considering legal action against the school district and the state, insisting that it’s not about money but about a need for public debate on testing. “I cannot perform a task that I feel is unjust. It infringes on my freedom of speech and religion.” he declared in the e-mail.Sirko, however, said that in general objections to the testing program are not constitutionally protected. “This is not a First Amendment issue,” she said.


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