Monday, September 29, 2008
[IWS] MPI: OVERVIEW of NEW U.S. CITIZENSHIP TEST (in effect 1 Oct. 2008) [29 September 2008]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
High Stakes, More Meaning: An Overview of the Process of Redesigning the U.S. Citizenship Test [29 September 2008]
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/BR6_NatzTest_092908.pdf
[full-text, 18 pages]
Press Release 29 September 2008
MPI Backgrounder Examines Redesigned Citizenship Test
Taking Effect October 1st
Report Details Redesign Process, Examines Whether the Government Met Its Goals
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/2008_09_29.php
WASHINGTON -- More than a decade in the making, the redesigned citizenship test that becomes mandatory for all applicants effective Oct. 1, 2008, has two main goals: Provide a more meaningful opportunity for would-be Americans to demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and civics, and allow greater standardization in test administration.
A new MPI Backgrounder, High Stakes, More Meaning: An Overview of the Process of Redesigning the U.S. Citizenship Test, details the process to redesign the test (which had not substantively changed since 1986) and offers some policy recommendations. The report also examines whether the federal government met its goals with the redesign.
The most significant change to the test is the new civics portion. As before, applicants must correctly answer six out of 10 questions drawn from a master list of 100 civics questions. However, the 100 questions have undergone a significant overhaul with new questions emphasizing core concepts of American democracy and new items about geography, Native Americans and women.
It remains unclear whether U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was able to fully reconcile its desire to ask questions about complex U.S. civics concepts with the requirement that applicants need only speak, read and write English at the "ordinary usage" level.
A full assessment cannot be made until the data are released on the actual performance of limited English proficient applicants taking the old and the revised citizenship test, the Backgrounder found.
The report is available online at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/BR6_NatzTest_092908.pdf
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
High Stakes, More Meaning: An Overview of the Process of Redesigning the U.S. Citizenship Test [29 September 2008]
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/BR6_NatzTest_092908.pdf
[full-text, 18 pages]
Press Release 29 September 2008
MPI Backgrounder Examines Redesigned Citizenship Test
Taking Effect October 1st
Report Details Redesign Process, Examines Whether the Government Met Its Goals
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/2008_09_29.php
WASHINGTON -- More than a decade in the making, the redesigned citizenship test that becomes mandatory for all applicants effective Oct. 1, 2008, has two main goals: Provide a more meaningful opportunity for would-be Americans to demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and civics, and allow greater standardization in test administration.
A new MPI Backgrounder, High Stakes, More Meaning: An Overview of the Process of Redesigning the U.S. Citizenship Test, details the process to redesign the test (which had not substantively changed since 1986) and offers some policy recommendations. The report also examines whether the federal government met its goals with the redesign.
The most significant change to the test is the new civics portion. As before, applicants must correctly answer six out of 10 questions drawn from a master list of 100 civics questions. However, the 100 questions have undergone a significant overhaul with new questions emphasizing core concepts of American democracy and new items about geography, Native Americans and women.
It remains unclear whether U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was able to fully reconcile its desire to ask questions about complex U.S. civics concepts with the requirement that applicants need only speak, read and write English at the "ordinary usage" level.
A full assessment cannot be made until the data are released on the actual performance of limited English proficient applicants taking the old and the revised citizenship test, the Backgrounder found.
The report is available online at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/BR6_NatzTest_092908.pdf
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 8:35 AM
