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Abstract

Currently, the education of Latina/o students in the United States for higher education and future careers comprises multiple moving parts. As the U.S. educational system, in particular the Pre-K-12 years of schooling, struggles despite efforts to address the needs of all students, both native English speakers as well as English language learners (ELLs), to better prepare them to enter institutions of tertiary education and succeed in careers, various organizations and consortiums articulate more rigorous educational standards (WIDA and the Common Core Standards as two examples). These recent proposals focus on academic literacy skills, in particular on reading and writing skills development from the earliest years of elementary school. Further evidence in both print and radio media of the emphasis on academic skills and high stakes testing appear in the public statements of the new CEO of the College Board. David Coleman, for example, has articulated his vision of a new SAT writing section that requires test takers base their writing samples on sources provided by the test developers. Mr. Coleman explains that the test takers should be asked to write a source-based paper in line with contemporary writing practices rather than an opinion-based, five-paragraph essay, a reminder of dated Anglo-American composition traditions. He even goes so far as to claim that SAT test questions will include questions on the mechanics of writing such as punctuation, citations, and paragraphing conventions.

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