RUBRICS SET FOR "B", EVERYONE MUST GET A B. NO "A"s, OREGON SETS, TESTS "NEW STANDARD" From: "Bob&Barbara Tennison" To: "Coleen Ary" Subject: Response: Now I've seen everythng TESTING Date sent: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 21:36:44 -0800 Coleen, In Oregon the "bar" was raised for testing also. What that meant when "applied" was that students could only get a "B," there were no standards for an "A." Students who wanted an "A" were encouraged to go above and beyond the standard for a "B," keeping in mind that there is no standard for a "B" either. It is up to the student to figure out how to reach the invisible bar. C's, D's and F's are not permitted. Any student not getting at least a "B" receives an In Progress (IP) and they are allowed to redo the work as many times as necessary until they reach at least a "B." Students are given rubrics (scoring guides) to follow, with each rubric set a what is considered a "B" level. Tasks are scored on a rubric scale of 1, 2, 3, and 4, with 4 being a "B." Now if a student wants an "A" he/she is told to go above and beyond but when they do go above and beyond they are told they did not meet the rubric requirement and must redo the work until it is the same as everyone else's. When test scores fall or huge numbers of kids fail in our district, the administration says they did so because the standards were so high that students couldn't meet them. Our CIM and CAM standards have been adopted and there isn't a measurable standard among the drivel the state passed out. Keep in mind that we too are a New Standards State and Oregon received a reduction on the membership fee for developing and kid testing the "New Standards" in all subjects. The standards the state adopted have received national acclaim. What should be proclaimed nationally is" Oregon adopted new CIM/CAM standards, now let the dumbing down begin. Barbara (BET) Bob & Barbara Tennison 78612 Halderman Rd. Cottage Grove, OR 97424-9709 Home: 541-942-0703 Website: http://www.jb.com/~btennison EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE