Chicago Public Schools is apologizing for a test question some labeled “racist” and “xenophobic.”
The REACH Performance exam is given to CPS students in April and May. The disputed question asked students to rate the arguments of two fictional people opposing immigration.
CPS Chatter, an education blog covering CPS, revealed details about the prompt’s scenarios:
Argument one is from Arie Payo who used to work for the Bush administration and now writes for the Conservative Journal. His argument is “I think it is best to keep America for Americans and those who know how to speak English properly. Save America for those of us who know how to behave in law abiding ways.”
Argument two is from a small business owner named Stella Luna who worries that “giving citizenship to undocumented immigrants would increase the number of poor people living in our town.”
The question was designed for students to evaluate the credibility of arguments, CPS spokesman Joel Hood said via email.
“We apologize for any misunderstanding and have provided librarians an alternative test to administer to students,” Hood added.
