ANd now the D&C take on the test scores:
Test scores drop across New York schools as state seeks changesMeaghan M. McDermott • Staff writer • July 29, 2010
Far fewer New York students passed this year's round of state assessment tests than did last year, but educators say that doesn't mean kids have lost their educational footing.
Rather, the plummet in passing rates reflects the state Board of Regents' and Commissioner of Education David Steiner's efforts to make the tests harder to pass. Earlier this month, the Regents increased the "cut scores" — the grade needed to achieve a passing score — on the English language arts and mathematics tests given this year to students in grades 3 through 8.
Steiner said research shows the tests had failed to accurately predict whether or not students were truly proficient or whether they would be ready for high school or college coursework.
"What has changed is that we are setting the bar higher," said Merryl Tisch, Regents chancellor. "The same score that got you over bar last year is not enough to get you over the bar this year."
Researchers analyzed how student performance on the tests related to performance on other exams and in college.
The old assessments "didn't sufficiently test students' abilities — the bar was set too low," said Deputy Education Commissioner John King.
That change in the scoring scheme led to dramatic drops in proficiency levels, though performance on the tests was about the same. Major gains made over the past four years were erased. State-wide, 53 percent of third through eighth-graders met or exceeded the new proficiency standard for English Language Arts, compared to 77.4 percent passing under last year's standards.
Under the new scoring scheme, 61 percent of the state's third- through eighth-graders were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 86.4 percent last year.
The drops were most dramatic in Rochester and the other big five urban school districts, where students already lagged behind the state average. Under the new proficiency guidelines, the Rochester School District's overall passing rate in English Language Arts fell to 25.3 percent from last year's 56 percent, and mathematics proficiency rates fell to 28 percent from 63.4 percent.
Excluding Rochester, 67 percent of Monroe County's public school students met or exceeded proficiency standards in English and 74 percent did so in mathematics.
Adele Bovard, superintendent of the Webster Central School District, said her district will continue focusing on tracking each student's individual academic growth in order to ensure students are meeting standards.
She said districts are still waiting for individual student data from the state Education Department before deciding how to best help students who did poorly on this year's tests.
Rochester Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard said he supports making standards more rigorous but rankles at the bar being raised for the 2010 tests long after the tests were taken and the school year concluded.
"All of the benchmarks we use (to track student progress) throughout the year are based on the old cut scores," he said. "To change this after the year is over is bad form."
And, he said, making the change so abruptly could hurt morale in schools that have worked hard to improve student performance.
"Those schools where we have gone from 30 percent passing to 60 percent passing, and you now have people being told we are back in the 20s?" he said.
"That is devastating to people."
Still, he said, "my message to the city and to my staff is do not waver: The work continues and the work hasn't changed."
Excluding Rochester, 67 percent of Monroe County's public school students met or exceeded proficiency standards in English and 74 percent did so in mathematics.
Adele Bovard, superintendent of the Webster Central School District, said her district will continue focusing on tracking each student's individual academic growth in order to ensure students are meeting standards.
She said districts are still waiting for individual student data from the state Education Department before deciding how to best help students who did poorly on this year's tests.
Rochester Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard said he supports making standards more rigorous but rankles at the bar being raised for the 2010 tests long after the tests were taken and the school year concluded.
"All of the benchmarks we use (to track student progress) throughout the year are based on the old cut scores," he said. "To change this after the year is over is bad form."
And, he said, making the change so abruptly could hurt morale in schools that have worked hard to improve student performance.
"Those schools where we have gone from 30 percent passing to 60 percent passing, and you now have people being told we are back in the 20s?" he said.
"That is devastating to people."
Still, he said, "my message to the city and to my staff is do not waver: The work continues and the work hasn't changed."
MCDERMOT@DemocratandChronicle.com
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Topic: State Test Scores Plummet for Grades 3-8 (Read 50 times)