Schools changing how they report race, ethnicity

A change in how schools report student information has the potential to affect the reporting of annual test scores.

The 2009-10 school year was the first year that the race and ethnicity of Iowa's students were reported in a new way, as required by a 2007 federal mandate to better classify racial groups.

Before that, students, or their parents, chose one of five categories to identify their race/ethnicity - American Indian/Alaska Native; Asian/Pacific Islander; African American/Black; Hispanic/Latino; or White.

Now there are seven categories: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; African American/Black; Hispanic/Latino; White; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; or Two or More.

All states are now required to ask students whether they are Hispanic or not Hispanic, and then whether they are one or more of the seven categories.

Jay Pennington of the Iowa Department of Education says the change has resulted in some population shifts.

Based on the new race and ethnicity categories, an increase of 1.09 percent of Hispanic students was recorded in 2009. At the same time, the percentage of white students decreased 2.25 percent. Those students likely moved into the two or more, or Hispanic categories.

All other categories, except the two new groups, decreased.

“Certainly we see different trends pre-coding and then after the new coding,” Pennington said.

It's that difference that has some educators wondering what impact the change could have on test scores.

No Child Left Behind's adequate yearly progress report tracks student progress in several subgroups, including race and ethnicity. Schools must have 40 students in a subgroup, with 30 students testing, in order for test scores to be recorded. The rule applies to all grade levels. Schools that don't meet the requirement don't have to report the scores.

Now that multiracial students can choose the two or more category, other subgroups will see their numbers fall - possibly to the point where schools aren't required to report test scores for those groups.

Schools face sanctions on the performance of students in one ethnic subgroup.

“We may see a drop, but it's not an unfair advantage,” Pennington said. “The whole purpose is to better identify our racial groups.”

Federal lawmakers said the new system will better reflect the country's growing diversity. For those who are of mixed race, it's a little more personal.

“It's very important, particularly to school-age children, that they're able to embrace all of their heritage because that's who they are,” said Susan Graham, executive director of Project RACE, a California-based group that advocates for multiracial students.

Graham said she understand concerns that new categories will shift academic focus, but said the country's multiracial population, while growing, isn't large enough to influence subgroups.

According to Iowa Testing Programs at the University of Iowa, which develops Iowa's standardized tests, only 700 of Iowa's 30,000 students who took the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and Iowa Tests of Educational Development in the 2010-11 school year used the two or more category.

That's 2 percent of the state's students.

“We have no idea how that distributes by district, but the effect is minimal,” said Catherine Welch of Iowa Testing Programs.

“It comes down to self identification,” Graham said. “We don't call our children ‘other.' They don't want to check ‘other.' We don't want them to check ‘other.' Our children have that right, and now they have that opportunity, to embrace all aspects of their heritage.”