From: LYTK73A@prodigy.com (MRS COLEEN C ARY) Date sent: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 19:50:51, -0500 To: arthurhu@mail1.halcyon.com Subject: CALIF STATE TEST:Terra Nova Recommended Arthur, You've done a remarkable amount of research lately...visited most of the important websites. I am sending this press release because of your interest in testing. PIE Research Director, Lyn Booth, has (shhhh) the actual Terra Nova test. She'd be the one to contact regarding information about it. You'll be horrified (as if that were possible) to learn that many questions are pictoral--no reading required... You see this is the effect of Bilingual Education programs---can't expose kids in B L Ed to be failures in reading English. This choice of test is RED FLAG TIME, because it is a NEW test which hasn't had the scrutiny necessary to make it one of the most highly regarded. Adding to that, is the fact that the multicultural elements are pervasive and you have all the ingrediants for DISASTER!!! Coleen Ary PARENTS INVOLVED in EDUCATION Lyn Booth (707) 964-8400 (h) (707) 964-8883 (fax) booth@inreach.com ========================= October 31, 1997 ALTHOUGH NO STANDARDIZED TEST MEETS HIGH STANDARDS, EASTIN MAKES RELUCTANT RECOMMENDATION TO STATE BOARD SACRAMENTO--State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin announced today that, in accordance with state law (Senate Bill 376), she is making her recommendation to the State Board of Education regarding the achievement test to be used in 1997-98 for the new Standardized Testing and Reporting program (STAR). She noted, however, that she makes her recommendation to adopt CTBS/Terra Nova by CTB/McGraw-Hill with reluctance, inasmuch as none of the tests submitted meets high standards. In announcing her recommendation, the Superintendent reiterated her conviction that individual student results from a state test must reflect achievement in terms of California's standards. "When the tests submitted for consideration are examined against the recommended state standards and California's curriculum, all of them are seriously flawed, with the level of test content falling years below grade-level expectations," Eastin said. "The middle school and high school tests have too few items that align with the grade-level standards. Although these tests provide nationally normed information, none of them has the rigor, nor the breadth and depth of content, that California needs. These tests are simply not world class. "Because none of the tests provides a good match, I am recommending that the test selected by the State Board only be adopted for one year. This would allow all publishers, including CTB/McGraw-Hill, to more closely align their tests to our state standards and curriculum and resubmit them for future consideration." Eastin cited three major reasons for her recommendation. She said, "One, the Terra Nova is better aligned with the standards in all content areas examined at the lower grade levels. Two, the extensive use of assessments from this publisher throughout California schools may allow test results to be linked more easily with results from past years. Three, the Terra Nova reporting format communicates more effectively and understandably to teachers, parents, and students." The Governor did not sign the bill authorizing the STAR program until October 8, 1997. Test publishers had until Friday, October 17, to submit tests to the Superintendent for her consideration. According to requirements of the new law, by October 31, 1997 Eastin must recommend to the State Board which achievement test to adopt. The Board has until November 14 to make its final determination. "In spite of the short timeline, I am pleased to report that a representative and exceptional group of 71 school district superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum and assessment specialists, and teachers met in Sacramento on October 20-22 to examine the tests, item by item, against the specified content criteria," said Eastin. "In addition to the content examination, internationally renowned testing and measurement experts examined each test. The criteria used to assess the exams, such as validity and reliability, were spelled out in Senate Bill 376. The findings of both groups were submitted to me for consideration--and their findings supported this conclusion." Approved by the Legislature and the Governor, the new STAR program requires that all public school districts in California use a single standardized test, designated by the State Board of Education, to test each student in grades two through eleven by May 15 of each fiscal year, beginning with 1997-98. Students in grades two through eight must be tested in the basic skills of reading, spelling, written expression, and mathematics. Students in grades nine through eleven must be tested in reading, writing, mathematics, history- social science, and science. The designated test must be nationally normed and must provide individual student scores for reporting to parents by June 30 of each year. Three publishers submitted four tests to be considered. They were as follows: CTB/McGraw-Hill, the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS)/Terra Nova Complete Battery Plus/Basic Battery Plus; Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement, the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 9) version T and version TA; and Riverside Publishing, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, forms K, L, and M. ============================================================= Superintendent's Recommendation Letter for STAR Program, October 31, 1997 October 31, 1997 Yvonne W. Larsen, President California State Board of Education P.O. Box 80456 San Diego, CA 92138 Dear Mrs. Larsen: In accordance with Senate Bill 376, I am submitting to the State Board of Education my recommendation for selection of the achievement test for the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. To assist in making an informed recommendation, I requested that test publishers nationwide submit tests for consideration. I am grateful to the three publishers who responded with full submissions despite the short timeline. They were CTB/McGraw-Hill, the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS)/Terra Nova Complete Battery Plus/Basic Battery Plus; Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement, the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 9), versions T and TA; and Riverside Publishing, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, forms K, L, and M. The submitted tests underwent an extensive evaluation process to provide me with the detailed information I needed to make my recommendation. A representative group of 71 superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum specialists, and teachers participated in a three-day examination of each test. This included an examination of the tests, item by item, a discussion of each test form as a whole, and a discussion of the content of each test series as it progresses through the grade levels. Leading testing and measurement experts then examined the tests against all specified technical criteria. When examined against the recommended state standards and existing frameworks and advisories, all of the tests submitted were seriously flawed, with the test content falling years below grade level expectations. Almost none of the middle and high school tests have items that align with the grade level standards or focus on the California curriculum. Although these tests provide nationally-normed information, none of them have the rigor, nor the breadth and depth of content, that I hope all of us want for California. Overall, two tests, the CTBS/Terra Nova and Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 9), appear to be relatively equal in quality. Results of the content examination, however, concluded that the Terra Nova is better aligned with the recommended standards at the lower grades and that the SAT 9 is slightly more rigorous at the upper grades. If the law allowed more than one test to be adopted, I would recommend the Terra Nova for grades 2-8 and the SAT 9 for grades 9-11. The third test, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, was consistently less aligned to California's educational goals, both in terms of test focus and grade level expectations. The cost estimate for the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills is also significantly higher than those of the other tests submitted. Since the law requires the selection of one test that will provide comparable data through the grades, I must choose between the two. My recommendation, therefore, is that the State Board adopt CTBS/Terra Nova for the STAR Program for 1997-98. There are three major reasons for my recommendation. One, the Terra Nova is a relatively strong test in all content areas examined at the lower grade levels - the very grades that have received so much of our attention. Two, the extensive use, throughout California, of assessments from this publisher may allow the assessment results to be linked more easily with results from past years. Third, the results for Terra Nova are reported in a format that communicates more effectively and understandably to teachers, parents, and students. California is the largest test consumer in the country and, as such, should be able to demand quality tests that are fully aligned to State Board adopted standards. Only by having aligned tests will we know whether our schools and the students they serve will be reaching the high levels of achievement needed for success in the twenty-first century. I recommend that this test only be adopted for one year to allow all publishers, including CTB/McGraw-Hill, to submit new versions of their assessments that are aligned with California's standards and curriculum. Most importantly, the new tests must be as rigorous in all grades as the standards adopted by the State Board. Particularly, beginning in grade five, there is a widening gap between these tests and California's expectations for student achievement. These tests are simply not world class. Moreover, if your assessments are significantly lower than your standards, we can expect that teachers will teach to the test and the standards will become irrelevant. Please do not let that happen. These current tests fall way below the bar. We must insist on the best assessment program for California's children. I urge you to go back to the drawing board for 1998-99. Let us be smart and effective consumers on behalf of our children, their parents, and California's taxpayers. Sincerely, DELAINE EASTIN State Superintendent of Public Instruction Last uploaded on Friday, October 31 1997 Doug Stone 916/657-3027 REL#97-43 Jan Agee FAX 916/657-5101 10/31/97 ____ Coleen Ary, Editor PIE National Newsletter 690-A Los Angeles Avenue #232 Simi Valley, CA 93065 (805) 581-6169 (805) 581-1956 fax LYTK73A@prodigy.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Carolyn Steinke, Executive Director PARENTS INVOLVED IN EDUCATION Central Office P.O. Box 3004 Palm Desert, CA 92261 (760) 772-0145 (760) 772-0195 fax