Update on the Naturalization Test Redesign
On January 14th and 15th 2004, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS-formerly known as INS) held a "Stakeholder Conference"
in Washington D.C. to gather input on the design of a new standardized
citizenship test now under development. The conference was attended
by over 100 citizenship educators, immigrant advocates, and USCIS district
adjudication officers (the officials who conduct citizenship interviews)
from around the county.
Background
USCIS is aware that the current system for testing naturalization applicants
lacks uniformity and in many ways is not a meaningful measure of civics
knowledge or English skills. In 2001 USCIS contracted with MetriTech,
a test development firm, to develop new content and procedures for testing
that will be "efficient, fair, standardized, and applicant centered."
MetriTech/USCIS have looked at national and state standards for K-12
history content, EFF standards, and input from a committee of history
and government experts in order to identify content for the civics test.
Similarly, they have consulted the National Reporting System for Adult
Education and Canadian Language Benchmarks to establish an appropriate
level of proficiency for the English language requirement of the test.
An initial field test of MetriTech's proposed design for the English
language test has already been conducted, and additional field tests
are planned through spring of 2005. Once they collect input from the
various stakeholders, and refine a test draft, USCIS plans to submit
it to the Board on Testing and Assessment (BOTA) of the National Academies,
for an impartial expert review. The target date for nationwide implementation
of the new test is 2006.
Initial Field Test Results
After receiving an overview of the test redesign process, conference
participants heard representatives of various CBO's and USCIS field
offices give their perspectives on the field tests conducted in six
cities. While many reported positive experiences with the new test,
the overriding concern, especially among CBO's, was a concern that approximately
ten percent of the people who took the new test were unable to achieve
a passing score. Since nearly all of these field test volunteers were
individuals who had already passed the current citizenship test, a great
deal of concern was expressed about whether the new test would "raise
the bar" for immigrants at low proficiency levels. Throughout the
conference, USCIS assured us that this is not their intention, and reminded
us that they are soliciting input about the test design in order to
make appropriate revisions to prevent any particular group (e.g. people
of any particular nationality, educational level, age, etc.) from being
unfairly impacted by the new test.
Proposed Test Design
The test version now being explored is a standardized 30-40 minute test
with four distinct sections: reading, writing, speaking, and history/government.
A computer-based format is under consideration, but even if implemented,
a paper version of the test would be available for those who prefer
it. Prospective naturalization applicants will take the test before
submitting an N-400 application as way to ensure that those who are
not yet able to demonstrate proficiency in English and civics do not
waste money on the application fee.
Test Sections and Conference Participants' Feedback
For the writing test, MetriTech plans to give a series of pictures (about
everyday life situations) to applicants and ask them to write about
what they see. The responses would be evaluated using a rubric similar
to that used in the BEST test. (Although we were not given any specifics,
there was also mention of a personal information form that examinees
might be asked to fill out.) Reaction on this test from "stakeholder
focus groups" largely centered on the wording of the rubric--determining
whether a complete sentence (as opposed to intelligible phrases) would
constitute a fair passing score. Focus groups also recommended that
the photo prompts be in color (rather than black and white) and urged
the test developers to use situations that would be universally recognizable
and avoid cultural bias.
The proposed speaking test would use similar picture prompts and the
same scoring rubric, but would probably have to be administered on a
one-to-one basis. Conference focus groups made the same recommendations
about picture prompts and the scoring rubric mentioned above. Some also
suggested that a speaking test might be redundant, in that applicants
would still be required to demonstrate speaking proficiency at the naturalization
interview.
To demonstrate reading ability, examinees would read several short
paragraphs and answer several multiple-choice questions about each.
There were lengthy discussions about alternative formats for these test
items, and many creative suggestions were put forward. Many people felt
that a separate reading test would also be redundant in that the history/government
test will already demand a fairly high level of reading proficiency
from examinees. (USCIS's response to this was that professional standards
in the testing industry dictate that separate performance measures be
taken for each skill area.)
The history/government content for the proposed test was a very contentious
topic at the conference. The focus groups felt that the study guide
content, which was developed by a committee of history/government experts,
was not appropriate for adult education contexts in its present form.
Most felt that the cognitive and reading levels of the material were
far too high, that it was poorly organized, and that students/citizenship
educators would be confronted with an excessive volume of information
in the study guide. In addition, many participants felt that the material
was politically biased and that it did not sufficiently address the
theme of civic participation. A variety of suggestions were also offered
on ways to format the study guide and test questions to make them more
accessible to limited English speakers.
The Future of the Citizenship Test
While this would seem like an overwhelming amount of input from stakeholders,
Gerri Ratliff, the USCIS project director for redesigning the test,
took a very genuine interest in comments and suggestions offered by
the group. She repeatedly emphasized that nothing about the current
test design is written in stone, and that USCIS very much values feedback
from the field and will take it into account when it finalizes the test
design at some future point. To the extent that these recommendations
are indeed implemented in the new test, the conference will have been
a very productive event.
TESOLers in Long Beach this year will have an opportunity to add their
voices to the redesign project. USCIS will be presenting and displaying
information at several venues at the conference in order to solicit
additional comment from the field. Since millions of immigrants will
ultimately be impacted by whatever test USCIS eventually develops, it
is imperative that our voices be heard at this stage of the game. If
you have the opportunity, please take a look at the test design information
and samples at the conference, and contribute your comments.
Lynne Weintraub is the coordinator of the Jones Library ESL Center
in Amherst Massachusetts, author of "Citizenship, Passing the Test"
and "Citizenship: Ready for the Interview," (New Readers Press)
and an educational consultant. Additional information for citizenship
educators is available at her website: citizenshipnews.com