HIRSCH CITES STUDY 30% OF PAPERS RECEIVED EVERY GRADE, 100% 5 GRADES \doc\web\99\09\scoreacc.txt "Glen Moody" As Hirsch explained so eloquently in "The Schools We Need," p. 183- under test evasion= quoting Diederich's study from 1961, "when 300 student papers were graded by 53 graders, more than one third of the papers received every possible grade from A,A-,B+,B,B-,C+,C,C-, and D." So much for the authenticity of 'authentic testing' and subjective (rubric) scoring. The study goes on to say that 94% of the papers received 7, 8, or 9 different different grades and none of the essays received less than 5 different grades. (arthur hu) On the WA's WASL, 80% agreement on a 5 point scale is considered accurate enough to keep a grader. This is accuracy? Also the pass point on the WASL is set AFTER the test is given, it is not fixed before the test is given as is with the New Standards tests. Is that silly or what? From: "Glen Moody" To: "ClearingHouse" Subject: [education-consumers] Re: Vermont Will R-Evaluate Test Scores Date sent: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 15:00:43 -0400 Send reply to: "Glen Moody" > ===================================================================== > > > > The article Nancy posted from Vermont makes Hirsch look like a genius (of > course he is), with > the State Ed Dept and Harcourt declaring that...... > > quote: > > >The problem arose in the part of the test where students write about a > > passage they have just read. > > > > "It wasn't that the scoring was too lenient, it was that the training > > materials ... were not as complete and accurate as they could have been," > he > > said. > As Hirsch explained so eloquently in "The Schools We Need," p. 183- under test evasion= quoting Diederich's study from 1961, "when 300 student papers were graded by 53 graders, more than one third of the papers received every possible grade from A,A-,B+,B,B-,C+,C,C-, and D." So much for the authenticity of 'authentic testing' and subjective (rubric) scoring. The study goes on to say that 94% of the papers received 7, 8, or 9 different different grades and none of the essays received less than 5 different grades. So here we are, 38 years later and many of those in charge of testing (read assessment) haven't learned a thing. And it should be noted that many states (mine included) did not use the 'subjective/affective' portion of Terra Nova, this year. What shall we expect for next year? Glen Moody > Kingsport, TN > > > > ---------- > > From: Nanny714@aol.com > > To: ClearingHouse > > Subject: [education-consumers] Vermont Will R-Evaluate Test Scores > > Date: Tuesday, July 06, 1999 10:25 AM > > > > ===================================================================== > > > > > > > > June 15, 99 > > > > VERMONT WILL RE-EVALUATE TEST SCORES > > Student Assessments For 1998 Will Be Revised, Officials Say > > By Anne Wallace Allen > > Associated Press Writer > > > > MONTPELIER - The 1998 student assessments in writing for grades four and > > eight are being calculated again, and the revised scores are going to be > > lower, the Education Department said yesterday. > > > > The revised 1998 scores will come out when the 1999 scores do in August, > said > > department spokesman Tom Bisson. Harcourt Educational Measurment, the > company > > that scores the assessments, agreed to score the 1998 tests again after > > education officials in Vermont and Rhode Island questioned the results > they > > got last fall. > > > > The questions arose becuase the percentage of students who met the > writing > > standard in eighth grade was much higher than the percentage who met the > > writing standard in fourth and 10th grade. In 1998, 86 percent of the > eighth > > graders met the standard, compared to 35 percent of fourth graders and 46 > > > percent of tenth graders. > > > > "They just seemed higher than we would have expected," Bisson said > yesterday. > > "The standard wasn't as high as we wanted it be be." > > > > Harcourt analyzed the scores and raised the standard, in the process > lowering > > the scores. The final figures aren't out yet, but Bisson said the > percentage > > of eighth-graders who met the writing standard in the 1998 tests is > expected > > to fall between 15 and 20 percentage points. The percentage at fourth > grade > > will fall as well, Bisson said, between 3 and 5 percentage points. > > > > Ed Slawski, a senior research scientist at Harcourt Education Measurement > in > > San Antonio, said the problem was the training materials given to the > people > > - many of them teachers - who read students' papers. The training > materials > > are developed so that people reading the papers will all make exactly the > > > same kind of decisions about the papers they are reading, based on > specific > > criteria, he said. > > > > The problem arose in the part of the test where students write about a > > passage they have just read. > > > > "It wasn't that the scoring was too lenient, it was that the training > > materials ... were not as complete and accurate as they could have been," > he > > said. > > > > Slawski works for the company that distributes and scores the New > Standards > > Reference Exam for the National Center on Education and the Economy. > > > > Vermont institutued the New Standards Reference Exams in 1996. The exams > in > > mathematics and English are administered every spring to fourth, eighth, > and > > 10th-graders.Rhode Island and Vermont are the only states that use the > exams > > statewide, Bisson said, but 19 large school districts, including New York > > > City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Minneapolis also use them. > The > > change will affect all the districts, Bisson said. > > > > The 1999 math results are expected out in July, the education department > > said. The 1998 and 1999 scores are due out in August. > > > > "Of course people are going to be disappointed if their scores are going > > down, but I think they're going to appreciate the rigor of the writing > > standard," Bisson said. "If we didn't change the scores, if we didn't > insist > > the tests were rescored to a higher standard, I think they'd wonder why > their > > writing (score) went down in this year's test." > > > > END > > > > > > ===================================================================== > > > > EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE > > networking and information for parents and taxpayers on the > internet > > > > Website & Archives: http://education-consumers.com > > > > You are currently subscribed to education-consumers as: > book@globalconnection.net > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a blank email to > leave-education-consumers-989462S@lists.dundee.net > > > > ===================================================================== > > > > For less mail, use the following link and choose > > 1) a daily digest, > > 2) a daily list of subjects, or > > 3) no mail (read postings on Web) > > > > http://lists.dundee.net/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=education-consumers > > > > For more help & info: http://www.lyris.com/help or > > > > ===================================================================== > > EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE > networking and information for parents and taxpayers on the internet > > Website & Archives: http://education-consumers.com > > You are currently subscribed to education-consumers as: arthurhu@halcyon.com > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a blank email to leave-education-consumers-989462S@lists.dundee.net > > ===================================================================== > > For less mail, use the following link and choose > 1) a daily digest, > 2) a daily list of subjects, or > 3) no mail (read postings on Web) > > http://lists.dundee.net/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=education-consumers > > For more help & info: http://www.lyris.com/help or >