ABSTRACT
This chapter builds on the theme by examining the role of language norms in standardized testing, arguably one of the most pervasive and influential aspects of modern education. It examines language standards related to oral language instruction, writing, and reading. The chapter dedicates to formal language assessments in school contexts, namely through high stakes standardized tests including speech and language assessments, in which language variation is not typically taken into account—to the detriment of vernacular dialect speakers. The routine literacy and other language-based assessments associated with teaching can have implications as powerful as formalized assessments. Despite common refrains to the contrary, most evidence points to American public schools as doing as good a job as ever teaching children literacy skills. A mismatch between assessments of all kinds and students' language can put children at a disadvantage quite early in their academic careers.
