Black English Trial: The "Six Hour Retarded Child?"

Black English trial

The ‘six hour retarded child’?

By Katherine Green

STAFF REPORTER

A psychologist testified in federal court Thursday that because of language difficulties some black children are retarded only from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Gary Simpkins, author of the book “The Black Six Hour Retarded Child,” said some black children become uncommunicative during classroom hours because of problems with language.

“These kids are very verbal outside of school, and they’re called non-verbal in school,” Simpkins said. “But because of negative reenforcement, the child stops talking. He anticipates failure and decides not to try.”

Simpkins’ testimony was part of a trial in a lawsuit filed by parents of 11 black children attending Martin Luther King Elementary School. The parents claim school officials have not taken into consideration the “black English” spoken by black children in educating them.

I.Q. tests and other standardized tests are written in standard English and often do not take the home language and experiences of black children into consideration, Simpkins said. These children are often labeled retarded or learning disabled, he added.

SIMPKINS contended in his testimony that most of these children are not retarded, but have developed poor self-concepts from experiencing failure in school.

The children have no learning problems outside of school, he said, but a "cumulative deficit" occurs once they enter school.  They may start out a little behind the other children or the norms, and then they fall "farther and farther behind," he said.

"There is a traumatic effect when a child enters school and discovers that the language he speaks and that his mother speaks is wrong, and he loses his confidence and self-respect," said Simpkins.

He added that when the child stops trying, or appears not to be learning, he is given tests, which are not appropriate for his experience and background.

Simpkins is the chief of mental health at the Watts Health Foundation in Los Angeles, Calif.

He has developed a set of "Bridge" materials, which is a reading program for black English speaking children, who have difficulty making the transition to standard English in the school.  The program, testified Simpkins, is intended to relate to the speaking behavior and experiences "where they are" when they enter school.  They are designed for children reading at least second grade level and are now used by junior high and adult students.

The materials are written in black English, progress to "neutral vernacular," a mixture of standard English and black English (which he says most black kids speak) and progresses to standard English, as it is used in the classroom situation, Simpkins said.

“SOME KIDS know how to switch from the home language to the school language, and some didn’t know how to switch,” he said. He said his materials are designed to help children feel comfortable making the switch.

Simpkins said that the longer black English speaking children stay in school, the lower they test on I.Q. tests. The I.Q. test predicts how well a child will do in school, and a low score gives the teacher a low expectation.

“We can’t deny the fact that I.Q. tests influence teacher expectations. Kids get categorized and labeled because of I.Q. test results. They are stigmatized and seen as somewhat less than normal,” Simpkins said.

Simpkins recommended that tests not be changed, but made more flexible to relate to the experiences of more children. He said that a “range of answers” should be correct, rather than only one correct answer, especially on I.Q. tests. He also recommended that more items, which children might be familiar with, be added to the tests “to better test their ability to learn.”

He further suggested more flexibility in teaching techniques and materials to help a child make “a bridge from his vernacular to standard English.” This would help the child learn to read, without labeling the child for special education classes, he said. He stressed that the self-concept of the child was most important.

Testimony from other expert witnesses has contended that misdiagnosis of a child “stifles initiative and growth and cuts off language skill development.”

OTHER EXPERTS, who have studied the origin of the language, have indicated that the English used by many black Americans originated from the Creole language, which is spoken in some parts of the south and in many Caribbean countries. The language, they say, is a mixture of English, French and African languages. It is an old language, which has changed somewhat over the last 100 years, but has survived because of use in close-knit communities, according to the linguists.

The lawsuit contends that the King School children have been mislabeled and stigmatized because of the way they speak and have not been able to participate equally in school activities.

Attorneys for the children, Gabe Kaimowitz and Ken Lewis, expect to rest their case Friday afternoon, following testimony of two other expert witnesses.

Attorney John Weaver, Ann Arbor school system attorney, will then begin his defense of the school system and Martin Luther King school.