NAEP CONCLUDES PERFORMANCE BASED WRITING TESTS LIKE WASL ARE INVALID \doc\web\2000\03\testinv.txt The front page article, entitled "NAEP Drops Long-Term Writing Data" can be found at: http://www.edweek.org/ew/ew_printstory.cfm?slug=27naep.h19 NAEP's discovery "could also reveal potential problems in other performance-based tests and in state testing programs that require students to write short answers and essays, especially when the results are used to make decisions about individual students or to examine trends over time." Gary Phillips, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, told Education Week that he's "lost confidence that the data are reliable." From: "Leppin" To: "ClearingHouse" Subject: [education-consumers] Ahead of the Curve Date sent: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 23:09:53 -0600 Send reply to: "Leppin" ===================================================================== Five years ago, a grassroots coalition of parents from southeastern Wisconsin galvanized over the issue of "performance-based testing." If you recall, the Wisconsin State Legislature was deciding whether or not to adopt a new statewide testing program developed by the DPI. This group of parents wasted no time becoming vocal opponents of the testing program which was "wrought with controversy" due to its subjective nature, and its lack of statistical reliability and validity. Concern that this controversial test would significantly drive local curriculum further away from an academic focus, these parents worked to inform other parents and their legislators about potential problems associated with performance-based testing. (The parents were not opposed to the concept of state testing, rather they opposed this controversial form of testing at the state level.) Their efforts paid off when the Legislature responded by removing the test from the state budget! That small group of parents went by the name of Parents Raising Educational Standards in Schools, better known as PRESS. Not surprisingly, PRESS was ahead of the curve in their opposition to statewide performance-based testing. The March 15, 2000 issue of Education Week, an education industry publication, features an article revealing problems with performance-based testing. It lists several of the same reasons PRESS parents cited as causes for concern in '95. The front page article, entitled "NAEP Drops Long-Term Writing Data" can be found at: http://www.edweek.org/ew/ew_printstory.cfm?slug=27naep.h19 The article opens with the following: "Much of the data from the nation's longest ongoing assessment of student writing skills is unreliable and will be scrapped, the board that overseas the National Assessment of Education Progress has determined." The article goes on to state that NAEP's discovery "could also reveal potential problems in other performance-based tests and in state testing programs that require students to write short answers and essays, especially when the results are used to make decisions about individual students or to examine trends over time." Gary Phillips, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, told Education Week that he's "lost confidence that the data are reliable." PRESS parents were most concerned about performance tasks that required students to work in small cooperative groups and in some instances encouraged students to work on problems at home. The Wisconsin test was to be based on Wisconsin's "17 Learner Goals and Outcomes" best known for their lack of academic clarity. PRESS parents were also concerned that the relative small number of performance tasks made the test even more unreliable. Apparently the "experts" now agree: "Assessing students ability in writing, as well as for other performance-based tasks, while asking only a few questions has generally proved tricky," the article concludes. It is doubtful that DPI will thank PRESS for preventing an education debacle in our state. We are NOT holding our breath for that to happen! We can, however, take comfort in knowing that a small group of parents really can make a difference!