Using Achievement Tests to Measure Language Assimilation and Language Bias among the Children of Immigrants

Richard Akresh () and Redstone Akresh

Journal of Human Resources, 2011, vol. 46, issue 3

Abstract: We measure the extent of language assimilation among children of Hispanic immigrants. Our identification strategy exploits test language randomization (English or Spanish) of Woodcock Johnson achievement tests in the New Immigrant Survey and lets us attribute test score differences solely to test language. Students scoring poorly may be tracked into nonhonors classes and less competitive postsecondary schools, with subsequent long-term implications. Foreign-born children score higher on tests in Spanish; U. S.-born children score higher in English. However, foreign-born children arriving at an early age or with several years in the United States do not benefit from testing in Spanish.

Date: 2011
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (23)

Downloads: (external link)
http://jhr.uwpress.org/cgi/reprint/46/3/647
A subscription is required to access pdf files. Pay per article is available.

Related works:
Working Paper: Using Achievement Tests to Measure Language Assimilation and Language Bias among Immigrant Children (2008)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:46:y:2011:iii:1:p:647-667

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Human Resources from University of Wisconsin Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().