z52\doc\web\2001\09\orlich.txt by don orlich Washington State University dorlich@@wsu.edu New Economy High School School Motto: Training obedient workers for the 21st Century A memo to Parents from the Principal: Welcome to New Economy High School. Faculty members and administrators look forward to delivering cutting-edge services to your child. Parents are important to the learning process and we encourage you to communicate your concerns. Your son or daughter will take many different classes. Depending on the level of individual initiative and parental support, some courses will be advanced placement and others will be for college credit. Regardless of the success in these classes, earning a respected diploma is determined only by passing the "Washington Assessment of Student Learning" (WASL). This new and improved $6,000,000 test battery will be administered in April of the sophomore year. The material in it encompasses an insignificant portion of what will be taught and learned here, but that's what accountability is all about. We need your patience, as we will not receive the WASL results until the fall term of the junior year. There is no need to be anxious as we raise the bar for graduation, as only one in every five students passes all four tests the first time. We know that your son or daughter will not become disenchanted with the process but will eagerly re-take the state test as many times as is needed. Some small sacrifices are imperative if your child is to gain a world-class education and be competitive in the international job arena. Business people, community members and a sprinkling of teachers helped to develop the WASL. We cannot look at the actual tests, but since we administer them we have a fair idea of their content. The questions change from year to year. According to independent experts the tests are unreliable, invalid and inconsistent, with unreasonable expectations. The latter is disputed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction who emphatically states they are valid and appropriate for any hardworking and well taught student. Two years ago, the state's science test--developed by the above process--had to be discarded without grading, after being administered to all 8th and 10th graders in the state. Responsible citizenship is our guiding principle. Part of the WASL is multiple-choice, part short-response, and part free-response. We have no way of knowing which parts count the most. The test decision-makers wait until after the test is administered to finalize scoring allocations. To maintain objectivity, our teachers do not grade the tests. All tests are sent out of state to an international corporation that handles huge volumes of such tests. Your student's answers will be scanned into a computer program and the originals shredded. This same corporation also provides "Workforce Development Assessments" to determine one's overall suitability for hire and other psychometric profiles. This information is stored indefinitely in the offshore corporation's databank. Although this procedure appears to be a violation of the federally mandated protection of experimentation on human subjects, that's not for us to debate. We have no guarantee that the answer key used for the multiple-choice and short-response sections will be entirely correct. Last year our scoring company only made 47,000 errors resulting in several hundred students in Minnesota being denied their high school diplomas. Compassionately, the company voluntarily awarded those students $1,000 each--a fair and just settlement for causing the young people to miss their once-in-a- lifetime graduation ceremony with their friends and classmates. Our students' scored tests are not returned to us so we cannot verify the validity of scoring. Only one year the scoring company had to re-score all Washington State's 4th grade WASL writing assessments because of errors. This is surely a small price to pay for commitment to and mastery of those required 21st Century skills. The four-point free-response problems are subject to scorer interpretation. The scoring corporation hires people who are not teachers to grade the tests at $10 an hour. Although they are not paid per test, scorers are expected to meet an hourly quota. In fact, the writing portion is scored by the reviewer's "general impression." You can rest comfortably knowing that the average of 2 and 1/2 minutes spent on your child's essay will be adequate. Students who provide valid solutions not matching the scoring rubric might receive only partial or no credit at all. In the past, to guarantee consistency, when scorers had different scores, the first one always counted. We do not like to brag, but historically only one in four of the scores have been inaccurate. A passing score (i. e., the total number of points) is predetermined by a committee of business people, who have never taught in a classroom, in collaboration with others. The numerical score that is recorded on your child's permanent record will be based on a completely arbitrary scale. This number has no relationship to any other grading or test scale. Such rigor shows how we are raising the bar. Even if students see the WASL as a monster and have nightmares about it, we're still committed to tougher standards. Some of our special students have federally required Individual Education Plans. They will all take the same outcomes-based assessments and must pass them like everybody else. Last year 78% of the special education students failed--obviously because they did not work hard enough. We are pleased however, to report that a group of our diligent teachers was selected for a free trip to Phoenix, paid for by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, to buy into this clever accountability process. Although there is a close link between student socio-economic status and WASL performance, we fully support world-class standards at New Economy High School. The state of Washington can be proud of its billion dollar trail and error educational reform efforts. We're not perfect, but you can see that we are making progress. Assessments such as the WASL will keep America in first place in the world. And we will leave no child behind or untested. The writer, Donald C. Orlich, thanks Scott Hopkins of Tampa, Florida for permission to recast this letter. While the letter is satirical, all facts, descriptions and events are documented! [Word count 1,025 total] September 17, 2001 Dear Education Writer: I am taking the liberty of sending you four items that relate to high stakes tests, with emphasis on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The State Superintendent of Public Instruction will release the results of the 2000-2001 school year this week. Please be advised that my analyses will counter those propagandistic-style news releases fed to the public. Enclosed are: 1. "High Stakes Tests and Questionable Reforms," which is the manuscript of the invited address that will be delivered in Pullman on September 20th at Noon. This paper is very detailed. 2. Press synopsis of "High Stakes Tests and Questionable Reforms," which is a 235-word summary of the 14-page manuscript to aid in your coverage of this speech. 3. A fictitious memo from the principal of New Economy High School regarding the WASL. This 1000 word piece is a tongue-in-cheek attempt to place in context almost every clichÈ that the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and A+ Commission Chair stated during the past two years. 4. An abstract from the September issue of the Washington Science Teachers' Journal "An Analysis of the Washington Science EALRs." This summary predicts the failure rate on the state's 5th, 8th and 10th grade science assessment given to a select group this year. [Of interest, in 1999 my predictions were released in the Sunday, October 10th joint issue of the PI & Seattle Times and were almost perfect, missing the number by only 2.5%.] I would be most happy to discuss these papers with you. I am a Professor Emeritus at WSU, but am paying to disseminate these to avoid any conflict of interest. All but item 4 are on computer and can be e-mailed as attachments if you desire. Office Phone is (509) 335-4844, email Press synopsis (235 words) "HIGH STAKES TESTS AND QUESTIONABLE REFORMS" Dr. Donald C. Orlich, Professor Emeritus at Washington State University labeled the state of Washington's education reform a "monumental trail and error experimental failure!" In an invited address to the Pullman Kiwanis Club on September 20th, Orlich called the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) a "marvelous predictor of poverty" and a test showing that "non-English speaking students cannot pass an English writing examination." Providing data from official state reports, he illustrated the 4th grade level "flunk rates" that ranged from 78% for Native Americans, 79% for Black children, and 80% for Hispanics. These compare to 55% for Asian and Caucasian children. He quoted federally published test scores that show several of America's states at a high level of academic excellence that bettered most countries in the world in science and math. Orlich chided the press for not celebrating the news that U. S. high school students who passed the Advanced Placement Physics and Calculus tests were "the best in world!" "You want world class standards," he asked? "Well, you have them." Orlich was chagrined that the current national discourse on education has degenerated to a single-minded focus on testable standards. This madness comes at the expense of critical instructional services. He concluded with a satirical anti-WASL memo from a fictitious New Economy High School whose school motto is "Training obedient workers for the 21st Century." His satire, however, reflects actual WASL policies and procedures. Dr. Orlich may be reached at (509) 335-4844 or home (509) 334-4214. Email dorlich@wsu.edu)