Teachers and schools make judgments about studentsâ abilities based on the information available to them, including test scores. Schools make class placement decisions based, at least in part, on studentsâ standardized test scores. Moreover, when the teacher does not speak the language of the child, cannot communicate with the childâs family, and has little other information to rely on, test scores can take on even greater importance. Students who score low on tests are likely to be placed in remedial education, even though such a placement is unlikely to help students close the educational gap with their mainstream peers.
