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          <td colspan="2" class="horline"><p><span class="detailheadline">Educators say standardized tests should have questions on Indians<br>Posted on April 16</span><br>
              <span class="detailbyline"><em>By the Associated Press</em></span></p>
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                <td><img src="http://missoulian.com/art/pixel.gif" height="1" width="5"><a href="http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/04/17/breaker/doc44425b8f57623946216396.txt">http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/04/17/breaker/doc44425b8f57623946216396.txt
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            <p><span class="detailstory">BOZEMAN
- If Montana schools truly plan to teach students about the state's
American Indians, their standardized tests should include questions
about Indians, an official with the state Office of Public Instruction
and others said Saturday.<br><br>"Testing is driving our system," Mike
Jetty, Indian education specialist with the OPI, said during a daylong
Native Nexus conference at Montana State University.<br><br>Standardized
math and reading tests that are specially tailored to Montana schools
are administered to all students in fourth, eighth and 10th grades. A
third test, on science, is being developed.</span></p>
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The science test should contain at least one question that relates to
American Indians, said Robin Arnold, a seventh-grade science teacher at
Sacajawea Middle School in Bozeman. The question could be on native
versus invasive plants or water and land resources, Arnold said.<br><br>Jetty urged educators to send such comments to the OPI, which is still considering the new science standards.<br><br>He
added that the OPI is working to implement Indian Education for All, a
1999 legislative mandate, on three fronts: developing sample lessons,
creating training for teachers and investigating ways to close the
achievement gap between Indian and white students. Indian Education for
All requires that all public school students _ not just American
Indians _ be taught about the cultural heritage of the state's Indian
tribes.<br><br>"No Child Left Behind is a worthy concept," Jetty said. "In Montana, who's consistently left behind? Indian students."<br><br>He quoted another Indian educator, saying, "In regards to Indian education, there's been much thunder, little rain."
</td></tr></tbody></table><br>-- <br>Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D.<br><br>Department of English<br>Affiliate faculty: Department of Linguistics <br>and the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Program<br>American Indian Language Development Institute
<br>Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836