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FIX OR KILL WASL!: Assessment for Education De/Reform

News!

WASL Assessment State Page http://assessment.ospi.wednet.edu/ASMNT99/WASL-789.html \clip\99\19\wasl99.htm 1999 test results

Partnership for Learning Dumps corporate money into slick publicity for a faulty test which harms our kids. Poll purports showing voters support "raising standards". AT&T - 1-800-550-kids

Headlines

10/10/99 Seattle Times reports 4th grade test is too hard 4/26/1999 4th grade test is easier than 10th grade test, sample questions used on the "secure" acual test!

Introduction

"The key is an assessment system, not a list of goals. The assumption: The high stakes system will cause the desired change in teaching and goals".

Marc Tucker, presentation to educator in Seattle 1991 leading to WASL

Washington State is following other states in implementing what is called "performance based testing". The purpose of these test is not to measure effectiveness of current curriculums, but deliberately fail current skills in order to enforce the drive towards a radical reform of education.

It is the cornerstone, and first step in reforms as envisioned by people such as Marc Tucker of the NCEE who first proposed such tests to Washington state in 1991. Although lip service is paid that the test only covers the Essential Acdemic Learning Requirements, in fact, most of these tests ignore any written standards documents. Nationwide, 22 states are tying graduation to these tests

Marc Tucker started this movement with his proposal to have a Certificate of Mastery backed by a new generation of tests. He has stated that we need to insure that all meet "world class" standards to be globally competitive. But in fact, nations like Germany and Britain do not require all students to meet the same performance standard. Students are ranked, and graduate with whatever grades that they get, which may be passing or not.

The trend is away from rote checking for memorized skills towards free response and partial answers for questions with no one correct answer. They are graded more on prose than actually getting a correct answer. They are sold as being carefully checked for cultural bias. Yet they are written to impossibly high cognitive standards that are more difficult than IQ tests in terms of impact on minorities and the poor, so that 4th grades get problems that look like middle or high school and high school expectations exceed college placement exams.

Conservatives charge that using the same passing standard for all will result in lower standards. But in actuality, standards are being placed so high that only the top students can actually demonstrate this performance, and in some cases, no schools have been able to meet state goals of 70% or 80% passing.

Washington's 1997 4th grade math test placed half of the population in the lowest "doesn't know anything" score category, failed 80% of the general population, and 97% of the minority population. By 1999, 80,000 4th, 80,000 7th and 80,000 10th graders were taking the test. [about $10M per year]

In comparison, traditional norm-referenced tests are designed to discriminate between the best and the worst between wide extremes. While norm-based tests were designed primarily with statistics and scientific research in mind, the new tests are based almost entirely on politics, with no research to back up the assertion that the new tests are improvements over the old tests in terms of cost, reliability, or fairness. Tests are deliberately piloted with known failure rates of 75% or higher, without any evidence that any diverse group of students can be expected to be taught to pass at higher rates.

These are proving more difficult than the old tests. In the fall of 1997, Washington was reviewing the results of a new test widely heralded as "raising standards" so that "all children will master essential skills". No one in the education business questioned the idea that a test that 80% of students "flunked" wasn't too hard. Nearly half of problems required knowledge beyond 4th grade curriculum in any current textbooks, and up to 10th grade level measured by the state benchmarks the test was allegedly designed to assess. In every other state with similar tests, similarly low pass rates are celebrated as proof of the need for reforms, and examples show similar usage of over-grade level problems.

Other Experts on Testing and Assessment Problems

What's wrong with the new "performance based" tests?

Read Sander's paper for the the best case against the new tests: (4) "Educational Assessment Reassessed: The Usefulness of Standardized and Alternative Measures of Student Achievement as Indicators for the Assessment of Educational Outcomes," Educational Policy Analysis Archives, Vol 3 No 6, March 3, 1995

It's the best summary of what's wrong with these tests, it amounts to what I was able to figure out on my own with the CLAS test.

A Point By Point Critique of "Best Features"

Feature: They don't rely on multiple choice.

Problem: Essay problems are much more difficult for poor and minority students. Most students aren't taught to answer math problems by explaining in terms of words and pictures instead of simply computing a corrrect answer. Essay questions are much more difficult to score and grade because they require subjective judgements. Machine scoring is much less error prone, and much less expensive. Either they're right or wrong, and no bone-headed idea that you should get full credit even if the result is wrong.

Feature: The new tests are tough

Problem: Tough? They don't test what the students are taught, and in the WA assessment, they cover topics that according to the national NAEP frameworks shouldn't even be assessed at the 4th grade. For example using proportional logic to measure things like flagpoles based on their shadow isn't until the 8th grade. Reading scale drawings is an 8th grade skill. NAEP guidelines say to not do conversions, even within the same system, like converting 60 inches to 5 feet. Yes, they're supposed to be able to read simple bar charts, but not frequency histograms with unlabeled minor tics. They're supposed to know about central tendencies, but not formal mean or median, and not pick out the one with the most items UNDER a certain value like the battery life question. And they're not supposed to be exposed to experimental statistics. They're not supposed to be tested on trick questions - the battery life question was posed as which one should you pick which lasts at least 9 hours, but this answer was different from the one with the longest average life, which is what most students are taught to look for in battery ads.

See these sample problems: Problems with comments | Official samples | impressions of 1999 test

WASL 4TH GRADE TEST IS NOT 4TH GRADE BUT 7TH AND 10TH GRADE OR COLLEGE LEVEL

The following are NOT essential 4th grade skills. None of these is explicitly mentioned in the 4th grade Washington state essential skills, only some are in higher grades. They are not mentioned in the answer key, which only gives the relevant strands, despite statements by officials by the Commision on Student Learning, or the Superintendent of Instruction. The only 2 answer rubrics released were both wrong (measuring height by shadow, bird feeder cost list) In fact, many of these tasks ARE in the benchmarks, but at a much higher grade level. Similar skills can be found in other state tests like Kentucky, Exemplars, New Standards and other Tucker-inspired tests. George Cunningham and others have noted that these tests are way beyond any current standard expected of students, and often pay no attention to the standards (usually similar to Washington's). Similarly, the claim of "world class" benchmarks is fictitious since Japanese and German standards don't put these 7th and 10th grade skills into G4 either.

Grid showing grade level of sample problems Only 40% of problems are clearly within 4th grade 31% are clearly at 7th grade or higher level by benchmarks

Two education experts, Gregory Cizek of the University of Toledo, and home schooling advocate Richard Bray agreed that the WA 4th grade test would be difficult for a 6th grader if not higher, and some skills are on the 8th grade NAEP agenda. It is claimed that these skills are in the new Essential Learning Skills 4th grade guide, and that the best schools teach these skills, but they are NOT on anybody's curriculum or text book, they're not in the Essential Academic Learning Requirements/Benchmarks (EALR), and the only places that scored relatively well (70% passing, still 30% failed) was in the best and wealthiest schools under the old tests.

Feature: They're not racially biased

The WA test had blacks score 0.8 Standard Deviations lower than whites on the math test, virtually the same gap as IQ tests where blacks outside the south generally score about 90 IQ, or 0.8 SD less than whites. California's CLAS, and every other state test show minorities doing just as bad, and usually worse on the new tests than thge old fashioned ones

Therefore, if inequality is bias, the WA test is just as bad if not worse than IQ tests. Written response tests are even more difficult for minorities than multiple choice tests. Multicultural questions are not easier for minorities, passages by authors like Alice Walker are unintelligible even by college level readers. Questions with partial credit for process over answers are not easier. It is all an illusion that getting rid of these features will make them easier for minorities.

Feature: They don't grade students on a curve.

Problem: Criterion based tests base based on largely arbitrary choice of a standard with no apparent relationship to current curriculum. For example the 4th grade test assumes knowledge of how to build a bird feeder out of wood set into the ground in cement, or how to interpet frequency histograms. Such tests CAN be converted to a curve, but even so, is not standardized to allow comparison with other states. In fact, it is highly deceptive when the press in WA, RI and Colorado all have headlines about how the new scores are much lower than old norm-referenced tests when in fact, the level of performance is the same. All they did is change the level of expectation from 50th percentile to meeting some new arbitrary state standard which falls well beyond national average.

Feature: Tests are graded on a 5 or 6 point scale "mastery" based or criterion-referenced instead of norm-referenced scale.

Problem: Mastery _is_ relative. Some kids can solve a much higher percentage of advanced problems than others. There is no absolute measure of what a student "should" know without a measure of what actual kids can do. Distributions of such tests typically bear no resemblence of the percentages of students who get A or B letter grade, which normally correspond to equal to or better than expected. In the 1994 CLAS, 0% got a "6" which corresponds to an "A", and only 5% got a "B", which was like a "B" grade. Where curve-based tests are criticized because it shows some grades scoring above average, the new tests can and sometimes do "flunk" almost everybody. Such a coarse scale is almost useless for ranking students compared to a 1-100 percentile scale or the typical 200-800 SAT style scale which can discriminate between students even in the top 0.1% of the curve.

Feature: Problems are graded such that good explanations are more important getting a correct answer.

Problem: When questions don't have just one correct answer, students can be confused as to what the correct answer is, and grading is very subjective.

Feature: Problems are scored by a human expert, not a computer

Problem: Grading is subjective, with no guarantee that the same result will be scored the same by different scorers. Computers can automatically score multiple choice questions with no problems with repeatability, and provide very fine resolution between ability with many problems.

Feature: New tests look for "thinking skills" instead of rote memory

Problem: Critical thinking was never the problem with students who did well or poorly with the old tests. Questions which resemble an intellectual obstacle course are only even more difficult for the poorly prepared, as the California's CLAS showed the poor and minorities did even worse. New tests often trade demonstration of hard computational or verbal skills for this "thinking skills" instead. If you want to add thinking problems, add them, don't replace facts and skills based problems, which can result in lower, not higher math performance.

Features: All students should be able to learn

Problem: You can't simply state that we're going to set a standard that only the top 85th percentile can hack right now, and say that everybody is going to pass this, and then require 85th percentile performance for a "certificate of mastery" to proceeed on the next grade or get a high school diploma when currently performance above the 15-20th percentile is good enough. These tests are really no different than IQ tests, and nobody's even been able to demonstrate an educational program that takes a general population and makes them pass any test at a 85th percentile / 115 IQ level. It just can't be done. If you can show me a research project that shows it's possible that's one thing, but it's nuts to run a real school system that way with no evidence that it's possible. @@Contents

Summary of 1997 WASL Data

District Rankings on "new performance based 4th grade test"


washasrk.xls
Scatter Chart showing
correlation between new test and old CTBS
scatter chart

	WASL Spectrum, ranked by math score

	CTBS = math over 50 percentile 
    FL= Free/Reduced Lunch%
    CTBS= percent above 50th percentile on traditional test
    Math etc. = percent above "standard"

	Math  Read Listn Writ CTBS FL
	 92   100   96    92  NA    Challenge Edmonds
	 83   100  100   100        St. Thomas Bellevue Cath
	 80    88   92    80        Bertschi Seattle Priv
	 80   100   93    53        Brighton Edmonds Priv
----------------- best public school = 72 ------------------------
	 72    82   87    83  91  2 Somerset Bellevue
	 68    95   91    74        Assumption-St Bridget Seattle Priv
	 66    83   93    83  77 16 Wedgewood Seattle 
	 63    90   90    90        Evergreen Academy (Bothell Priv)
	 62    79   85    79  82  1 Cougar Ridge Issaquah 
	 61    78   85    73        Bush Seattle Priv
	 60    81   88    67  88  1 Lakeridge Mercer Island
------------ best district = 60 ---------------------------------
	 58    76   84    71        Mercer Island Dist
	 58    79   71    79  78  1 Sunrise Northshore 
	 57    68   85    77  72 26 Laurelhurst Seattle
     53    74   86           25 Kennewick Ridge View
	 51    75   86    83  84 21 Whittier Seattle
	 50    70   74    35  80  9 Shelton View Northshore
	 50    67   71    82  62  7 B.Franklin Lk Wash
					  68        Black Diamond
	 50                         Franklin Elem (LWSD)
	 44    71   76    52        Bainbridge Island
	 33               61        Lake Washington
	 36    64   74    65        Issaquah
	 34    62   71    57        Bellevue
	 34    57   73    59        Northshore
------------very good suburb 31-34 ------------------------
	 32    62   74    39        Riverview
	 24    47   51    50        Auburn
------------average 22-30 --------------------------------
	 22    48         42        Statewide
	 22    59   75    46        Snoqualmie
	 21    58   65    46        Enumclaw  
	 17    48   62    49        Renton               
	 14                         Bell Elem (LWSD)
----------- worst inner city schools = 3-7 ---------------------
	  7    28   40    31        South Central
	  6    47   61    57 51 41  Cascade Renton
	  6    31   52    40 40 56  Thorndyke South Central
	  3     3   28    28 40 73  Dunlap Seattle
	  3     39  77    36        Holy Family Auburn Priv
	  3    26   46    31 33 56  Campbell Hill Renton
	Math  Read Listn Writ

Poor urban schools do the worst, wealthy and private
schools do the best.


Statewide Performance by Race / Gender

\doc\web\97\08\waasrace.wk1

ASIANS AND BOYS MATH AVERAGE LOWER THAN WHITES, GIRLS
DIFFERENCE OF 0.67SD MEANS IT IS JUST AS DISCRIMINATORY
AGAINST BLACKS AS IQ TESTS.

Washington Assessment of Student Learning
Grade 4 Spring 1997
Analysis by Arthur Hu Oct 20, 1997
Data: Office Washington State Superintendent of Instruction

Mathematics                                                         Interpolate
        Not     Level                           State Std   SD      Est
Group   Tested         1       2       3       4Mean  Deviatdiff    Percentile
Total          3    46.3    28.9   14.95    6.85 374.5 33.95    0.00      50
Male         3.2    47.2    27.8    14.7     7.1 373.7  34.9   -0.02      49
Female       2.8    45.4    30.0    15.2     6.6 375.3  33.0    0.02      51
White        2.5    41.1    31.3    17.1     8.0 378.9  32.8    0.13      55
Black        4.0    73.4    17.1     4.0     1.2 351.6  30.8   -0.67      26
Hispanic     7.2    71.7    15.8     4.3     1.0 350.3  31.4   -0.71      25
Asian        2.5    45.8    27.4    15.6     8.7 376.8  34.9    0.07      52
Native A     3.4    70.1    19.7     5.3     1.6 355.0  31.5   -0.57      30

Note - percentile estimated assuming 1 SD = 35% difference in percentile
25th percentile = 90 IQ

Index White=1.00
        Not     Level                           State Std   State
Group   Tested         1       2       3       4Mean  DeviatMean
Total          3    1.13   -1.08   -1.14   -1.17 -1.01  1.04   374.5
Male         3.2    1.15   -1.13   -1.16   -1.13 -1.01  1.06   373.7
Female       2.8    1.10   -1.04   -1.13   -1.21 -1.01  1.01   375.3
White        2.5    1.00    1.00    1.00    1.00  1.00  1.00   378.9
Black        4.0    1.79   -1.83   -4.28   -6.67 -1.08 -1.06   351.6
Hispanic     7.2    1.74   -1.98   -3.98   -8.00 -1.08 -1.04   350.3
Asian        2.5    1.11   -1.14   -1.10    1.09 -1.01  1.06   376.8
Native A     3.4    1.71   -1.59   -3.23   -5.00 -1.07 -1.04   355.0

Chart


Ranked by % scoring 4 (highest range)
                                                % of
        Not     Level                           State
Group   Tested         1       2       3       4Mean
Asian        2.5    1.11   -1.14   -1.10    1.09 -1.01  1.00
White        2.5    1.00    1.00    1.00    1.00  1.00
Male         3.2    1.15   -1.13   -1.16   -1.13 -1.01
Total          3    1.13   -1.08   -1.14   -1.17 -1.01
Female       2.8    1.10   -1.04   -1.13   -1.21 -1.01
Native A     3.4    1.71   -1.59   -3.23   -5.00 -1.07
Black        4.0    1.79   -1.83   -4.28   -6.67 -1.08
Hispanic     7.2    1.74   -1.98   -3.98   -8.00 -1.08
Blacks and Hispanics only 1/7 or 1/8 as likely as whites to score
"4", nearly twice as likely to score "1"

Ranked by Mathematics Mean
        State   White
Group   Mean    Ratio   Rank
White      378.9    1.00       1
Asian      376.8   -1.01       2
Female     375.3   -1.01       3
Total      364.4   -1.04       4
Male       373.7   -1.01       5
Native A   355.0   -1.07       6
Black      351.6   -1.08       7
Hispanic   350.3   -1.08       8
Asian mean is lower than White, Male mean is lower than Female
Discussion:

State Superintendent Terry Bergeson insists that the tests are not too difficult. But since 46% of students scored only a "1", which corresponds to "knows or understands almost none of what was expected", and 50% is generally understood to be the definition of "grade level", endorsement of the new standards is equivalent to declaring that grade-level achievement corresponds to a zero-achievement level on the new scale. This was not released in most news reports which only reported that "only 20%" of students achieved the state standard, but not that that the halfway point was at the lowest score. Now the Bergeson is cooperating with McDonalds to publicize the new standards asking "are you as smart as a 4th grader" without mentioning that the 50th percentile student completely flunked.

Ranked by top scores, Asians are most over-represented, but by far less than on SAT test, Native Americans, Blacks and Hispanics are under-represented by a factor of 5 to 8 times at the level of a "4"

The Asian average, however is actually about 1% worse than whites, compared to minority scores, which are 7-8% worse. This is contrary to most tests where the Asian mean is also higher than whites, not just the percentage at the top.

Similarly, boys are over-represented at the top (5) and bottom (1), but their average is lower than for girls. Like the CLAS test, girls outscored boys in every category in terms of their median/mean score, which puts more emphasis on writing. It has been observed by many that boys are more likely found at either extreme

A difference of .67 Standard Deviation between white and black scores would make the black score about 90 on an IQ scale, or about the same as IQ tests. Since the most difficult tests have the biggest spreads between races, this puts the new WA assessment on the level of an IQ test in terms of difficulty and disparate racial performance. Blacks statewide generally peform at the 30th to 40th national percentile on tests like the CTBS instead of the 15th to 25th percentile equivalent 85 to 90 IQ on most IQ test results.

Oddly, though organizations like Fair Test claim IQ and SAT tests are biased because results are so disparate, they support new style assessments even though racial differences are even more prounounced than tests like the CTBS.

Tests which require written responses are MORE DIFFICULT and will therefore, MAGNIFY any differences between the races.


Consumer's Guide Ratings of Standardized Tests

Excellent Norm-Referenced Tests
-------------------------------
CTBS
SAT
ACT
TAAS (Texas)


So-So
-------
NAEP - Criterion referenced, higher order thinking
Voluntary National Test - NTCM fuzzy math standards,
  constructed response, criterion referenced
Terra Nova - also NTCM compliant

Awful Performance-Based Tests
-----------------------------
Colorado
Connecticut
CLAS (California) Tested for subjective values
WASL (Washington) Math tested 4th graders at 7th and 10th grade benchmarks
FCAT (Florida)
KIRIS (Kentucky) No multiple choice
New Standards (NCEE) NY City, Vermont
Exemplars (Vermont)
Massachusetts



Who is Against High-Stakes Testing




New Articles on WASL 

======================================================================================


Note how many articles are front page news.

zip#28\images\972\1209\p01.bmp Students Need To Show they can reason
on tests Seattle Times 12/7/97 Education Q&A Only 2 of 40 questions
are straight math, says you won't get full credit without correct
answer (but that's not what the sample bird feeder rubric says!)
they cut out my source of test being too hard. Asks what happens if
you don't pass CIM test.

\clip\98\09\prep.txt Seattle Times
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/editorial/html98/tested_051998.html
Tuesday, May 19, 1998 Don't let preparation blur state test results
TERRY Bergeson, superintendent of public instruction, is worried that
problems with the new state tests could seriously erode public
confidence in schools. She should be. 

"State tells schools: Don't Cheat. Warning issued after reports of
test rules being broken" Jolayne Houtz, Dick Lilly Seattle Times May
16, 1998. Front Page. Terry Bergeson and Chuck Colson, chairman of
the state Commision on Student Learning issued a warning memo after
getting reports of testing rules being broken, and improper coaching
at Seattle's T.T. Minor Elementary school.

 for all practical purposes the EALR
movement will destroy the junior and senior years of our high schools.
Rod Roberts


From: "Roxanne Sitler"  Date sent: Fri, 24 Apr 1998
07:19:00 -0700 This year HB2849 moved the CTBS from 4th grade to 3rd.
We tried to get an amendment to that bill to leave it in the 4th but
were unsuccessful.  Now they have no comparison for the
performance-based and CTBS on same grade level.  Also, CTBS was
normed for 5 years and that has expired which means they are
searching for a new norm-referenced test.  The RFP's will go out this
year.



April 23 Eastside Journal Claims no
other state is doing the CIM or tests like this, CIM is back to year
2000-01

CTBS 4th grade tests to be
cancelled in exchange for reading bill. That's just great. Now we
won't be able to tell that our kids can't read.

Spokesman review article - testing educational reforms. Says that 

"This is just a test: 4th graders go for heavy mental mettle." Debera
Carlton Harrell Seattle Post Intelligencer April 14, 1998 p. 1 (front
page) Achievementof minority students a major concern. [Solution to
height of flagpole from shadow is incorrect - it says to count the
!@#$% bricks!] 71% of 10th graders would flunk if they were given the
test today.
files \clip\98\08\test\p01-p04.tif

http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/test_032698.html
\clip\98\07\cramtest.txt Seattle Times March 26, 1998 Schools cram
for state test by Jolayne Houtz Seattle Times staff reporter More
students are writing in math journals these days, reading nonfiction
materials and being asked not only what the right answer is, but also
why it's right.  "Parents at Cougar Ridge Elementary in Issaquah, one
of the region's highest-scoring schools last year, are being asked to
help children learn multiplication tables and other basics at home,
so teachers can focus on math concepts and more sophisticated
computation"


Seattle Times March 24, 1998 Time to put your commitment to the
test by Gary Locke and Terry Bergeson Special to The Times [Blantant
sales pitch for "higher standards" and new test]
\clip\98\07\commtest.txt
\clip\98\07\timetest.tif

\doc\web\clip\98\01\testtest.txt
\doc\web\clip\98\01\testtest.htm
[Tacoma WA] News Tribune Putting
the tests to the test Washington students about to take a
different type of exam that already is raising controversy March
24,1998 Debbie Cafazzo; The News Tribune ; Education writers Mary
Schneiter, Skip Card, Susan Gordon, Kris Sherman and Debby Abe
contributed to this report 

" Parents like Terry Olive of Federal Way worry that the grading
system may be too subjective. But others support the new tests and
what they represent.  "

" Arthur Hu is a Kirkland parent of preschoolers who has made an
avocation of critiquing the new state tests and education reform. He
maintains an Internet mailing list about reform here and in other
states.  And he thinks educators are headed in the wrong direction.
Hu believes the Washington tests, particularly the fourth-grade
tests, are too hard. He points to dismal results from last spring's
testing of fourth-graders - the first of the new-style test scores to
be reported.  "

Letter to Gov Locke by Arthur Hu

http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/lati_121297.html
\clip\97\29\latinsc.txt Seattle Times Company Friday, Dec. 12, 1997
Groups seek better Latino test scores by Tamra Fitzpatrick Seattle
Times staff reporter [only 5% passed new math assessment, emphasizes
multiculturalism, latino history, not academics]

11/14/97 Representative from Commision on Student Learning says that
since 1994, they have been independent of the New Standards
organization.  They contract with Riverside to take questions
developed by committees. Items and scoring are kept confidential, and
"you just have to trust us", they have been field tested and are
based on the essential learnings requirements. She notes that the
example test did not have any examples of item-specific rubrics, but
says that they do exist on a real test, didn't have any to show. Not
familiar with national testing standards. Says the bird feeder
question was re-designed, "you know you always have a problem in the
developmental stage". "we tested them with real kids" Yeah, and 80%
flunked. Then she said bye.

\clip\97\25\edclip7.txt 11/2/97 Seattle Times Commentary If we set
the bar high, our children will compete by Mindy Cameron Seattle
Times editorial page editor ARE national tests necessary to improve
public schools and student learning across America?


Seattle Times Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1997 Test scores reinforce link to
family income

"Most Eastside scores higher than state average" Seattle Times Sept
13, 1997 p. A10 Katherine Long eastside bureau "Bainbridge district
sees room for improvement" (same date and page) Bell Elem was the
lowest scoring school in LWSD (principal told me it was one of the
most "diverse" schools in the district) image:
\images\97\76irs\washtest.tif

Arthur Hu Letter To Seattle Times Editor
on what's wrong with new WA assessment

ritest.txt 44% OF RI 8TH
GRADERS FAIL STATE MATH STANDARD, BUT EQUAL TO NATIONAL AVERAGE
\clip\97\25\ritest.txt New Test in R.I. Sends Shock Waves Through
State By Jeff Archer 10/29/97 Denver Post Scores on new test will be
low By Janet Bingham Denver Post Education Writer Brace for grim and
sobering student test results, the governor and the state education
commissioner are warning.

\doc\web\97\08\busibeat.txt "Businessman beats drum for education
reforms" Eastside Journal (Bellevue Wa) September 24, 1997 p. A2
Molly O'Connor. F101697

http://search.tribnet.com/archive/0997/0915a111.htm
\clip\97\23\misspent.txt VIEWPOINT: Misspent money, untested methods
produce poorly prepared students (Tacoma)News Tribune September 15,
1997 Clyde Ballard and Peggy Johnson

\clip\97\23\muchwork.txt
http://search.tribnet.com/archive/0997/0911b61.htm 'Much work to be
done' in schools Partnership for Learning assesses education reform
and identifies needs Tacoma News Tribune September 11, 1997 Kris
Sherman; The News Tribune

\clip\97\23\werewell.txt
http://search.tribnet.com/archive/0997/0919a143.htm Tacoma News
Tribune We're well ahead of other Washington in testing September 19,
1997 ROBERT MARSHALL WELLS; News Tribune Editorial writer " Despite
such a lackluster performance, complaints about low scores and
unreasonably tough statewide standards have been fairly muted. "

\clip\97\23\mintest.txt
http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/scor_101097.html
Seattle Times Company Friday, Oct. 10, 1997 Minority test scores
`devastating' by Jolayne Houtz Seattle Times staff reporter

Percent of students passing standard
              Math  Reading
Black         5
Hispanic      5     20
NativeAm      7     20

 Seattle Times Reformers could put
teachers to the test by Jolayne Houtz Seattle Times staff reporter
[Assess penalties and rewards for school that don't improve by x
percent on the new test, but no evidence that it has worked in other
states]

to Opinion at Seattle Times
re:\clip\97\23\mintest.txt
http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/scor_101097.html
Seattle Times Company Friday, Oct. 10, 1997 Minority test scores
`devastating' by Jolayne Houtz Seattle Times staff reporter [Of
course test scores are low for minorities]

Loop newsPeter Schrag: The new school
standards: A cheer and a caveat. Setting standards too high, and
rushing into innovations with no track record of success, CA goes
back to old fashioned machine scored state-wide tests.


Julanne Burts is bothered too


Anti: \CLIP\97\97\23\canttest.txt 
Seattle Times Friday, Oct. 3, 1997 You can't legislate higher
test scores by Ralph DeBruler Special to The Seattle Times

Pro: \clip\97\23\testok.txt 
Seattle Times Friday, Oct. 3, 1997 We're on the way to better
test results by Clyde Ballard and Peggy Johnson Special to The
Seattle Times

BRUCE ALBERT WANTS TO TEST FOR THINKING, NOT FACTS Business
Week \clip\97\21\badtest.txt A SCIENTIST ASSAULTS THE SCIENCE OF
TESTING Bruce Alberts wants students to interpret data, not parrot it
Business Week Oct 6, 1997


Telling Bill Pfeifer what's wrong with
the new test


http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mathman/lesson.htm The problem isn't norm referenced tests,
the new tests are based on a philoshipy that has destroyed math in
some places "The real problem in the continued use of
norm-referenced tests is the perception on the part of many that they
are useful and meaningful."... "The problem with the new assessment
is that it is not assessment at all. It is refusal to assess when
refusing to assess forthrightly would draw well deserved public
outrage. California's CLAS, Kentucky's KIRIS, etc., all share the
same problem in mathematics. They are so unreliable that they can
have no consequences or people will (and rightly will) sue if they
are used in making individual student decisions.  The ITBS, CTBS,
SAT-7, ERB, etc. do not have that problem. " Iowa students math goes
to hell with the new program.

Bill Pfeifer asks Arthur about the WA assessment test \doc\web\97\07\family.txt

EDUCATION WEEK REVIEW \clip\97\21\assess.htm
http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/assess.htm Assessment: What You
Test Is What You Get Liberals say we have to test for skills, not
just rote facts, conservatives say it's just an excuse to toss out
facts, some say these won't discriminate against minorities (but they
do just as poorly in actual results, or worse) 

"Because it's difficult to test a lot of these thinking skills with
the multiple-choice bubble-in test sheet that was such an ideal tool
for testing rote learning, many school systems are moving toward what
they call "alternative assessments"--typically "performance-based
tests." These are more open-ended tests, where teachers judge
students on written essays, on the process they use to solve a math
problem, or even on portfolios of their work over the school year."

SEATTLE TIMES ENDORSES NEW TEST
http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/tested_090797.html
\clip\97\20\edref.txt Seattle Times Sunday, Sept. 7, 1997 Education
reform gets real

\clip\97\20\sking.txt
http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/scor_091297.html
Seattle Times Friday, Sept. 12, 1997 South King County school' test
results on par with state by Dionne Searcey Seattle Times South bureau

Sample Questions for Washington State:
http://csl.wednet.edu/Web%20page/Assessment/Pilot4/Pilot_menu.html

"LOW" SCORES CITED FOR NEW WASHINGTON PERFORMANCE BASED TEST, BUT 
IT'S JUST A BAD IDEA

Annotated copy with samples
http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/test_090497.html The
Seattle Times Company Thursday, Sept. 4, 1997 Education reform's big
test: Held to higher standards, fourth-graders score badly, showing
the challenge ahead

http://csl.wednet.edu/Web%20page/Assessment/Pilot4/Pilot_menu.html
Test samples

The new test costs $29 per student compared to only $2.40 for the
CTBS. Only about 20% met or exceeded "standard" in math, about half
met or exceeded reading though. Not quite as hard as CLAS where not
even 1% met the highest grade, and less than 5% got the 2nd highest.

----------------------------------------------------------------

BRACE FOR ROTTEN SCORES ON REFORM TEST \CLIP\97\20\JUSTTEST.TXT Mindy
Cameron Seattle Times editorial page editor August 31, 1997 p. B6
"Just a test? No, a giant step in education reform" [Comment - new
tests just flunk everybody on standards real kids can't meet, while
dropping basics that the old test were just fine at measuring much
easier, the poor and minority will still do the worse, while dropping
sight of mastering the basics] "In
Maryland, Bergeson said, only 10 percent met the new standards on the
first test. In Kentucky, same thing."

NEW MATH STANDARDS TEST ACTUALLY FLAWED \doc\web\97\07\mathtest.txt

HUNDREDS PROTEST DESIGN OF NATIONAL MATH TEST
Hundreds of mathematicians, academics, teachers, school board
members, parents and students have signed a letter to President
Clinton protesting the design of his proposed National Voluntary
Mathematics Test for eighth graders.

" * Competence in arithmetic and other basic skills is intentionally
not directly assessed.  

* Instead of computational competence, students will be able to have
calculators available at all times.  This is in direct contrast to
the desire of most parents that their children be able to calculate
for themselves.


* A number of the example problems are ambiguous, have potentially
significant cultural biases and are designed to be compatible with
mathematically weak strategies such as guessing.


* A major fraction of the score will come from subjectively graded
questions involving judgments about each student's individual
strategy and description of his work rather than on the correctness
of the actual answer


"
>For more information contact
>
>Michael McKeown of Mathematically Correct
>http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mathman/
>PO Box 22083
>San Diego, CA 92192-2083


http://207.1.177.17/mdb.html Kansas sample 4th grade test - geometry,
division, multiplication, perimeter, making change

posted for education use only
\clip\97\18\refmtest.txt F081897 (contains bird feeder example)

SEATTLE: NEW REFORM TEST DIFFICULT, GRADES ON EXPLANATION, NOT
CORRECT RESULT http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/
browse/html97/test_072197.html Copyright © 1997 The Seattle Times
Company Monday, July 21, 1997 Education reform's first test faces
examination by the public 
																					                      																					
"Students are measured not against other students but on how each one
measures up to a set of written standards." Uh oh. This is another
silly test like the CLAS that is so hard not even 99th percentile
students will meet the arbitrarily high set standard. It's just
stupid to give kids higher grades for their a good explanation than a
correct numerical result. All this effort to measure "higher order
thinking skills" only makes it more expensive to grade, and will make
the gap between the white/asian/rich and the black/hispanic/poor even
greater, and give the impression that everyone failed. Schools don't
teach how to make essays about solving math problems, they teach
solving math problems, and the old tests measured that just fine. The
problem isn't that the old tests weren't hard enough, the problem is
that students weren't doing that great with the old tests either.
The example test really requires taking shop in order to understand
how such an object is even built or how to read the drawings.

Gregory Cizek University of Toledo
responds that this would be difficult even for a 6th grader, if this
is an average question, it's a good thing they're giving it in
washington, it will make Ohio kids look better by comparison. Richard
Bray, home schooling advocate PHD also says the question is too
difficult.

\priv\96\08\newtest.txt Seattle Times April 21, 1996 " New test will
debut in schools this week It's linked to higher standards

www.sepschool.org separation of school and state

knows about 4th grade test expectations.  dr. gregory cizek prof educ
u toledo ohio 419-530-2611 gcizek@utnet.utoledo.edu


Issue Contents





 Performance Testing Issues

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

@@Ability

HIGH STAKES TESTING BUMPS AGAINST REALITY: KIDS DIFFER IN ABILITY
z60\clip\2002\10\phelp.txt
Mon, 28 Oct 2002
The Case Of The Truth-Telling (But Racially-Incorrect) Teacher
By Steve Sailer
http://www.vdare.com/sailer/truth_telling.htm
This brouhaha is an outcome of two contradictory trends in American society: 
1) The backlash against realistic thinking about intelligence that resulted 
from the The Bell Curve wars of 1994; 
2) The enormous expansion of "high stakes" testing in schools over the last 
decade.

@@ACT Work Keys

\clip\97\28\assess.txt http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-11/08assess.h11
Education Week October 23, 1991 National Standards/Assessments:
Students [Comprehensive listing of major high school to work
assesmment efforts in 1991, including Bush tests, NAEP, Tucker, ACT
Work Keys, SCANS]

American College Testing Program: Developing Work Keys, a national
system for teaching and assessing employability skills that could be
used by employers and by students who plan to enter the workforce
directly after high school.


@@AERA

AERA BELIEVE NOT ONE STATE IS FAIR ABOUT HIGH STAKES TESTING
z45\clip\2000\09\aera.txt From Harvard Education Letter - Research
Online, September/October, 2000. See
http://www.edletter.org/current/aera.shtml
The full text of the AERA position statement is available
online at  http://www.aera.net/about/policy/stakes.htm . The AERA
website is at http://www.aera.net/ .
"These are all criteria that we believe have to be put in place in
order for testing to be fair," says AERA president Catherine Snow.
"Right now, there's not a state in the union that's abiding by all of
them." 


@@Against

People / Organizations against high stakes testing



LOS ANGELELES MINORITY GROUP CALLS FOR END TO EXIT TESTS
http://www.dailynews.com/
z63\clip\2003\02\panelex.txt Monday, February 10, 2003 - 9:09:20 PM
MST Panel urges suspension of exit exam Critics call failing students
victims of failing system
By Helen Gao Staff Writer

z47\clip\2000\12\edmis.txt
http://www.nea.org/issues/ataglance/high-stakes/popham.html National
Education Association NEA Teaching and Learning EDUCATIONAL
MISMEASUREMENT: HOW HIGH-STAKES TESTING CAN HARM OUR CHILDREN (And
What We Might Do About It) W. James Popham University of California,
Los Angeles November 2000 "SES-linked items do, indeed, spread out
students’ test scores.  But SES-linked items don’t measure what is
supposed to be taught in schools. " "If a state’s educators do not
understand why certain high-stakes tests not only yield invalid
estimates of instructional quality, but also are likely to lower
educational quality, those educators cannot inform parents or
policymakers about such problems."

wcala@@ROCHESTER.RR.COM writes:
Yesterday, about 30 of us (NY Superintendents) spent the day with
James Popham to determine our next move to counter the further
development of crap
tests (like the current 4, 8 and high school tests) for grades 3, 5,
7.

2002 - gave seminar to Washington WEA teachers union saying that
standardized tests are a fraud with respect to accountability and
high stakes, presented a video "test boosters" on how to raise scores
by, well, cheating. On TVW cable channel.


http://www.aasa.org/issues_and_insights/assessment/Building_Tests.pdf
Building Tests To Support
Instruction and Accountability
A Guide for Policymakers
Prepared By
The Commission on Instructionally Supportive Assessment
Convened By
American Association of School Administrators
National Association of Elementary School Principals
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Education Association
National Middle School Association
October 2001
W. James Popham (Chair)
Professor Emeritus
Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
Requirement 9: A state should secure evidence that supports the
ongoing improvement of its state assessments to ensure those
assessments are (a) appropriate for the accountability purposes for
which they are used, (b) appropriate for determining whether students
have attained state standards, (c) appropriate for enhancing
instruction, and (d) not the cause of negative consequences.

Fairtest critique - it still assumes the central over-emphasis
and importance of assessing and meeting state standards.
http://www.fairtest.org/k12/response%20to%20ISA%20reprt.html


@@Gap

WHEN REDUCING THE GAP IS ONLY AN ILLUSION

When tests change from a 80 / 40 pass rate for whites and blacks to
something like 99 / 96, it is said that the gap has been eliminated
but in fact the same ratios can be found on tests like the SAT which
have a 1 standard deviation gap. The POINT gaps appear to be smaller
when the test is made easy enough that most students pass, but the
bell curve is still there.

Test Gap Spectrum - Pass rates
43W  33B  Projected 203 TAKS 8th grade

CLOSING THE GAP OR SWEEPING IT UNDER THE RUG? 
96% VS 99% PASS RATE IS STILL A 4 TO 1 FAILURE RATE GAP!


CLOSING ACADEMIC GAP JUST BY CHANGING THE PASSING SCORE
\priv\2008\08\racepass.txt WSJ: Charles Murray: Acid Tests Thu Aug 28,
2008 12:42 pm (PDT) Charles Murray: Acid Tests
http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.24711/pub_detail.asp
Publication Date: July 25, 2006

Test scores are the last refuge of the No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB). They have to be, because so little else about the act is
attractive.

NCLB takes a giant step toward nationalizing elementary and
secondary education, a disaster for federalism. It pushes classrooms
toward relentless drilling, not something that inspires able people
to become teachers or makes children eager to learn.

In this instance, the percentage-passed measure misleadingly showed
a huge reduction in the black-white achievement gap. But look at the
left-hand side of the curve. In a state that imposes tough
standards--for example, one that establishes a threshold that only
40% of whites pass--across-the-board improvements in scores can
misleadingly show an increase in the white-black achievement gap
when none occurred.

Question: Doesn't this mean that the same set of scores could be
made to show a rising or falling group difference just by changing
the definition of a passing score? Answer: Yes.

z52\clip\2001\09\lessgap.txt
http://www.newsobserver.com/monday/news/Story/823149p-815448c.html
Wake tests teaching method 
z52\clip\2001\09\lessgap.wk1
Staff Photo By Alexis L. Richardson 
By T. KEUNG HUI, Staff Writer 
GARNER -- Eyes throughout Wake County are being focused on eight
schools that might have found a way to raise student test scores
dramatically and close the racial achievement gap.....

Pass rates:
            91-92        00-01
white       79           99
black       54           96
low income  55           98

"by 2000-01, across-the-board gains had all but eliminated the gap on
all the tests." For instance, 96 percent of Brazosport's black
students and 98 percent of low-income students passed the math test,
only slightly below the 99 percent passing rate among white students"

The truth is that the gap is still there, but it's hidden in a much
easier test when 99% of whites pass. The FAILURE ratio remained the
same - between 2 and 4 times that of whites. So the bell curve gap of
about 1 standard deviation is still there, while the point gap looks
smaller.

===================================================================

Group      Years
           91-92   00-01
Pass
white            79      99
black            54      96
low income       55      98

Fail
white            21       1
black            46       4
low income       45       2

Failiure Ratio
black           2.2     4.0 <- Ratio is actually worse
low income      2.1     2.0 <- 2.0 ratio is the same as before!

==============================================================

LA GRIFFE SHOWS THAT POINT GAP REDUCATION IS ONLY A MIRAGE
http://www.lagriffedulion.f2s.com/gap.htm
Z75\clipim\2004\01\07\achgap\achgap.htm
Volume 6  Number 1 
January 2004 
CLOSING THE RACIAL LEARNING GAP  

"Governor Easley cited data for students in Grades 3-8. In a single
year blacks and Native Americans had narrowed their achievement gaps
by 6 points each, Latinos by 4."  "This diagram shows how a point gap
can be manipulated by playing with the passing score. ..Setting the
passing score at level 1 produces a gap of 34 points. At level 2 the
gap shrinks to 14 points...Changing an exam's difficulty can achieve
the same result in a more insidious manner. A symmetry exists between
the minimum passing score and the test difficulty.In Texas and North
Carolina pass rates have been improving. Both states are in the high
pass-rate region. There, gains in pass rates by whites will be
accompanied by even greater gains by blacks. When pass rates are high,
incremental student gains guarantee a gap decrease..  In the past
decade no meaningful gap reduction occurred in either North Carolina
or Texas

How to become the most celebrated education administrator in the US:

1. Set the passing score on all state tests at the point where 80% of
white students pass.

2. Institute education reforms like those in North Carolina and Texas.
As performance improves, the racial learning gap will decrease,
following the curves of Figures 8 and 9.

3. Continue this policy until the gap is so narrow that further
reduction will be insignificant.

4. Use your newly acquired reputation as a gap-busting administrator
to land a similar job in another state. There, start again with step
1. Three such iterations should guarantee international celebrity

 @@A-Level see @@GCSE


An "A level" is the second level GCE or vocational NVQ level of of
British secondary-school examinations, taken usually two years after
the first GCSE. Usually used for college admissions, it is more like
the SAT or ACT than a state high school exit exam.

Boys do better than girls at the A-level, but not the GCSE
33% of boys, 39% of girls take the A-levels, comparable to US SAT/ACT
rates and US 4 year degree rates.

BOYS DO BETTER AT HIGH RISK FLASH A-LEVEL VS GCSE
JUDITH JUDD, Why flash boys shine at A-level., Independent, 07-10-1996, pp 1. 
www.elibrary.com
\clip\99\09\boyalev.txt
"Teachers questioned by the London and Leicester researchers talked
of boys' "risk-taking approach, their greater willingness to sound
stupid." Girls, they said, "write at length, lack the courage to
discard irrelevant detail and perform less well intraditional exams."
At GCSE, girls gain 8 per cent more A-to-C grades than boys in all
subjects. But at A-level, boys do better, given their GCSE results,
than do girls.  "

NOW 1/3 OF UK TAKES A-LEVELS, GIRLS HAVE EDGE AT HS GCSE, BOYS
AT COLLEGE ENTRANCE MATH SCIENCE
\clip\99\09\girlgc.txt
Judith Judd Education Editor, Macho attitudes key                               
to boys failing., Independent, 07-25-1998, pp 6.                                
In 1985 a fifth of girls stayed on for A-levels.                                
Now the figure is almost two-fifths (39 per cent)                               
compared with only 33 per cent for boys. However,                               
girls continue to take traditional "female                                      
subjects" at A-level. [comparable to SAT taking rates in US]

UK COLLEGE ADMISSIONS BASED ON GCE AS APTITUDE TEST A-AGGRE was the
grade point of the student's GCE 'A' level examinations. It was used
to capture the aptitude and intellectual ability of the students.
Admission into local universities is based solely upon this
aggregate--a prevalent criterion among colleges in the British
Commonwealth system (Lumsden and Scott 1987). "

"Students' performance in economics: Does the norm hold across
cultural and institutional settings? " ( Journal of Economic
Education/Electric Library ) 


@@Alabama

z43\clip\2000\07\stanal.txt Testing the system Local schools find out
scores, fate Thursday By CINDY FISHER BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD On
Thursday, scores will be released for one of the most important tests
given in Alabama public schools: the Stanford Achievement Test.  If
scores on the national standardized test don't show students are
learning, schools could be taken over by state officials. 

1985 - 6th grade test for graduation
1993 - 8th grade test for graduation
1999 - pilot 11th grade test for graduation.

ALABAMA CALLS G6-8 TEACHER TEST TOO EASY WHEN GRAD TEST IS G11
\clip\99\10\altest.txt
Montgomery Advertiser Friday, July 16 "Schools chief calls test too
easy "It never occurred to me tht a test like this, which is taken
basically by college students at the end of their sophomore year as
they are about to go into their junior year would be at such a low
level.  ..The proposed agreement would provide remedial courses for
prospective teachers who failed the test ..While the Praxis I has a
middle school level of difficulty, Alabama is starting a graduation
exam for students that is based on questions that have an 11th grade
difficulty 

A+ is equivalent to Goals 2000.  They were the consensus building
part of David Hornbeck's plan (known in Alabama as Governor Folsom's
reform plan, the Teague Plan...).  They have not given up.  Now they
have co-opted the current move to "better teachers" so they can force
their agenda forward through teacher certification (using
"child-centered" "Experiential learning" "group learning", etc.).
Forgive me for not being clearer.  Sharman

ALABAMA ADOPTS EXIT EXAM FROM HELL Birmingham News: Students facing
tougher exit test February 27, 1999 Students facing tougher exit test
CHARLES J. DEAN News staff writer 02/26/99 Question: Ryan makes $3
per hour more than Scott. If 3 times Ryan's rate plus 4 times Scott's
rate is $65, what is Ryan's hourly wage? Answer: $11. (solve ax+bx=c
algebra) Question: A simple majority in Congress votes for a proposed
amendment to the Constitution. What happens next? Answer: It's dead.
Such a proposal requires a two thirds vote to pass. (no adult knows
this, even if they look it up) state school superintendent, has
predicted that possibly 50 percent of students in one third of the
state's high schools might flunk the exam the first time around. 

ALABAMA MAY LAY OFF STANFORD ACHIEVEMENT TEST Alabama: Montgomery
Advertiser, Monday, Nov. 30, 1998. Page 1.  "Educators want new
standards" Test case: The Alabama BOE may ask legislators for an
alternative way to measure student achievement by John F. Maclean
Morton said 97,000 of the 440,000 students tested on last year's
Stanford Achievement Test scored below the 23rd percentile, or in the
lowest quadrant of the test. (22% is actually better than national
average distribution!)


@@Alaska

In 1993, Alaskans embarked on a campaign to bring higher standards
and accountability to their public school system. The cornerstone of
this effort was the development of content standards in ten core
subject areas.  The standards represent what Alaskans want students
to know and be able to do as a result of their public schooling.

Alaska is (1998) developing an exit exam that would turn their  
diploma inti a 12th grade cim

Alaska test plan
test response

June 30, 2000 Anchorage Daily News
EXIT EXAM TEST SCORES INDICATE PUBLIC EDUCATION IS IN TROUBLE
By Mike Doogan Daily News Columnist
If the first high school exit exam is any indication, public education in
Alaska is a disaster. Two of three sophomores failed the math test. One of
two flunked writing. One of four failed reading. 

www.educationnews.org 2/2000 Anchorage Daily News Graders to
'bookmark' exit exams 2.4 JUNEAU - Lawmakers were reassured Thursday
that the method the state will use to set the cutoff point for
passing high school exit exams is fair and well-researched and avoids
pitfalls other states have encountered.

State will refine tests this year  2.4
What are the exit tests?
They are three tests - in reading, writing and math - that high school
students must pass to earn a high school diploma in Alaska beginning in
2002. The tests are also known as the High School Graduation Qualifying
Exam. This year they'll be given statewide March 7, 8 and 9.


@@Alliance

ALLIANCE OF CONSERVATIVES, LIBERALS, CORPORATE, EDUCRATS 4 STANDARDS
z68\doc\web\2003\07\standref.txt
http://www.louisville.edu/journal/workplace/issue5p2/rougeforum.html
.. has been hit with at least some degree of criticism—notably both
from the Right, which sees standards-based reform as imposing on local
school district autonomy, and from the Left, which sees it as racist,
sexist, and classist.. willingness to take such criticism seriously
yet still maintain that it can satisfactorily be accommodated by ..
the prevailing framework.  "the demand for standards-based reform
itself—the standardization imperative—goes unchallenged, at least
among the alliance of conservative and liberal politicians, corporate
elites, chief school officers, and teacher union leaders.  "


@@Alternative Assessment
@@Alternative Diploma

TORONTO ELMIMINATES NON-ELITE DIPLOMAS, OFFERS SKILL CERTIFICATE
\clip\2004\02\torskill.txt 

Fri, 20 Feb 2004 Toronto Star Certificate rewards job skills, not
marks Toronto board to issue 200 in June Seen as alternative to
dropping out KRISTIN RUSHOWY EDUCATION REPORTER
      Toronto high-school students doomed to fail because the new
curriculum is too tough will be able to earn a certificate showcasing
their job skills rather than their school smarts. 
In the past, many of the students who will be eligible for the skills
certificate would have studied at the "basic" level and earned a
diploma.  Now, the basic level has all but disappeared, leaving those
students struggling to learn material beyond their capability, or
taking courses developed locally by boards that often don't count for
credit. ...  Almost half of students who begin high school end up
going straight into the workforce - with or without a diploma. 

1990: NCEE GETS GRANT FOR ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
z40\clipim\2000\03\19\edgrant.efx Education Grants for New Kinds of
Tests Dec 17, 1990 SF Chronicle University of Pittsburgh and NCEE
will use grants to develop tests based actual performance and
portfolios. From Pew Chartible Trust and John D. MacArthur foundation.

1st graders tested by 5th graders rated
by happy and sad faces
"Student CenteredClassroom Assessment" by Richard Stiggins and
"Seven Kinds of Smart" by Thomas Armstrong.

ETS: ASSESSMENTS DON'T TEST FOR TEAMWORK, CONSTRUCTIVISM
zip36\clip\99\17\cheating.txt LA Times Sunday, Aug. 22 Cheating in
School Reflects Basic Confusion in Society By emphasizing the wrong
things in student testing, we end up inviting a culture of
compromise. By MARI PEARLMAN. Wants tests based on collaboration,
constructivism, not single correct answers, scary coming from makers 
of the best multiple choice tests we have as compared to awful 
performanc baesed tests.


@@Answer Disclosure

Mother wins right to see incorrect test answers on CIM test
http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1999/sept99/ct-mother.html
Connecticut Mother Wins Battle With State Education Department
Five-year struggle brings victory for parents' rights [to see which
questions she was scored wrong and why, but not to see the entire
testj]


@@Apartments

BUY LAND TO KEEP APT KIDS OUT TO KEEP TEST SCORES HIGH
z48\clip\2001\03\1strike.txt From free St. Louis paper:
http://riverfronttimes.com/issues/2001-03-07/shortcuts.html First
Strike Hazelwood schools blocked apartments to protect test scores IN
Riverfronttimes.com, By D.J. Wilson. Buys land from developer to keep
out transient kids in apartments who lower test scores.


@@Arizona AIMS
@@AIMS

Arizona will tie graduation diploma to passing the AIMS test. The
math test was so difficult, one parent who graduated with an
engineering degree and law school could not pass the test. SPI Keegan
left town after AIMS technical problems forced a rewrite and the
public demanded delaying high stakes or killing it entirely.

"I was wrong," Ms. Keegan, a speech pathologist first elected
superintendent of public instruction in 1994, said in an interview.
"But if we're going to shoot wrong, I want to shoot too high and then
moderate. "

90% of whites, 97% of blacks fail the math section.

Arizona Republic AIMS test articles
http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/aims.shtml

%%Errors

AIMS SAMPLE MATH PROBLEMS ARE MATHEMATICALLY INCORRECT
Experts find numerous math errors. Substance June 2001 p. 46
Christian Richardson. "If the released items are representative of
the AIMS, many of the items are simply incorrect mathematically" said
James Middleton, Arizona State University professor of mathematics. "
Many have confusing wording or have multiple correct answers". The
state program administrator says "it is possible for errors to slip
through the publising company".

%%General

PARENTS SUE AIMS, SAYS STATE HAS NOT PREPARED STUDENTS TO PASS
clip\2006\04\aimslaw.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0420governor-aims0420.html
azcentral.com
Governor: AIMS hurdle still in place
Associated Press Apr. 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Gov. Janet Napolitano said high school students shouldn't read too
much into a class-action lawsuit that tries to block use of the AIMS
test as a graduation requirement.

KEEGAN VANISHES AFTER AIMS BOMBS WITH PUBLIC
z51\clip\2001\09\mumaims.txt
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/0909b3update09.html
Ex-state schools chief mum on AIMS Sept. 09, 2001 technical problems
forced Keegan to keep moving back the effective date of the
graduation test. By early this year, state lawmakers threatened to
put the test to a statewide vote. Amid the turmoil, Keegan resigned
in May

"Student Failure Causes States To Retool Testing Programs" Jacques
Steinberg, New York Times Friday, December 22, 2000, FRONT PAGENot
only did Arizona education officials put material on the 10th-grade
math exam, including some calculus and trigonometry, that most
students would not be taught until 12th grade.. in the early 1990's
the state had introduced a precursor to AIMS, called ASAP (Arizona
Student Assessment Program), standardized tests that used a common
subject like the rain forest as grist for reading, math and writing
questions. Soon after her 1994 election, Ms. Keegan killed the
program, saying its value was amorphous.  ... to delete from the test
those concepts that they considered too advanced, including analysis
of matrices and writing of algorithms. .. after the second round of
failing test scores (16 percent passed the math, 33 percent passed
the writing) were released this fall, Ms. Keegan pulled back again.

z46\clip\2000\11\keegan.txt Nov 22
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/news/articles/1122aims22.html Arizona
Republic Keegan backs off AIMS requirements Faced with dismal scores
and relentless criticism, state education chief Lisa Graham Keegan
waved a white flag Monday, putting the state's first high school
graduation test on hold. 

z43\clip\2000\07\azcanc.txt
ARIZONA TO SCRAP FALL AIMS TO GET RID OF HIGHER ORDER MATH
Jul 1st, 2000 edition of The Arizona Republic online,
http://www.arizonarepublic.com
Curiouser and curiouser State may cancel fall AIMS test The
controversial AIMS graduation test needs so many changes that this
fall's exam may be scrapped.
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/cgi-bin/gp.php3?f=/news/articles/0701aims01.html   
The Arizona Department of Education is pushing for the delay because
it wants to remove short-answer math and reading questions, said
spokeswoman Patricia Likens, making the test easier to grade and
quicker to score.
The Education Board already agreed Monday to remove higher level math
from the exam because many students had not learned those concepts. 

February 24, 2000 Arizona Republic AIMS math test may get easier More
The math section of the AIMS graduation test may be softened if
students fail it again this spring, Arizona's schools chief said
Wednesday, departing from her usual defense of the exam.

\clip\99\20\aimsmath.txt http://www.azcentral.com/news/1123aims.shtml
AIMS dominates discussion at education board meeting Board to
refigure AIMS math test By Kelly Pearce The Arizona Republic Nov 23,
1999 

                         Reading Math  Writing
Exceeds                  14      0      1
Meets                    47     11     29
Near or below standard   38     88     70

Parents, teachers and administrators sent the state Board of
Education a message Monday: The math test it requires for high school
graduation is way too difficult. 

AIMS PROBLEMS WAY BEYOND 10TH GRADE MATH
HOW CAN YOU BE WORLD CLASS AND FLUNK 90%????
http://www.azcentral.com/news/1117math.shtml AIMS scores not so bad,
pros say Some items not covered in class Related Articles Both Garcia
and 17-year-old classmate Gordon Lafontaine were in Algebra 3 when
they took the AIMS test. But they said there were problems on the
test that they had no idea how to answer.  They could answer them
now, they said, after spending almost a semester in pre-calculus. 
"Nor do the scores mean that the students are stupid, especially as
other tests show Arizona kids doing about as well as kids elsewhere.
..State scores are at the national average in math on most standardized
nationally normed tests given in Arizona, Glass said. Globally,
Arizona scored at a level statistically equivalent to Germany,
Denmark and Israel. 
"

TEST REQUIRES ANOTHER $1200 PER STUDENT?? 
http://www.azcentral.com/news/1117keegan.shtml
$1,200 per pupil per year urged for AIMS test By Mike McCloy The
Arizona Republic Nov. 17, 1999 
State schools chief Lisa Graham Keegan believes she can get most
Arizona students to pass the AIMS test at an added cost of about
$1,200 a year per child....  ""We are going to have a train wreck,"
he said. "We are going to end up only giving 20 percent of our high
school seniors diplomas."  "



ARIZONA TEST FLUNKS 90% OF ALL, 99% OF MINORITIES
http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/1115aimsresults.shtml
\clip\99\20\aimsfail.txt AIMS scores fall short 9 of 10 test-takers
fail to meet minimum standards By Kelly Pearce and Jennifer Barrett
The Arizona Republic Nov. 16, 1999 Nearly 9 of 10 Arizona high school
sophomores failed to meet minimum mathematics requirements last year
on the AIMS test.  Approximately 99 percent of 124 Dysart High
students failed the math portion, but Koch said the poor scoring
extended beyond his district's boundaries.

AZ SUPERINTENDENT BARELY PASSES 10TH GRADE TEST AT 90TH PERCENTILE
http://www.azcentral.com/news/1116keegan.shtml Passed: Keegan
'relieved' at her AIMS scores By Kelly Pearce The Arizona Republic
Nov. 16, 1999 Keegan admitted that her math score - 520 - could have
been better. A score of 500 was "meets standards." 

ARIZONA HIGH STANDARDS A MODEL FOR "REAL" REFORM?
\clip\99\19\ariz.txt
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cb_19.htm Center for Civic
Innovation Manhattan Institute Civic Bulletin No. 19 July 1999
Transforming American Education by Lisa Graham Keegan Lisa Graham
Keegan is Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of
Arizona. [Arizona also has high standards gone amok with failure
rates so high they didn't even want to release the scores] What’s
going on in Arizona’s education system is really a backdrop for
what’s going on across the nation. In Arizona, academic achievement
and the motivation for children to be brilliant is increasing.

AZ TEST RESULTS SO BAD THEY DON'T EVEN WANT TO RELEASE THEM!
zip36\clip\99\16\aims.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/0824aims.shtml
AIMS release opposed
Education Board urged to be cautious										   
By Kelly Pearce The Arizona Republic Aug. 24, 1999 
																			   
The president of the state Board of Education isn't so sure she wants
the public to see the first round of scores for Arizona's Instrument
to Measure Standards.  Results of AIMS will be released in October to
today's high school juniors, 60,000 of whom took the reading, writing
and math exam last spring. But Mary Garcia voiced concerns during the
board's Monday meeting about announcing to everyone how many students
conquered the state's academic standards and how many didn't.  

HEY WE WERE ONLY KIDDING...  Arizona Republic Education board chief
relents One day after she spoke out against publicly releasing the
first round of scores of the AIMS test, the president of the Arizona
Board of Education backpedaled and said she favors making available
some general, statewide numbers. 

%%Diploma

ARIZONA TO MAKE THEIR GRAD TEST MANDATORY EVEN FOR OUT OF STATE XFER

Note - Arizona has a republican governor and republican
superintendent who got 98% of vote in 1998. Both appear to be
strongly committed to "standards based education". Tying graduation
to test is functionally equivalnet to Marc Tucker's CIM idea, and
consistent with OBE requiring demonstration of high performance
rather than passing seat time.

http://www.ade.state.az.us/programs/foundations/ssa/AIMS/7-27-99update.htm
\clip\99\15\aims.txt School and Student Accountability Division July
27, 1999 Test to be offered up to age 22, not decided on giving test
to private schools, to be required even if you move in from another
state.

\clip\98\17\edclip04.txt AIMS rescheduled Today's freshmen to be 1st
group to test for diplomas By Cathryn Creno The Arizona Republic Nov.
24, 1998 

ARIZONA TEACHERS UNION SUPPORTS 3 LEVEL -CIM+ DIPLOMAS
http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/1119aims.shtml
\clip\98\17\aims.txt Teachers urge 3 levels of high school degrees By
Cathryn Creno The Arizona Republic Nov. 19, 1998 ... the math on the
AIMS is way too hard.  "My 11th-grader took the pilot test and told
me he bombed it because the questions were so terrible and bizarre,"
Leih said. She intends to keep her 10th-grader home the day the AIMS
is given next spring. ..is astounded by parents who do not think
their kids should have to know algebra and geometry to graduate. 

Diploma - CIM, CIM, CIM+ based on passing AIMS

%%Difficulty

AIMS MATH USELESS AS HIGH SCHOOL EXIT OR EMPLOYER REQUIREMENTS.
"SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE TEST"
http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/EPRU/documents/EPSL-0210-122-EPRU.html
The AIMS Test and the Mathematics Actually Used by Arizona Employees
Gene V Glass Arizona State University Cheryl A. Edholm Longwood High
School Middle Island (N.Y.)  Executive Summary Arizona’s Instrument to
Measure Standards (AIMS) produces unusual failure rates at Grade 10 in
mathematics.  For the typical Grade 10 AIMS mathematics question, only
three of 43 managers reported that it tested mathematics actually used
by their employees.  " a hurried process of content selection in 1995
that was subject to manipulation by external consultants to the
Arizona Department of Education and designed to exclude teachers in
the very subjects of their expertise.....one-to-one identity of the
AIMS Mathematics standards with the curriculum recommendations of the
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a document whose authors
have asserted is not a valid framework for a high-school exit
examination" ..."extraordinary failure rates on the AIMS test,
particularly the Grade 10 Mathematics test, have reinforced the
suspicion that something is wrong with the test"

The Texas high school exit exam, which fails approximately 10 percent
has much easier questions.  The most difficult math question in one of
the earliest administrations of the TAAS tested whether students could
calculate the size of an envelope required to hold an 8.5” X 11” piece
of paper folded vertically in thirds

\clip\98\19\aims.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/1222aims.shtml
State refigures AIMS math Education board OKs condensing 5 tests into
1 By Julie Amparano The Arizona Republic Dec. 22, 1998
"One parent, Fred Gamble, said he couldn't pass the test even though
he had an engineering degree and graduated with honors from law
school.  "

%%Poll

http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/1030aims.shtml Poll: 82%
support test for graduation Officials call results endorsement of
AIMS By Cathryn Creno The Arizona Republic Less impressed was K.R.
Scott, a Phoenix Mountain Pointe High School government teacher
running as a write-in candidate for state superintendent of public
instruction.  I think people support the idea of a high school
graduation test, but many strongly oppose this specific tool.
"Parents of sophomores are worried that nothing their children have
done in the last 12 years will be measured on the test."... the
state superintendent of public instruction, were shouted down at a
forum attended by about 300 Mesa and Tempe parents, kids and
educators 


@@Arkansas

z39\clip\2000\02\akscore.txt
Sat, 26 Feb 2000 TEST SCORES DON'T TELL WHOLE STORY OF SCHOOL
PERFORMANCE JEFF PORTER ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE This school year,
Arkansas fifth-graders improved their performance on the Stanford
Achievement Test. Or maybe they didn't. [test scores rise due
to exclusion of the worst students]



"Richard G. Innes" <70224.434@compuserve.com> comments It is indeed
telling that Arkansas excluded much of their student with
disabilities population from their own testing program.  Arkansas
kids with disabilities have had 4th grade reading scores reported
from the National Assessment of Educational Progress each time the
test was given.  Here is how the scores for Arkansas students with
learning disabilities look:

Year    NAEP Score
1992    177  1994    157 1998    152

Small wonder the state wants to bury this information in their own testing
program.  You can bet most folks in Arkansas never heard of the NAEP.


@@Arts

%%Classroom Based Assessment

For Arts Washington 
http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/WASL/Arts/CBPAentireset.aspx
5th graders expected to sight sing, and write sheet music on staff and
perform.
Similar goofy expecations for dancing, visual arts.


Boston Globe 5/15/2000
Stronger schooling in the arts
On paper, it sounds like the best of ancient Athens. Public school
students in Massachusetts are supposed to sing and play instruments;
choreograph dances; read, write, act in, and build sets for plays; learn
about art history; draw, paint, and sculpt. The blueprint for this is the
Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework, adopted last June. Two goals run
through this Board of Education document: Teach students skills and make
them flame-bearers of human achievement in theater, music, the visual
arts, and dance. 

ARTS COMPETENCY TESTS? ARGH!
z40\clipim\2000\04\12\test.efx
In New Jersey, Be Creative or Else New York Times Education Life
April 9, 2000 1997 Nick Chiles NAEP gave an arts test where only 5
percent were graded best on self-portrait, 16% made a design of how
to transport a fish on a bicycle, whites did best in music, but
blacks approached whites on rhythmic embellishment. Whites and Asian
did best in visual arts, girls outdid boys in everything.



@@Backlash
see Testing Backlash




@@Bias, Minority

It is thought that conventional norm-referenced multiple choice tests
are "biased" against minorities. Marc Tucker believes that they
under-estimate the abilities of minorities. But the bottom line is
for all the minority friendly features of performance-based tests,
the gap is even wider on the new tests. Since open-response is harder
than multiple choice, and testing higher order thinking is more
difficult than memorization, this should be expected.

DIFFERENTIAL PASS RATES:
Percent Passing / Above average
Ranked by pass ratio
        
 White Black Ratio SD                                    SD units  
 93%  75%    3:1        1994 Seattle Police Written Test   0.80
 65%  28%    2:1        2002 CA High School Exit       
 60%  40%   1.5:1  .5?  G4 Seattle 1993 CTBS norm          0.51 ???
 43%  15%    3:1   .9?  G4 WASL 1999 Wash perf             0.86
 35%  13%    3:1   .9?  G4 WASL 1998 Wash perf             0.74
 35%   9%   3.5:1       1995 Seattle Video Police Test     0.96
 29%   2%   15:1   ?    G11 Stanford 9 Boston perf         1.50 ???
 25%   5%    5:1   .9   G4 WASL 1997 Washington perf       0.97
 15%   3%    5:1   .9?  G8 CLAS 1994 Calf perf             0.84
 
Last column estimated SD difference from pass rates by 
La Griffe du Lion il_leone_uno@@yahoo.com

PERFORMANCE BASED TESTS FAVOR GIRLS BY 2:1
Published Sunday, January 17, 1999, in the Herald-Leader FRANK
ANDERSON/STAFF KIRIS test's format helps girls top boys By Linda B.
Blackford Lexington KY HERALD-LEADER EDUCATION WRITER
"In 1998, for example, nearly twice as many girls as boys scored in
the highest category in reading, 37 percent to 19 percent. The
disparity increased from 1997, when the difference was 15 percentage
points."
That same pattern follows in Maryland, one of the few other states
with a performance-based test.
Note - activists are still concerned only when girls are outdone
by boys. No concern that boys are being left behind.

"The department conducted one study on race and gender in 1996 and
1997, but has refused to release it, saying it is a draft and needs
work."


@@Bias, Political

Cunningham and Garner Phillips
(1995) provides tables that quantify the weight given to different
topics.  She found that on the 1993-94 KIRIS assessment in reading,
23% of content focused on the experience of historically
disadvantaged groups, 13% respect for animals, 35% health, 17%
environmentalism, 7% criticism of traditional education, and 3%
evolution.  This left 3% for work and job issues, the only
non-controversial content.  None of the reading passages used content
from art, history, science fiction, space, and computers although
these made up 12% of the content in 1991-92 and 6% in 1992-93.  A
statewide Sensitivity Review Committee concluded that: · Taken as a
whole, the test favors a liberal viewpoint.  · Many questions appear
to seek a politically correct response.

   
@@Bilingual Testing


BILINGUAL SF AND SAN JOSE SCORE BETTER THAN NATIVE - ASIANS?
\clip\98\10\biltest.txt From: ADP 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/07/07
/MN10594.DTL [How many of these "bilingual" students are Asian, who
routinely get better math scores??]  Bilingual Surprise In State
Testing Many native-English speakers outscored in S.F.  San Jose
Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, July 7, 1998 San
Francisco Chronicle. District-wide 42-50 in math, bilingual 74-85!

SAN FRANCISCO
..
Grade 2
Reading Math Lang.
Native English speakers 49 50 47
Bilingual students 58 65 60
Bilingual ed. graduates 75 87 80

Grade 4
Reading Math Lang.
Native English speakers 49 42 48
Bilingual students 56 56 58
Bilingual ed. graduates 66 79 73

Grade 6
Reading Math Lang.
Native English speakers 47 50 47
Bilingual tudents 53 63 57
Bilingual ed. graduates 58 79 64
..
Grade 9
Reading Math Lang. S.S.(x)
Sci.
Native English speakers 50 64 61 54 50

Bilingual students 56 72 66 58 56

Bilingual ed. graduates 44 74 63 52 53

..
Grade 11
Reading Math Lang. S.S.(x)
Sci.
Native English speakers 56 64 64 67 54

Bilingual students 61 73 68 72 62

Bilingual ed. graduates 46 74 59 66 54


@@Blog

http://www.homestead.com/swygert/files/no2pencil.html
Who am I?
My name is Kimberly Swygert, and I'm a Research Scientist at a non-profit
large-scale high-stakes standardized testing organization. I prefer not to
say which one, not because I don't like this place, but because I want to
ensure as much as possible that my opinions posted on this blog are not
confused with the official opinions of my employers.
       
         
@@Bookmark (Setting Standards)

A bookmark procedure appears to be common to most standards - based
tests - a committee establishes a "bookmark" in an ordered list of
tasks, but the panelists are not allowed to know what % of students
got the answer, or consider wheher the task is compliant with the
written standards. The result is very high failure rates when given
to actual students.


ALASKA - OUR STANDARDS WONT BE A TRAIN WRECK (YEAH RIGHT)
http://www.EducationNews.org for article links
February 4, 2000
Anchorage Daily News
Graders to 'bookmark' exit exams  2.4
JUNEAU - Lawmakers were reassured Thursday that the method the state
will use to set the cutoff point for passing high school exit exams is
fair and well-researched and avoids pitfalls other states have
encountered.


http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/oea/profsec2.html II. HOW WERE THE
PROFICIENCY CUT SCORES SET?  The standard setting procedure selected
for use in Wisconsin was designed and conducted by the testing
contractor, CTB/McGraw-Hill. The panelists placed "bookmarks" at the
item in their item ordered booklets that represented the breaking
point between the proficiency categories: minimal performance, basic,
proficient, and advanced. 

Colorado As I recall, the tests in
Colorado were developed by CTB/McGraw Hill using groups of teachers
(and community persons?) who developed the questions, then they were
field tested, then the groups had each member mark where they thought
the various breaks should fall (mastery, proficient, etc.).  Then
they showed the groups the results of those breaks.  The groups were
shocked, and did make some adjustments, but they did not cave
completely.  The resulting data was, I think, fairly comparable to
NAEP results. A similar phenomenon in testing occured in TN when our
writing tests were developed.  Groups of teachers developed them and
set the standards, then were shocked at how poorly their students
performed. Dave Shearon
Nashville, TN

Seattle and Rhode Island describe similar processes for determining
proficiency levels.


@@Boys

z47\clip\2001\01\boytest.txt The Electronic Telegraph ISSUE 2065
Friday 19 January 2001 Boys 'lose out' in feminised exams By Liz
Lightfoot, Education Correspondent SEPARATE exams for boys and girls
were suggested yesterday to overcome the bias of the present
"feminised" system.  Madsen Pirie, president of the Adam Smith
Institute, said that modular courses and continuous assessment
favoured the systematic approach of girls rather than the
"risk-taking" of boys.


@@Boycott

GazetteNet
ARHS sophomores boycott MCAS
Wednesday, May 24, 2000 -- (AMHERST) - Nearly 20 percent of the sophomore
class at Amherst Regional High School is boycotting the Massachusetts
Comprehensive Assessment System tests. 


@@Boys

Boys generally do worse on the new performance based tests than
girls, even on math.

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4236-2000Dec14.html
z47\clip\2000\12\mspap.txt MSPAP Gauges Student Performance Far
Better Than Nationally Normed Tests By Karin Chenoweth
http://washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A4236-2000Dec14?language=printer
Thursday, December 14, 2000 ; Page M10 
BOYS SCORE WORSE
"Generally, you will see that boys are testing much less well than
girls. Consider that 48.2 percent of eighth-grade girls scored at a
satisfactory level in writing and 15.2 percent of those at an
excellent level. But only 28.5 percent of eighth-grade boys were
satisfactory and only 6.9 percent of those were excellent. In reading
statewide, there is a gap of more than 10 points between boys and
girls."



@@Bracey, Gerald


Critic of education fads finds new assessments are ridiculously hard
when everybody flunks.

Bracey says Third graders
across the nation are throwing up on test day and there have been
test-induced suicides and nervous breakdowns documented in New York,
California, and Arizona.  No wonder.  Children are being asked to do
the impossible.  I define World Class as the 65th percentile on a
standardized test. Why does a World Class district like Gwinnett need
further proof of its stature? 

@@Bush, GW

MANDATE FOR EQUAL TEST SCORES DOOMED TO FAIL
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25708
zip54\clip\2001\12\medscore.txt Dec 17 2001 
Fat kids,
racial disparities and education reform © 2001 WorldNetDaily.com By
...demanding equal or nearly equal scores among all ethnic groups,
the current effort at educational reform is sure to fail. Few if any
schools will succeed in erasing racial disparities that relate far
more to disadvantages in home environments than unequal treatment by
educators. 

BUSH RECOMMENDS STANDARDS BASED, NOT NORM REF TESTING
z48\clip\2001\02\edwktest.txt February 21, 2001 Usefulness of Annual
Testing Varies by State By Lynn Olson Education Week ideally, the
administration wants states to use standards-based exams, but that
they could use an off-the-shelf, norm-referenced test if they chose.


@@California

The 1992-93 CLAS test was widely acknowledged to be a disaster
because it was unreliable to grade, and was scored more for
feelings than correct answers

The newer SAT-9/STAR test is a valid test for most students, but it
has been slameed for being required of students who are not
proficient in english, and the math is expecting perhaps too much
"real math" instead of not enough. It is also being used as a OBE/
TQM baseline to drive performance quotas, which is still a bad idea
no matter what test you use.

%%CLAS

HOW WHOLE LANGUAGE AND OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION FAILED IN CA
http://www.claremont.org/gsp/gsp49.htm
#1996-49
March 15, 1996
THE DECLINE OF ACADEMIC STANDARDS IN CALIFORNIA EDUCATION
The Story Behind the Student Testing Fiasco
Just what was wrong with the CLAS test? It evaluated students more on
their feeling than their analysis of a subject. It permitted students
to take certain sections of the test in groups. It didn't require
students to write complete sentences, much less complete paragraphs.
In some cases, students could draw pictures instead of write their
answers. In short, it furthered the state's policy of eschewing basic
skills for so-called "problem solving" skills. 
z43\clipim\2000\07\06\clas\clas.htm

MATRIX TEST SON OF DISASTEROUS CLAS TEST
\clip\99\06\matrix.txt
Another Test DEBRA J. SAUNDERS S February 14, 1999

EARLIER this month, the word started to percolate.  A 1995 state law
called for two statewide school tests. It first prompted California
to buy the multiple-choice STAR test, and then mandated another more
intensive test with open-ended questions -- a matrix test. Wags said
that state school chief Delaine Eastin's Department of Education was
trying to turn the matrix test into a Son of CLAS test.

11/02/97 CA SELECTS TERRA NOVA TEST
caltest.txt

Terra Nova is just repackaged CTBS
and it's a scam.

%%C-TAP VOCATIONAL / TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

CALIFORNIA DEVELOPING CAREER TECHNICAL STANDARDS ASSESSMENTS
z48\clip\2001\03\ctap.txt
The tests to be developed were part of the Career-Technical
Assessment Program (C-TAP) for the California Dept. of Ed. by
Sacramento County Office of Education, with a total (then) of
$4,321,562.00

C-TAP will use performance-based assessment strategies, including
projects and specific work products collected over a period of time,
as well as on-demand assessments conducted within a specific time
limit (written, timed tests).  These "career-prep" components will,
among other things, demonstrate knowledge and skills needed within a
particular industry, as well as those that are common to a set of
related occupations WITHIN an industry.  Thus, I expect the SCANS
standards relating to specific industries and occupational clusters
will be used.
'\

%%Delay

GOODBYE STEM AND LEAF BOX AND WHISKER PLOT, MEDIAN, QUARTILE
z75\priv\2003\11\catest.txt
Los Angeles Daily News
High School Exit Exam to be made easier
By Jennifer Coleman
Associated Press
state Board of
Education voted Wednesday to remove some of the more difficult math
and English questions on the California High School Exit Exam.
"missing will be the lower quartile, median and maximum of a data
set. The board also deleted questions that had students use
"stem-and-leaf" and "box-and-whiskers" plots for data displays.
Instead, students will face more questions about computing averages"
Wednesday, November 12, 2003

40% FAILURE RATE - DELAY EXIT TEST BY 3 YEARS OR FOREVER?
z67\clip\2003\05\gradexam.txt
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-exit2may02,1,5598089.story
State Education Official Seeks to Delay Exit Exam
Report is cited showing high failure rate on the prerequisite to diploma.
"Only about 60% of the students in the class of 2004 have passed the
math portion of the test so far" 
By Duke Helfand, Times Staff Writer

z76\clip\2003\05\testhard.txt
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/05/02/MN15878.DTL
Friday, May 2, 2003 (SF Chronicle)
Exit exam too hard -- reprieve likely/State may delay denial of diplomas to students who fail
Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer
Human Resources Research Organization of Virginia, concludes
that the exit exam "meets all of the test standards for use as a
graduation requirement."

   California High School Exit Exam Passing Rates for Class of 2004(x)
                           2001-2002    English  
                              10th-     language 
Group                       Graders       arts    Math 
All students                 459,588       81%     62% 
Economically disadvantaged   125,139       79%     54% 
English learners              77,446       54%     37% 
Special education             47,169       40%     22% 
   (x) As of January, 2003
   Source: Human Resources Research Organization  

%%High School exit 


Fewer California students pass high school exit exam
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-exam10-2008sep10,0,7803473,print.story
This year's number was the lowest since passage became mandatory for
students to get a diploma. Officials cite inclusion of special
education students this year as a reason.
By Seema Mehta
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 10, 2008
One in 10 high school seniors in the class of 2008 failed to pass
California's exit exam by graduation, the lowest rate of passage
since the test became mandatory to earn a diploma three years ago,
according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of
Education.
The estimated passage rate dipped, state officials said, because for
the first time special education students were required to take the
exam to receive diplomas, and their test results were included in
the tally. Nearly half of special education students -- those with
learning, physical or mental disabilities such as autism or dyslexia
-- did not pass the exam.
State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell defended the
mandate.
"Far from holding students back," he said, "the exit exam
requirement ensures all students who earn diplomas will have the
basic skills essential to their success in the workforce."
Special education students' graduation rate dipped nearly 3
percentage points for the class of 2008 because of the requirement

LOS ANGELES WHITE, ASIAN SCORE ABOUT SAME AS STATE
NEARLY HALF OF BLACKS FAIL MATH
% statewide math, english
All       74 75
African   54 62
Asian     91 85
Latino    61 62
White     87 88
% Los Angeles Unified
All       58 62
African   49 60
Asian     91 82 (about = state)
Latino    53 57
White     85 88 (about = state)
% Manual Arts High School
All       39 53
African   29 48
Latino    42 54
August 27, 2004 
By Duke Helfand, Times Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times

z60\clip\2002\10\caexam.txt
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20020930-1012-ca-highschoolexam.html
More than 50 percent of students fail high-stakes graduation test 
By Jessica Brice
ASSOCIATED PRESS 
September 30, 2002 

SACRAMENTO – More than half of the high school students who took the
state's high school graduation test this spring failed its math and
English sections, meaning they will have to retake the test or they
won't receive a high school diploma. 
Rate Index  Race
28 -2.32    B
30 -2.16    H
65  1.00    W 
70  1.07    A

CA HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEST PROJECTED WITH 50% FAIL RATE
Z46\DOC\WEB\2000\10\CATEST.TXT Updated Information on the High School
Exit Exam: Students exempted from the exam will not receive diplomas.
Districts may issue "certificates of attendance" to such students.
The estimated failure rate on the recent field test was 40% in
English language arts and 50% in math.

Cunningham: HUMMRO has just completed a 100 page evaluation of the
Ca.  HSEE and it is available at
http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/hsee/hsee.html .  This is a
remarkable document for several reasons.  First, it is extremely long
and detailed.  For those of you in California, or those who are
interested in assessment or the HSEE in particular, you can learn
just about everything from this document.  It is remarkable that such
a lengthy and complete document would be published before the test is
even administered.  All that has occurred so far is pilot testing.
Second, unlike most evaluations, this is a very frank and sometimes
critical evaluation. 

"For over half of the mathematics items and more
than 90% of the English language arts items, the average ratings
across districts suggested that at least one-fourth of the 10 th
grade students had not received instruction that would allow them to
answer the test item correctly." results from the analyses of field
test data showed that the test items are relatively difficult for
today’s 10 th graders, particularly in mathematics. If these items
reflect what we believe students need to know and be able to do, and
several panels of reviewers believe that they do, then a significant
number of 10 th grade students are likely to fail this exam.

%%New STAR tests

STUDENTS BELOW 40TH PCTILE WON'T PASS, NEED TO TAKE SUMMER SCHOOL
z55\clip\2002\04\casumm.txt Summer school takes serious turn Teachers,
students focus on state tests Julian Guthrie, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, April 22, 2002 ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/04/22/MN68516.DTL
San Francisco Unified students who score at or below the 40th
percentile on the state's standardized exam -- the 50th percentile is
considered average -- are being "strongly urged" to attend summer
school... looking at the California high school exit exam is that not
one student who was at or below the 40th percentile was able to pass,
" said Brooks.

CA vs Maryland hard vs. fuzzy
standards based tests.

z42\clip\2000\07\sat9bad.txt
http://www.fresnobee.com/print/storynews/0,1737,167139.html,00.html
"Passing or Failing? The Stanford Achievement Test is alternately
lauded and panned by Valley educators as a way to evaluate student
achievement" Expecting all students to score above a nationally set
norm is ridiculous, Kuehn said.  "We call it the 'Lake Woebegone
effect' -- where all the children are above average," she said. "With
a norm, someone always has to be at the bottom."

NOBODY WANTS TO BID ON CALIFORNIA GRADUATION TEST!
http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20000108/t000002429.html
\clip\99\2000\01\fasttest.txt Saturday, January 8, 2000 By MARTHA
GROVES, Times Education Writer Spurned last month by test publishers,
state education officials have issued another plea. It is in the form
of a memorandum inviting publishers to submit "an informal bid" to
develop and implement the high-stakes test 

%%Stanford 9

ED PROFESSOR CLAIMS NO "GREAT LEAP" FOR LEP STUDENTS
He says everybody gained LEP or no, questions claim of 150% improvement
http://www.stanford.edu/%7Ehakuta/SAT9/
What legitimate inferences can be made from the 1999 release of SAT-9
scores with respect to the impact of Proposition 227 on the
performance of LEP students?
Kenji Hakuta Professor of Education, Stanford University (650)
725-7454 hakuta@leland.stanford.edu
Lots of tables showing state test scores and improvement by state,
district.
                                          LEP Students
State of California,           State of California,            State of California, Language
Reading                        Math
Grade  19981999 Change         Grade  19981999  Change         Grade 1998 1999  Change
    2   19  23       4             2   27   34      7             2   19    23      4
    3   14  18       4             3   25   32      7             3   19    24      5
    4   15  17       2             4   21   25      4             4   23    26      3
    5   14  16       2             5   21   24      3             5   21    23      2
    6   16  18       2             6   24   28      4             6   22    24      2
    7   12  14       2             7   22   24      2             7   19    21      2
    8   15  17       2             8   23   25      2             8   19    21      2

                                         All Students
State of California,           State of California,            State of California,
Reading                        Math                            Language
Grade  19981999 Change         Grade  19981999  Change         Grade 1998 1999  Change
    2   39  43       4             2   43   50      7             2   40    45      5
    3   36  40       4             3   42   49      7             3   39    44      5
    4   40  42       2             4   39   44      5             4   44    46      2
    5   40  41       1             5   41   45      4             5   44    46      2
    6   43  45       2             6   48   52      4             6   47    49      2
    7   41  43       2             7   45   47      2             7   49    51      2
    8   44  46       2             8   45   48      3             8   47    49      2

STANFORD 9 TESTS KIDS 2 YEARS ABOVE OVER GRADE LEVEL IN CA
6/99
Riverside Press Stanford 9 exam daunts youngsters Math is tested at
two years over grade level.  By Kamrhan Farwell Millions of
California children took a new math test this spring that even the
brightest students are expected to bomb.  The problem is, the new
killer quiz landed on students' desks before the lessons did.

@@Scores

%%Year 2008

ASIANS MOST, AM INDIAN LEAST PASSING READING WRITING
Washington OSPI
http://www.k12.wa.us/Communications/pressreleases2008/WASLrelease/2008WASLScoreReleaseSupplemental.pdf
Class of 2010 10th graders
Met standard in reading and writing by ethnic group
82.5 Asian
78.7 Caucasian
75.4 All
71.9 Multiracial
65.5 Haw/Pac Islnd
62.5 Black/African Am
61.3 Low income
60.9 Hisp/Latino
57.9 Am Ind AN
34.0 Special education
30.2 English language learners

@@STar
%%Star

Tough new math test based on rigorous rather than fuzzy standards,
but either way both test flunk most students relative to expecations
which are still not based on the curve and what actual students can
do vs.  what ideal situation would be. Tests based on algebra /
geometry rather than the usual middle school level math on CIM tests.

STAR is a creature of the California Board of Education (tradition),
established to the dismay of the California Department of Education
(progressive).

2008 Results

Build reports by ethnic group:
http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2008/Viewreport.asp

\doc\web\2008\10\castarrace.xls
Analysis by Arthur Hu 10/2008				
California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR)                                                                    
Test scores by race, 2008

Conclusions - Chinese best, but Filipino slightly above
Asian average, and slightly better than white.
Asian Indians get lots of awards and high SAT scores, but
on CA state test they slightly LAG whites.
                                                                      
                 Chinese Filipino Asian   White   AsIndian Black                   
CST General Math 6 7                                                                    
Mean scale score  333.7   320.2   319.2   315.3   315.2   285.7                   
Advanced           10%     4%      6%      4%      4%      1%                      
Far Below Basic    13%     14%     16%     15%     18%     31%                     
CST Algebra I                                                                   
Mean scale score 358.4   321.6   336.5   321.1   324     286.1                   
Advanced           16%     4%      9%      4%      5%      1%                      
Far Below Basic     4%     7%      7%      8%      9%      22%                     
                                                                        
        CST General Math 6 7    Mean scale score
           Advanced    Far Below Basic CST Algebra I
                    Mean scale score        Advanced        Far Below Basic 
Chinese         333.7   10%     13%             358.4   16%     4%      
Filipino        320.2   4%      14%             321.6   4%      7%      
Asian           319.2   6%      16%             336.5   9%      7%      
White           315.3   4%      15%             321.1   4%      8%      
AsIndian        315.2   4%      18%             324     5%      9%      
Black           285.7   1%      31%             286.1   1%      22%     


Star Test details
To download this file go to
http://www.cde.ca.gov/cilbranch/sca/star/parent/STAR99%20Parent%20Pkt.pdf

Cunningham:
ESSAY TESTS DON'T WORK
THERE IS NO GOOD WAY TO SET PERFORMANCE STANDARDS EVEN WITM M-CHOICE
STANDARDIZED TESTS NO GOOD BEYOND K-5
At the present time there is no accepted, correct way of setting
performance standards.  There aren't even any good proposed ways of doing
this.  The most carefully researched and expensively implemented are the
performance standards used by NAEP.  These have been savaged by almost
everybody.

AZ AND CA BOTH DUMPED PERFORMANCE TESTS BUT HAVE SCORE INFLATION
\doc\web\99\09\testinf.txt
"Arizona's situation was quite similar to California, they discarded
a performance assessment system and followed it with the Stanford 9,
pretty much in the same years as California."

* Ron Dietel: Research conducted by our center shows that after a new
test is introduced, scores consistently go up the second year and
also in the years to follow. If a new test or a new form of the same
test is introduced, the scores return to earlier low levels.  (See
for example, the 1998 CRESST Policy Brief by Robert Linn.) Therefore,
research supports Barbara's comments and what you have heard.

http://mathematicallycorrect.com/starbkg.htm
i:\clip\99\13\starbk.txt
CA MATH TESTS ALGEBRA AT GRADE 8, EASTIN COMPLAINS MATH TOO HARD
\doc\web\99\09\alg8.txt
State's Kids Do Better Than Expected in Tests of New Curriculum
Nanette Asimov Chronicle Staff Writer Friday July 2, 1999 ©1999 San
Francisco Chronicle URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/07/02/MN28429.DTL
* students test for what they have not been taught
* need curriculum first, then test, not test first
* teacher and Eastin say math is outrageous, most adults would 
not get test
* arthur  - are they testing all 8th graders on algebra 2?

4 Grade 8: Mathematics Algebra 1 
Which equation is equivalent to 3(x - 7) - 2(x-1) = 8 .  A x - 23 = 8
B x - 19 = 8 C x - 8 = 8 D x - 6 = 8 

CA STUDENTS FALL SHORT ON NEW "STANDARDS BASED" MATH TESTS
For background information see
http://mathematicallycorrect.com/startest.htm
http://mathematicallycorrect.com/starbkg.htm

Mathematics (based on 15 Foundational Skills from Stanford-9 and 35
Standards-Based questions)
Grade: Number Right (out of 50 possible)
2:23/50
3:22/50
4:20/50
5:18/50
6:19/50
7:17.7/50
Algebra I: 19.3/50
Geometry: 22.3/50
Algebra II: 23.6/50
11 (Summative Test): 17.2/50

Mathematics
Stanford Achievement Test-9th version
Grade: 1998 national percentile rank, 1999 national percentile rank,
change 

2: 	43%, 	50%  	7 
3: 	42, 	49  	7 
4: 	39, 	44  	5 
5: 	41, 	45  	4
6: 	48, 	52  	4 
7: 	45, 	47  	2 
8: 	45, 	48  	3 
9: 	50, 	51  	1 
10: 	43,	46  	3 
11: 	46, 	48  	2

Comment - the % correct looks pretty bad, but percentiles are still
pretty close to the national average. Also we need to remember that
CA leads the world in aerospace and computer engineering with the
schools and colleges that it has, even if their aveages aren't that
great. I believe these tests suffer the same problem as other
"standards" based tests in being based on future goals rather than
current performance curves, and setting absolute "criterion-based"
scores rather than rank-order norm-based expectations even if it is
based on traditional curriculum.

Mathematically Correct has obtained the statewide STAR test data for both
the Stanford-9 nationally Normed Exam and the Augmentation Exam in
Mathematics.  Comments follow the results.

OUTRAGE OVER FAILURE RATE ON CONSERVATIVE MATH TEST HIGHER THAN
EQUALLY DIFFICULT CLAS TESTS.
http://www.ocregister.com/education/score004w1.shtml
\clip\99\11\ortest.txt Orange County Register June 4, 1999 New test
overwhelms state students EDUCATION: The exam, based on new
grade-by-grade standards, presents big problems, especially in math.
By DANIEL M. WEINTRAUB and JOHN GITTELSOHN The Orange County Register
[The so-called progressive math tests show failure rates as high or
higher than the "tough" math tests, yet there is only outrage when it
is backed by the basics crowd. Yet the basics crowd is making exactly
the same arguments as WASL that we need a test that most students
will fail, even if it tests what they have not been taught in order
to "raise the bar"]


RIGHT WING CRITERION BASED TEST JUST AS FAULTY AS LEFT WING TEST
\clip\99\11\fullsc.txt
http://www.ocregister.com/education/test003w.shtml Fullerton scores
reveal, uh ... what?  EDUCATION: The tests geared to new state
standards are, literally, beyond compare.  June 3, 1999 By ELIZABETH
CHEY and JOHN GITTELSOHN The Orange County Register Fullerton scores
reveal, uh . .. what?

[Sorry Mathematically Correct, I'm going to insist that ANY criterion
based test that tosses the bell curve is useless]

The state [CA] adopted "world class" standards for grade-by-grade
math and language-arts content in late 1997. But it still must define
the level of performance considered acceptable. Should students be
expected to answer 50 percent of questions right? Sixty percent? One
hundred percent?

Most schools gave the tests in the traditional math sequence: Algebra
1, Geometry and Algebra 2. Fullerton and a few other districts gave
tests designed for three levels of Integrated Math: Levels 1, 2 and
3.  Freshmen took Level 1 or 2. Sophomores took one of the three
tests.  All juniors took a test that assumed they had completed the
three-year sequence.  The Integrated Math tests posed questions that
Algebra 1 and Geometry classes had not studied.


CA MATH TEACHERS COMPLAIN STAR TEST IS TOO DIFFICULT
http://www.arthurhu.com/99/07/starhard.txt
\doc\web\99\07\starhard.txt Letter was sent by Judy Anderson,
President of the California Mathematics Council, the CA affiliate of
the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics complaining the test
was too difficult, yet they had no problems when everybody was
flunking the "aligned" CLAS test or WA's WASL with 90% minority flunk
rates.  It's not the difficulty but "philosiphy" that they are
complaining about.


@@Canada

HIGHER STANDARDS STW HELL IN TORONTO z47\clip\2001\01\torncur.txt Mon
Jan 8, 2001 Toroto Star Dispatches from the Grade 10 front 150,330
students were guinea pigs for a new curriculum. Four took notes Brand
new curriculum - same old problems Louise Brown EDUCATION REPORTER
They are tired of being called Ontario's academic guinea pigs - even
though it's true.
http://www.thestar.com/apps/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=978841825472&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News
As well, they are the first teens in a generation to face a
mandatory, province-wide Grade 10 literacy test.  

@@Carkhuff

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-the-WASL/lm/R29C1LVWBPNZKF
Understanding the WASL A Listmania! list by Amanda E. (Spokane, WA)
Share with Friends The list author says: "These books are essential
background reading to understand the theory behind why and how the
WASL was created by Drs. Terry Bergeson, Shirley McClune and Robert
Carkhuff. 

Dr. Robert Carkhuff was the sole-source no-bid contractor to the tune
of 1 million dollars to architect Washington State's education reform
and the WASL. Dr. Carkhuff's background is in clinical psychology and
theosophy, not pedagogy (the science of teaching) or mathematics and
is an unknown in the world of psychology - in fact he admitted in one
of his books that he was kicked out of medical school.

These books also explain why there is no math in the WASL and why 2+2
can equal 5 on the WASL with full credit as long as the child can
explain why they think it should be the right answer."  



@@Cartoon

z41\clipim\2000\05\08
http://www.kingfeatures.com/comics/safehavn/index.htm 4/20-4/24 2000
http://www.kingfeatures.com/comics/safehavn/Safe_Havens.20000420.gif
http://www.kingfeatures.com/comics/safehavn/Safe_Havens.20000421.gif
posted http://www.arthurhu.com/images/2000/08/14/421.gif
http://www.kingfeatures.com/comics/safehavn/Safe_Havens.20000422.gif
http://www.kingfeatures.com/comics/safehavn/Safe_Havens.20000424.gif
Safe Haven by btholbrook@compuserve.com by Bill Holbrook

This week you'll be taking the county's high stakes test which will
be the sole factor in determining whether you can move on to eighth 
grade. Nothing else, not your grade, not your demonstrative skills, not
even MY assessment will be taken into account. Just your score on this
one test. Any questions? That about sums it up. Students have 1 ton 
weights labeled "pressure" hanging over their heads.
Sample question: The county is forcing this high-stakes test because
a) we've spent millions on it and we can't back down now.. b) we
don't care about actual learning, just test scores or c) we hate kids
or d) all of the above This question measures a) creative problem solving
b) outside the box thinking  c) analytical processes that will be the 
hallmark of 21st century success or d) rote knowledge of haphazard trivia.
What's the name of this test again? Who wants to go on to eighth grade?


http://www.kingfeatures.com/comics/safehavn/ 
z45\clipim\2000\08\09\safe0731.gif
z45\clipim\2000\08\09\safe0801.gif
July 31 
Tonight, some community leaders will be pressuring us to produce
employees with specific vocational skills! .. that 'd be outdated 
by the time we graduate? Heck, they'd be outdated by the time the 
meeting's over


Aug 01
"As the business leaders of this community, we want the school system
to mold students into productive employees for us!  And how would we
mold them? Easy! We created a mold. Two, actually, one for keyboard
drones and one for semiskilled labor.



@@Catholic

Archdiocese of Chicago adopts performance assessment


@@Cheating

Since tests have such high consequences for failure in some states,
some schools have been accused of cheating. In every case, it is the
teachers or school, not the students or parents accused of cheating.

NEW YORK TEACHERS 21 CASE OF CHEATING ON HIGH STAKES TESTS
z75\clip\2003\10\cheat.txt
washingtonpost.com 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21903-2003Oct26.html
NATION IN BRIEF 
Monday, October 27, 2003; Page A20 
N.Y. Teachers Cheated In Testing of Students 
ALBANY, N.Y. -- High-stakes testing has led to high-level cheating by
New York teachers, according to state records obtained under the
Freedom of Information Law.  From 1999 through the spring of 2002,
records showed 21 cases of proven cheating by teachers. They read off
answers during a test, sent students back to correct wrong answers,
photocopied secure tests for use in class, inflated scores and peeked
at questions then drilled those topics in class before the test.

Watch Out, America" by Donna Garner
September 6, 1999 Like TAAS, create tests that magically show
score inflation without true improvement, make them easier every
year, make them based on fuzzy standards that have no meaning,
subjectively scored.

z42\clip\2000\06\eastgate.txt The Columbus Dispatch can't prove
Eastgate students got test answers Friday, June 9, 2000 Barbara
Carmen Fred Squillante / Dispatch The review was prompted by several
fifth-graders who told their teacher a "tutor'' had supplied answers
to the 1999 statewide test. 

SCHOOL WITH HIGH TEST SCORES IN CONN JUST CHEATED
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/extra/browse/html97/alteras_040697.html
z42\CLIP\2000\06\faircheat.txt The Seattle Times Company Sunday,
April 6, 1997 A winning school loses its magic by Helen O'Neill and
Denise Lavoie Associated Press FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Stratfield School
was a magical place where happy children tested highest in the state
and parents dreamed of the Ivy League. [principal implicated in
erasing wrong answers]

z42\clip\2000\06\nightest.txt Cheating 101 Nightline Tuesday, June 6,
2000 disturbing, but what's genuinely alarming is the rash of
discoveries in recent months that students are actually being
encouraged to cheat by their teachers, who in turn say that they feel
under pressure from school administrators to do just that.

\clip\99\21\nyccheat.txt Investigator: NYC school officials helped
kids cheat to boost test scores December 8, 1999 NEW YORK (AP) --
Teachers and administrators at 32 New York City schools helped
students cheat on standardized tests by providing them with questions
in advance and even marking test forms for them, a special
investigator for city schools charged. 

\clip\98\01\readrate.txt Officials Misuse Waivers to Inflate Test
Scores LANSING, MI - Officials at [mostly black] Muskegon Heights
Middle School admit to skewing the results of a statewide test by
asking the parents of low-achieving students to sign test waiver
forms. "Once a black school does well, they automatically say you
cheated," Parker said. "We expected this to happen."  School
administrators justify their actions by saying that failure-prone
students could risk further dejection by taking a test they simply
have no hope of passing. "I would challenge anyone to give a student
with a second-grade reading level the 7th-grade MEAP test," said
Muskegon Heights Middle School Principal Danny Smith. "It just
contributes to the child's already poor self-esteem." 

http://www.basenet.net/~eagle/educate/1997/mar97/er_mar97.html#officials

\clip\97\30\kircheat.txt KIRIS scores to be lowered at 11 schools
Investigators cite teachers helping, students cheating By Linda B.
Blackford Herald-Leader Education Writer
http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/120297/ff3che.html

http://www.neworleans.net/toogood/index.html
\clip\97\29\toogood\index.html Too Good to be true: New Orlean Times
Picayune Special Report 12/97 [Extensive report: Newspaper suspects
New Orleans Superintendent Morris Holmes has been encouraging
widespread cheating on test scores by excluding the worst students,
reading questions, and other questionable practices that make test
scores fluctuate wildly, from 24th (inner city) to 69th (better
suburb) percentile at one school. Has rankings of all schools in the
city]

http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/121597/f4kiris.html
\clip\97\29\kiris.txt Scott teacher suspended over notes on KIRIS By
Jefferson George Central Kentucky Bureau 12/15/97 GEORGETOWN -- The
suspension of a Scott County Middle School teacher after she took
notes from a KIRIS test has some questioning whether a rule regarding
"inappropriate assessment practices" is itself inappropriate. 
http://detnews.com/menu/stories/39045.htm


@@Chicago CASE

A teacher was sued for releasing a few test questions from the city
test, he runs Substance newspaper.  George N. Schmidt Editor,
Substance 5132 W. Berteau Chicago, IL 60641 773-725-7502 Chicago uses
ITBS as a high stakes test to retain or force summer school for any
student who fall below "grade level", or in other words, any student
that is below average, half or most of students.


%%Dropout

ONLY HALF 1ST GRADERS REACH 8TH GRADE ON TIME, 1/3 LEAVE SYSTEM IN CHICAGO
z68\clip\2003\07\dalygen.txt
The Daley Generation: Why are they leaving? 
July 28, 2003
BY ROSALIND ROSSI AND JANET RAUSA FULLER Staff Reporters Advertisement
... who started as first-graders in 1995.. normally would have
graduated eighth grade last month.  .. about half--made it to eighth.
.. [2nd most common was 31% left system permanently]

%%General

MILLION DOLLAR DAMAGES REDUCED TO $500
z63\clip\2003\01\caseover.txt
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0301290261jan29,1,6206257
Teacher who leaked test owes city schools $500 By Ana Beatriz Cholo
Tribune staff reporter January 29, 2003 The Chicago Board of
Education, which had sought more than $1.3 million from a teacher who
published a standardized test in 1999 without permission, has agreed
to accept $500 in damages, officials said this week.

CASE RIP 2002
z62\clip\2002\12\erascase.txt
Schools getting rid of unpopular exam
December 6, 2002
BY ROSALIND ROSSI EDUCATION REPORTER
http://www.suntimes.com/output/education/cst-nws-case06.html
A controversial [CASE] high school exam written by Chicago public
school teachers is being dumped in favor of a new test cost... more
than $1 million to develop, but critics said many questions were
poorly written and it was too time-consuming.


Chicago ends CASE tests
z56\DOC\WEB\2002\12\casedrop.txtr
Chicago ends CASE tests
By George N. Schmidt Substance [Chicago]
Between 1998 and the end of 2002, the Chicago school system spent more
than $10 million developing, printing, scoring and analyzing the
controversial tests. Teachers also charged that the CASE took eight
school days out of their teaching calendars at a cost of hundreds of
millions of dollars in what most called wasted test prep and test
time.


Chicago administers its own city-wide
CASE test on top of 3 other state  tests
In Chicago, our high school students each year must take three "standards"
exams, plus assorted other things. We have:
TAP (Riverside's test, which is used for high stakes decisions)
ISAT (the Illinois test, which is used to rank schools but without high
stakes for kids)
CASE (Chicago's eternal "pilot" local "standards" battery of tests)
In Chicago, elementary kids take the Iowa, ISAT (soon to be "Prairie State"
tests) and (soon) CASE.

%%Politics

Chicago and Illinois run by 
kleptocracy of Republicans and Democrats.

%%Social Promotion

NEARLY HALF OF 3RD GRADE MUST TAKE SUMMER SCHOOL
6/12/01 Chicago Tribune Summer's no break for city 3rd graders By Ray
Quintanilla , Tribune Education Reporter About 43 percent of the
Chicago Public School 3rd graders who took the Iowa Tests of Basic
Skills must attend summer school because they failed to score high
enough to merit a promotion, according to new data released Monday.

ENDING SOCIAL PROMOTION - STILL OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION
z43\clip\2000\07\chicret.txt ENDING SOCIAL PROMOTION Chicago schools
test a high stakes, higher standards promotion policy CNN -- June 28,
2000
Comment: This is the same story we've been hearing to justify the
WASL and the new "higher" performance based graduation standards. A
"no social promotion" policy has not been pushed in WA yet, but it is
an inevitable consequence of outcome based education.
    "Graduating based on the fact that you showed up and got a minimum
grade -- that is the horror story of social promotion," said Gery Chico,
president of the Chicago School Board.
    "We wanted our diploma to mean something again," Chico said. "We
weren't going to accept any longer that students would move from grade
to grade to grade, without showing us that they had performed, had
merited that promotion."


@@China

z43\clip\2000\07\chintest.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/071000china-exam.html 
July 10, 2000 
BEIJING JOURNAL 
For Chinese Students, Fate Is a Single 
Exam 

Only half of those tested can get in. Only those who get into
academic high schools after jr high can take the test. Over all,
because of the scarcity of slots, only about 12 percent of young
adults in China can attend college, a far lower share than in most
Western countries,

China gives really grueling tests for
middle class kids too they use tests to determine which people to
lay off, you fail the "cut" in your work test you lose your job.

CHINA HAS ONE HIGH STANDARD THAT FLUNK 80% WANTING TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL
z42\doc\web\2000\06\chined.txt 5/3/2000
* free education only to grade 9
* high school requires exam, fewer than 20% pass
* one high standard that most flunk
* teachers required to have 3 years of college
* teachers paid and graded on student outcomes
* teacher directed and dominated
Some Thoughts On Chinese Education Leo Casey For two weeks at the end
of April and the start of May, a group of 16 New York area educators,
of which I was one, participated in a two week study tour of China.


@@City Schools

Becoming the Best: Standards and Assessment Development in the Great
City Schools http://www.cgcs.org/reports/1996/standard/

State content standards
http://www.cgcs.org/reports/1996/standard/a10.htm

@@Cizek, Gregory

http://www.educationnews.org/in_defense_of_testing_series_uni.htm
6/12/01 In Defense of Testing Series Unintended Consequences of
High-Stakes Testing Gregory Cizek, University of North Carolina Is a
guest contributor to EducationNews It's eschatological. In one tract
after another, the zealous proclaim that there is a dire threat posed
by the anti-Christ of postmodern education: testing. To be more
precise, the Great Satan does not comprise all testing, only testing
with consequences--consequences such as grade retention for students,
salaries for educators, or the futures of (in particular)
low-performing schools. In this fevered and frenzied battle, what is
clear is that any sort of high-stakes test is the beast. On the side
of the angels are those who take the path of beast-resistance


@@CLAS California Learning Assesment System Disaster

8/28/95A Tale of Three Tests
CLAS flunks everybody, Seattle flunks Asian police applicants,
San Jose flunks out White battalion Fire Chief in a new oral exam



Now widely regarded as a failure, California was one of the first
states to try out "performance based tests" with CLAS. It still
showed whites, Asians and the rich on top. The math test was so
tough, nobody the 1st year and only 3.2% got the top score the 2nd
year. Nearly half, 42.5% scored a bottom "1" rarely correct, and
questions bothered parents who saw it as a test of politically
correct values. Others didn't note that written response tests are
even harder on unprepared minorities than multiple choice questions,
Studies showed that tests, which were scored by teachers were
completely useless for comparing districts, and were completely
unreliable. It was created by staffers who made no apologies about
being on the cutting edge of political correctness with no experience
in creating tests, in complete secrecy. It was cancelled by the
governor after only 2 years.  Performance based tests by other states
suffer from many of the same problems.

Title: Test's Validity Under Minority Microscope: California Learning
Assessment System Exam Undergoing Repairs After Heated Complaints
Summary: The California school system must decide what is more
important for its students - getting the right answer or how to use
one's intellectual mobility to arrive at an answer.  Source:
AsianWeek; Ethnic News Watch Date: 12-AUG-1994
http://thunder.northernlight.com/

Bishop story of how most
student math problems weren't even read for CLAS

10/21/97 WA Legislature Reading ForumrealaudioThis portion
of the House Education Committee Reading Forum features an address by
former California Secretary of Education Maureen DiMarco. Now with
Riverside Publishing.  Tells about CLAS test fiasco, as proposed
would test for basic and advanced skills, but actual test was
completely performance based, and tests of basic skills were so
minimal, they would be lost in the round-off error.  Nobody
understood scoring from 1 to 5 that required a paragraph to explain.
In math, "our students have only been 1 to 3 in performance so far",
so 4,5, and 6 were the "Star Trek" scores where "no man has gone
before". It was supposed to be developed by the best test people, but
in fact was done by staff, almost none who had any experience in
psychometrics or testing. We wanted to be on the cutting edge, but we
were the ones who got cut. Secrecy did the test in, legislators and
not even the Governor were able to see the test, DiMarco had to sneak
into a real school to peak at the test, and was shocked. There were
handbills on telephone poles telling people to be wary of the test,
reaction to the test on the streets was so great.  It was said that
it was conservatives who hated Alice walker passages who killed, it,
but it more the impression. Finally, the Governor vetoed the funding. 


FairTest survey of states
http://fairtest.org/states/ca.htm
Evaluation. Until vetoed by the governor in 1994, the state's
assessment program was the innovative California Learning Assessment
System. It used a mix of constructed-response and multiple-choice
items and was perhaps the most controversial state exam in the
nation. It represented a significant step forward in state testing as
it used multiple methods and was also available in Spanish. CLAS
included not only the exam but also development of local performance
and portfolio assessments. The governor placated conservatives who
objected to using anything other than multiple-choice items and
vetoed the reauthorization.

TEACHERS: CLAS DOES NOT TEST WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/chronicle/article.cgi?MN69255.DTL:/chronicle/archive/1995/04/05
\clip\98\01\clas.txt Wednesday, April 5, 1995 · Page A1 ©1998 San
Francisco Chronicle `Alarming' Statewide Test Results Students score
low in reading, math Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer
" Mike Kirst, a Stanford University education professor and former
president of the state Board of Education, agreed that the CLAS test
does not measure what students are being taught.  ``CLAS says this is
what students ought to be studying,'' said Kirst. ``It's a much more
difficult standard to meet, and higher than we've ever tried to
measure students by. "

CLAS TESTS WERE NOT RELIABLE BETWEEN SCHOOLS OR STUDENTS
http://www.jb.com/~btennison/schwar.html
Peter Schrag, "The New School Wars: How Outcome-Based Education Blew
Up," The American Prospect no. 20 (Winter 1995): 53- 62
(http://epn.org/prospect/20/20schr.html).
http://www.jb.com/~btennison/schwar.html \clip\97\26\schwar.htm
"California's CLAS Struggle" 

CLAS - BETTER SCORE FOR SOCIAL SENSIVITIY THAN CORRECT ANSWER
\clip\97\09\mathans.txt "The report that in grading the CLAS test,
greater credit was given to answers showing social sensitivity than
to those with correct mathematical thinking made the whole testing
process very questionable - and certainly raised doubts in my mind.
That was not eased when I heard a presentation at Palm Springs in
which the sample paper presented to us as a "6" (perfect score) was
in fact mathematically incorrect, but it was the one the scorers
liked the best."

SEATTLE CITES CLAS IT'S JUST A BAD IDEA \clip\97\20\testrefm.txt
http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/test_090497.html The
Seattle Times Company Thursday, Sept. 4, 1997 Education reform's big
test: Held to higher standards, fourth-graders score badly, showing
the challenge ahead California was one of the first states to try
performance-based testing statewide and immediately ran into
criticism from parents that the questions pried into children's
private lives. Others questioned the test's reliability.


10/9/97 \clip\97\23\test2.txt Sacramento Bee Dan Walters: Testing
vital, but this one?  "Earlier in the decade, the state implemented
the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) but it was attacked
by conservative critics who said it was too intrusive, too subjective
in its methodology and too tied to politically correct notions"

\doc\95\08
CLSANFRA.TXT - San Francisco

1994 CLAS Test results, from Calf State Ed. Gopher
\doc\95\09\
CLLACNT.TXT Santa Clara Co.
CLSANMAT.TXT San Mateo Co.
CLSTANIS.TXT Stanislaus Co

\doc\95\10\zclall.zip
\doc\95\10\zip\*.txt
CLAS results by city:
CLLAUNF.TXT  LA Unified
CLMARIN.TXT  Marin Co.
CLALAMED.TXT Alameda Co.
CLORANGE.TXT Orange Co.
CLVENTUR.TXT Ventura Co.
CLCONTRA.TXT Conta Costa County
CLSANDIE.TXT San Diego County

\doc\95\07\clas95.txt - press release and internet aol instructions.
Looks like no data on race, just which districts and schools did best
overall.

\priv\95\04\clas95.txt - no more funding for CLAS test

asian test clas doc942\priv\mickey1/2.txt

x\doc\95\08\clasasin.wk1
\doc\94\19\clasasin.wk1 - CLAS comparison by cities
Nowhere are blacks equal to whites in the same city.

See asian - ed - test clas, history: doc941\clas*.*
asians in city worse than state, blacks equal, whites better
at state, asians better in everything

\doc\94\17\clasfail.txt

\doc\94\2\priv\clas2.txt

\doc\94\3\priv\clasx.txt

clas.xls

Estimate of percentile equivalents, California CLAS 1994                       

Grade 8 Reading W50 B41.8 H41.8 A50.5 N42.3 Fil48.5 PacI 45.2                    
Grade 8 Math    W50 B30   H30   A53.8 N37.9 Fil43.9 PacI 37.3                    
CA CLAS 8 W1.00 B-1.66 H-1.66 A1.08

Black IQ = Math 92 Reading 96 vs. 85 in general IQ tests.
Asian IQ = Math 102 Reading 100

 California Department of Education
 California Learning Assessment System 1993
 Scores by Ethnic Background
 Performance level is ranked from 1 to 6 lowest to best
 Index analysis by Arthur Hu
 Ratio is compared to percent of whites at level, -2 = 1/2

 Summary, in general Asians are not only better in Math but Reading
 and Writing as well. Filipinos are weaker in math, but in some grades
 are as good or better in reading and writing than whites Pacific
 Islanders are weaker all the way around, but not as far down as
 Hispanics and African Americans.  Hispanics and African Americans are
 consistently the lowest at the top levels and highest at the low
 levels. Math performance of around half at the lowest level among
 Blacks and Hispanics statewide is similar to East Palo Alto /
 Ravenswood and Alum Rock/ East San Jose which are predominantly black
 and Hispanic, and the worse district scores in the bay area.

 Percent of State students performing at level
 Grade8    Math
           White   Black    Hisp     Asian    NatAm    Fil      Paci
         6       0        0        0        0        0        0        0
         5       2        0        0        4        0        1        1
         4      13        3        3       17        5        9        6
         3      20        7        8       21       11       18       11
         2      39       39       40       34       42       41       41
         1      24       49       46       23       39       31       40
 total          98       98       97       99       97      100       99

 Grade8    Reading
           White   Black    Hisp     Asian    NatAm    Fil      Paci
         6       1        0        0        2        0        1        1
         5       9        4        3       13        4        8        6
         4      35       23       24       36       24       34       28
         3      39       42       42       34       44       38       44
         2      13       26       26       13       24       16       18
         1       1        4        4        2        4        1        3
 total          98       99       99      100      100       98      100

 Grade8    Writing
           White   Black    Hisp     Asian    NatAm    Fil      Paci
         6       1        0        0        2        0        2        0
         5      13        5        4       16        6       16        8
         4      37       24       25       36       25       36       32
         3      35       40       41       32       40       32       38
         2      12       23       22       11       22       11       17
         1       2        8        5        2        5        2        4
 total         100      100       97       99       98       99       99

 Index
 Grade8    Math
           White   Black    Hisp     Asian    NatAm    Fil      Paci
         6    1.00  #DIV/0!  #DIV/0!  #DIV/0!  #DIV/0!  #DIV/0!  #DIV/0!
         5    1.00  #DIV/0!  #DIV/0!     2.00  #DIV/0!    -2.00    -2.00
         4    1.00    -4.33    -4.33     1.31    -2.60    -1.44    -2.17
         3    1.00    -2.86    -2.50     1.05    -1.82    -1.11    -1.82
         2    1.00     1.00     1.03    -1.15     1.08     1.05     1.05
         1    1.00     2.04     1.92    -1.04     1.63     1.29     1.67
 Asian best, Fil & Paci -2
 Index
 Grade8    Reading
           White   Black    Hisp     Asian    NatAm    Fil      Paci
         6    1.00  #DIV/0!  #DIV/0!     2.00  #DIV/0!     1.00     1.00
         5    1.00    -2.25    -3.00     1.44    -2.25    -1.13    -1.50
         4    1.00    -1.52    -1.46     1.03    -1.46    -1.03    -1.25
         3    1.00     1.08     1.08    -1.15     1.13    -1.03     1.13
         2    1.00     2.00     2.00     1.00     1.85     1.23     1.38
         1    1.00     4.00     4.00     2.00     4.00     1.00     3.00
 Asian best, Fil & PacI = White, worse at bottom
 Index
 Grade8    Writing
           White   Black    Hisp     Asian    NatAm    Fil      Paci
         6    1.00  #DIV/0!  #DIV/0!     2.00  #DIV/0!     2.00  #DIV/0!
         5    1.00    -2.60    -3.25     1.23    -2.17     1.23    -1.63
         4    1.00    -1.54    -1.48    -1.03    -1.48    -1.03    -1.16
         3    1.00     1.14     1.17    -1.09     1.14    -1.09     1.09
         2    1.00     1.92     1.83    -1.09     1.83    -1.09     1.42
         1    1.00     4.00     2.50     1.00     2.50     1.00     2.00
 Asian & Fil = 2X, not worse at bottom

see file for grades 4, 10

\doc\95\08\saclcla2.xls - Gunderson is 92 pct vs. white, worst is 25

xdoc\94\12\saclcla2.xls - Santa Clara County ranking by school in CLAS

xdoc\94\9\saclclas.xls - original list

d:\doc\94\17\priv\clasok.txt - CLAS has grading consistency problems, but
experts say it's OK. SJM 8/3/94

d:\doc\94\17\clasfail.txt

asian education test clas
doc942\priv\clas2.txt sampling errors?



@@College Exit

The logical (or illogical) extension of minimum competency tests for
high school is a test for college which has been opposed by
professors in colleges and the Boston Globe.


z68\clip\2003\07\coltest.txt
News bulletin from the Chronicle of Higher Education, July 15, 2003
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/07/2003071501n.htm
   [44]By JEFFREY SELINGO
   Denver
   Higher-education policy makers told college leaders and legislators on
   Monday that national tests or surveys of how much students learn in
   college may soon be on their way, overriding the patchwork of policies
   that exists in the states.


STANDARDS BASED TESTING, GRADE PROMOTION HEADED FOR COLLEGES
z57\clip\2002\08\colltest.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/04/edlife/04ZERNIKT.html New York Times
August 4, 2002 Tests Are Not Just for Kids By KATE ZERNIKE And some
states have added teeth: in South Dakota, for example, students must
pass exams to progress to junior year. 

z47\clip\2001\01\uttest.txt
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/790994 Houston
Chronicle Jan.  8, 2001, 9:27PM UT officials to work with faculty on
plan for testing process By RON NISSIMOV Copyright 2001 Houston
Chronicle AUSTIN -- University of Texas officials said Monday they
will begin consulting with faculty members soon about a controversial
proposal to require testing of college students before graduation.  

BOSTON GLOBE SAYS YES K12 NO COLLEGE EXIT EXAM
z47\clip\2001\01\colltest.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/008/editorials/College_Testing+.shtml
A BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL College Testing "As necessary as it is to measure
students' mastery of the K-12 curriculum, it would be foolhardy to
seek a one-size-fits-all test for anything as multifaceted as higher
education.  "


Texas colleges propose standardized exit exam for
college faculty is appalled


@@Colorado

Colorado is introducing a new reform-based test in 1997 with low
score results. "By law we are a standards-based state"

08 Mar 1998 from net I have just found out about some ridiculous
legislation in Colorado that would essentially ban the use of
norm-referenced testing in the state.  Are there any folks who might
want to call their legislators and urge them to vote against it?

Colorado HB 98-1267 Education Appropriations Act can be referenced at
www.state.co.us.
"discourages the use of norm-referenced tests".
 ties school accreditation to standards-based tests (CSAP)
adds grades and content areas to the existing CSAP
cites increased cost of CSAP of approximately $5.9M (Total CSAP: $18.5M
requires school districts to pay for the additional testing
links graduation requirement for 12th graders to grade 10 CSAP
performance

---------------------------------------------------------------------

z48\clip\2001\02\csap.txt
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_66817,00.
html Boulder students protest CSAP tests Exams `anti-diversity,'
young critics charge By Nancy Mitchell, News Staff Writer

Statewide exams given this week in Boulder Valley schools have prompted
students from two high schools to protest, calling the tests unfair and
"anti-diversity."

KIDS WORRY ABOUT COLORADO HIGH STAKES TEST
z48\clip\2001\02\coltest2.txt
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_21644,00.html
Feb 11, 2001 The stress of CSAP Students, teachers, administrators
await state-mandated test, stomachs churning By Nancy Mitchell, News
Staff Writer Valentin Lujan, 14...eyes widen with worry when he talks
about CSAP, the state test officially known as the Colorado Student
Assessment Program.  "If you don't do good on the test, you have to
go to summer school for whatever you missed," he said last week.
low-performing schools face conversion to a charter school if they
don't improve over time.  

z48\clip\2001\02\coltest.txt
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news/article/0,1299,DRMN_3_21651,00.html
Questions and answers about the CSAP tests "This year, the state
is paying nearly $10.8 million for the CSAP tests, including
development of new tests, shipping and scoring.  With 700,000 exams
expected, Watson said, it works out to $15.40 per test."  

z40\clip\2000\03\cotest.txt
http://insidedenver.com/news/0306math2.shtml Rocky Mountain News
Timing hurt math scores?  Experts indicate skills erode over summer
By Brian Weber Denver Rocky Mountain News Education Writer The timing
[right after summer vacation] of state math tests probably hurt
scores and made them nearly worthless for helping struggling students
this year.  The results found that 47 percent of fifth-graders were
proficient or advanced on skills they learned through fourth grade on
tests in the Colorado Student Assessment Program. Thirty-eight
percent were partially proficient, and 13 percent were unsatisfactory. 

43 schools hit the state's ultimate goal for all standards tests --
80 percent proficient or advanced.  

Advanced or proficient pass rate
56 white
53 asian
23 black hispanic
difference = 0.88 SD


\clip\98\13\cotest2.txt October 5, 1998 Bessemer's success Scores
jolt school into action By Janet Bingham Denver Post Education Writer
This year, 64 percent of Bessemer fourth-graders met the standards -
a dramatic five-fold increase [from 12%] and the biggest improvement
in the state. The number meeting writing standards jumped from 2
percent to 48 percent.  Across Colorado, 57 percent of fourth-graders
met reading standards, the same as last year, and 36 percent met
writing standards, up from 31 percent last year.  More than 80
percent of the 325 students at the Pueblo school qualify for free or
reduced-price lunches; more than 80 percent are Hispanic or black.

Law asks much, gives little By Renate Robey Denver Post Education
Writer Under new Colorado law, if this year's third-graders do as
poorly on the test this spring, those who fail will have to go
through an individual assessment and be placed on a very specific and
personalized reading plan.  Those students could be held back in
reading but advance to the next grade in other subjects.


66% "PROFICIENT" IN CO READING
\clip\98\14\cotest.txt October 2, 1998 By Bill Scanlon Rocky Mountain
News Staff Writer Third-graders scored better on their Colorado State
Assessment Program reading test than fourth-graders did on theirs,
prompting parents and educators to ask why.


NORMED TESTS UP, BUT STANDARDS-BASED TEST AWFUL?
Denver Business Journal 1/19/98 Defending standardized tests Lee
White and Irv Moskowitz How could DPS students show an upturn on the
ITBS across all grades last spring and yet perform so abysmally on
the state standards?  By law we have become a standards-based state. 
\clip\98\02\newscli3.txt

http://www.denverpost.com:80/news/news1835.htm \clip\98\01\copoor.txt
Denver Post Jan 1, 1998 Poorer schools do poorly (politicians say
there should be no link...)  By Carlos Illescas Denver Post Education
Writer 

              %Proficient
%Assistance:  Reading   Writing
0             78        50
60+           29        11

COLORADO THINK 50% WILL FAIL NEW TEST
\clip\97\27\coltest.txt
http://www.insidedenver.com/news/1110test4.html Rocky Mountain News
November 10, 1997 Low test scores expected Exams designed to point
out gaps in students' knowledge "projections indicate most of their
children won't pass, state education officials said" "The Colorado
test measures how much a student knows compared to the standards,
devised by state and local educators and parents.  " 

43% BELOW IN READING, 69% BELOW IN WRITING
Fourth-graders' low scores called no surprise By Bill Scanlon Rocky
Mountain News 11/13/97 \clip\97\27\coltest2.txt
http://www.insidedenver.com/news/1113test8.html " Forty-three percent
of students were below proficiency in reading. Sixty-nine percent
were below prociency in writing.  "

Only 14% PASS WRITING IN DENVER
http://www.insidedenver.com/news/1113test5.html
Fourth-graders fail the test
Rocky Mountain News 11/13/97

WRITING REQUIRED SEVERAL DRAFTS, STUDENTS NOT ASKED TO PERFORM BEFORE
\clip\97\27\coltest3.txt
http://www.insidedenver.com/news/1113test6.html Students criticize
test requirements Questions boring, say fourth-graders who took the
exam Rocky Mountain News November 13, 1997

http://www.arthurhu.com/clip/97/25/ritest.txt
10/29/97 Denver Post Scores on new test will be low By Janet Bingham
Denver Post Education Writer Brace for grim and sobering student test
results, the governor and the state education commissioner are
warning.

%%Scores

z57\clip\2002\08\csap.txt
Rocky Mountain News 
URL: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_1303935,00.html 
Minorities' progress stalled, CSAP reveals
By Holly Yettick, Rocky Mountain News
August 3, 2002

Asians lead only in math.
8th grade science W62 B21 H21 A51
10th-grade math   W33 B 7 H 8 A35

Existing learning gaps between minority students and their classmates
show little sign of shrinking, according to state test results
released this week.


@@Comparison Performance vs. Standardized Tests

The Assessment Debate: PRESS
\clip\98\09\assdbt\assdbt.htm

@@Computer Administered Tests

On the web at: http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/v5n3.html
Testing Writing on Computers:
An Experiment Comparing Student Performance on Tests Conducted via Computer
and via Paper-and-Pencil

Michael Russell
Boston College 

Walt Haney
Boston College 


Abstract

Computer use has grown rapidly during the past decade. Within the
educational community, interest in authentic assessment has also
increased. To enhance the authenticity of tests of writing, as well
as of other knowledge and skills, some assessments require students
to respond in written form via paper-and-pencil. However, as
increasing numbers of students grow accustomed to writing on
computers, these assessments may yield underestimates of students'
writing abilities. This article presents the findings of a small
study examining the effect that mode of administration -- computer
versus paper-and-pencil -- has on middle school students' performance
on multiple-choice and written test questions. Findings show that,
though multiple-choice test results do not differ much by mode of
administration, for students accustomed to writing on computer,
responses written on computer are substantially higher than those
written by hand (effect size of 0.9 and relative success rates of 67%
versus 30%). Implications are discussed in terms of both future
research and test validity.  the computer mode of administration had
the effect of increasing the success rate on the performance writing
item (as judged by the average of three independent raters) from
around 30% to close to 70%.  those students who performed the
assessment on the computer tended to write almost twice as much and
were more apt to organize their responses into more paragraphs. 


@@Connecticut 

Connecticut Academic Performance Test CAPT

Statewide, only 36-41% of students meet "state standards". Test is
correlated to national norms, and sets criterion based "standard".
Only 10% passed the first year according to WA's Gordon Ensign. 

When the mastery test is linked to a national standardized test, the
Metropolitan Achievement Test, data show that the typical Connecticut
student scores better than most students in the country -- higher
than 57 percent to 69 percent of other students

The test started in 1985, officials brag of continuous improvement.
But the "poor" (thats minorities) continue to do poorly. In urban
areas, high numbers of students skip the test, but it is compulsory.

In 2000, the establishment is considering, but resisting calls to
make it a high stakes exit exam.

Connecticut State Dept of Ed
Mastery Test Objectives


%%News

EDUCATORS RESIST TURNING CAPT INTO HIGH STAKES EXIT EXAM
z46\clip\2000\11\capt.txt Tough Questions About CAPT By RICK GREEN
The Hartford Courant November 07, 2000 She said it would be unwise to
make the CAPT or anything like it an "exit exam'' for high school.
"It is much too difficult a test to be an exit test. It is meant to
set a high goal,'' The state's association of superintendents has
taken a formal position against making the CAPT a "high-stakes" test,
such as the one now causing upheaval in Massachusetts ..CAPT appears
to be almost optional in urban districts such as Hartford, where, for
example, just 65 percent of eligible students even show up to take
the math portion of the test. 65.5 percent of test takers reached the
state goal on at least one portion of the test, up from 58.2 percent
in 1995. ...15.4 percent of students achieved the state
goal on all four tests



z45\clip\2000\07\conn.txt
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57406-2000Jul17.html
Connecticut's Education Success Story   (URL below article)
By Jay Mathews
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday , July 18, 2000 ; A11
Jeffery Westcott, a new teacher at Church Street School in Hamden, Conn.,
cringed three years ago when he watched a video of himself running his
second-grade class. Did he really cut that child off so quickly, just as the
boy was about to make his point?

SUCCESS FROM TESTING OR JUST RICH COLLEGE PARENT KIDS?
\clip\99\08\edclip01.txt Harford Courant Mar 5, 199 State Students
Get Top Rank In National Reading Test By LISA CHEDEKEL Connecticut's
fourth- and eighth-graders soared past their peers on a new national
reading test, ranking No.  1 among 43 states and drawing praise from
U.S.  Department of Education officials.  Districts across the state
have revamped instruction around the Connecticut Mastery Test in the
past five years, renewed focus on basic skills had allowed
Connecticut, with its high per-capita income and glut of college
graduates, to push ahead of other states. 

\clip\99\05\edclip03.txt Thursday, February 4 SPECIAL REPORT: 1998
Connecticut Mastery Tests Cities Still Lagging In Mastery Test
Scores By RICK GREEN This story ran in The Courant February 4, 1999
According to test results released Wednesday, just two in 10
fourth-graders are reaching state goals for reading in the state's
poorest cities.  Just over half of them can tell time. Slightly more
than four in 10 are adept at estimating lengths and areas.
Among eighth-graders, 40 percent are at or above state goals on all
three tests -- virtually double the figure of five years ago.

ONLY 35% PASS CONN. G10 LANGUAGE TEST
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/regional/ct-exam-fail.html
New York Times November 5, 1998 Most 10th Graders Fall Below
Connecticut Academic Goals By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS [44 math] In
science, 36 percent made the grade, the same as in 1997, and language
arts remained steady at 35 percent.  In interdisciplinary skills,
which combine math, reading and writing skills, 38 percent achieved
the goal, the same as the year before.  "This is not a pass-fail
test," Sergi said. "Scoring below the state goal is not a failing
grade. It means that students are not performing at the high levels
we want them to achieve.

\clip\98\02\masttest.txt
1-18-98 The Hartford (CT) Courant "Mastery Test Scores Up, But Cities
Still Lag" [test given in 4th, 6th, and 8th grades]
http://www.courant.com/news/special/mastery/mast96/test.htm

\clip\98\02\masttest.txt
1-17-98 The Hartford (CT) Courant "Teachers Hailed as Students Master
Test" [One school board chairman says: "We have seen a pattern of
declines as the students reach the eighth grade, particularly in
math,...We've identified that as ... a particular priority."]
http://www.courant.com/news/special/mastery/test.stm When the mastery
test is linked to a national standardized test, the Metropolitan
Achievement Test, data show that the typical Connecticut student
scores better than most students in the country -- higher than 57
percent to 69 percent of other students (test accomplishes standard
setting, scores are up, "real-life" / "applied" content is seen as
valid, minorities, cities still lag) 50-60% reaching goals.

"Town-By-Town Results: Connecticut Mastery Test Results"
[the state department of education reports test results by
grouping towns according to families' socio-economic-education status]
http://www.courant.com/news/special/mastery/mast96/towns.htm

\clip\97\30\glaston\test1996.htm
http://www.glastonbury.com/test1996.htm
The Connecticut Academic Performance Test is an extremely challenging
state-mandated test given every May to all students in Grade 10. The test
assesses knowledge of curriculum, but depends more heavily on critical
thinking, effective writing and application of knowledge to new situations.

On the CAPT, Glastonbury's results exceeded Connectiuct state averages as
well as averages posted by the Educational Reference Group in 1996

The cahrt below indicates the percentage of students who have met or
exceeded the state goal. The state CAPT goal is one of the most demanding
academic standards in the nation.

                                    Conn.(ERG) Glastonbury
                 Mathematics        41%  57%   69%
                 Language Arts      35%  50%   57%
                 Science            34%  48%   51%
                 Interdisciplinary  36%  47%   55%

                         Connecticut Mastery Tests

Glastonbury students in Grades 4, 6 and 8 continue to score well on the
demanding Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT). This state-mandated test assesses
mastery in mathematics, degrees of reading proficiency, writing, written
communication, llistening and reading comprehension.

The Scores in this table indicate the percentage of students who scored at
or above the state mastery goal in 1996.

                                                  Grade 4 Grade 6 Grade 8
  Mathematics                                     85%     72%     72%
  Writing                                         57%     79%     76%
  Reading                                         78%     79%     78%
  Students at or above state goal on all 3 tests  47%     58%     58%

\clip\97\30\cttest.txt 12-27-97 Hartford (CT) Courant "Mastery Test
Scores Are Rising" [8th grade writing: 25% pass compared to 24% last
year; 6th grade writing: 26 % pass compared to 14% last year]
http://news.courant.com/ $1.95 for full text


@@Conservative 

%%Against

%%For

Bennett, William

[[Finn, Chester


[[Ravitch, Diane

http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/publications/digest/022/ravitch.html
z56\clip\2002\07\ravit.txt
2002 • No. 2 EDUCATION:
On School Reform,
Let’s Stay the Course
Diane Ravitch
Recent reforms in Massachusetts show how we can improve our public
schools by demanding excellence—from students and teachers alike.

[[Thomas Sowell

Linda Chavez
z42\priv\2000\06\lchavez.txt JUNE 1, 2000 Feel Good Failures By LINDA
CHAVEZ What would happen if schools administered tests, but students
refused to take them? Several hundred students in Massachusetts
decided to find out for 

Thernstroms

z42\clip\2000\06\fortest.txt
http://www.educationnews.org/inside_the_classroom__outlawing_.htm
Inside the Classroom Outlawing tests by Dean L. Kalahar, M.Ed.  At
one time children would go to school and graduate with a high school
diploma that defined a level of proficiency and skill providing
potential employers assurance of competency.  Let¹s be honest, what
is morally wrong is the unconscionable belief that standards and
accountability are less important than allowing children to pass
through a school system without being able to read or write.


@@Construction

AIMS SPENDS $150 PER ITEM, COST 4 years and $10m
TEMP SCORERS PAID $9-$15 PER HOUR (LESS THAN TEACHERS)
z41\clip\2000\05\aimmake.txt
Creating AIMS test a long process Days of reckoning here for
sophomores By Dave Walker The Arizona Republic May 1, 2000

HOW STANDARDIZED TESTS ARE CONSTRUCTED
z40\clip\2000\04\newtest.txt
NY Times April 9, 2000
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/040900edlife-exam-edu.html
A Test Is Born 
By JIM YARDLEY 
Among the biggest testing players are three of the major
textbook publishers. CTB/McGraw-Hill publishes the TerraNova, which in
modified form is used to help determine grade promotion in New York City.
Riverside Publishing, owned by Houghton Mifflin, makes the popular Iowa
Test of Basic Skills. And Harcourt Brace, the parent company of the
Psychological Corp., makes the Stanford Achievement Test, which has
existed in different forms for nearly 80 years and is widely used
throughout the country, including, in an augmented version, as
California's state test. 
Paslov estimates that 70 percent of his company's testing business
comes from creating custom tests for states. States want to control
the test and what it covers, rather than order one from a catalog. By
the year 2003, according to the United States Department of
Education, 26 states will require that students pass a test to
graduate from high school; currently, 18 states require such a test.



@@Context


@@Companies

z45\clip\2000\10\testaw.txt Ken Goodman's Absurdity award for
November goes to the 4 billion dollar per year, McGraw-Hill Company
for its Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education.
 Winners of the Award for the year 2000
   Nancy Grasmick, Maryland State Schools Superintendent
   Rod Paige, Superintendent, Houston Independent School District
   Sanford I. Weill, Chairman & CEO, Citigroup, Inc.
(all promoted expensive McGraw Hill programs and / or tests)

z42\clip\2000\06\testmark.txt
http://washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=w 
pni/print&articleid=A6706-2000May25
Testing the Market
By Jay Mathews
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday , May 30, 2000 ; A09
1. Harcourt. The San Antonio-based company has about 40 percent of the
testing market, including the Stanford 9 used by
Virginia and D.C. schools and Virginia's Standards of Learning tests.
Harcourt's rise to the top was aided by a $28 million
contract to test all California schoolchildren, a prize that came when
the state school board could not resolve a bitter fight
between proponents of the other two companies.

2. CTB. Based in Monterey, Calif., its biggest tests have been the
California Achievement Tests and the California Tests of
Basic Skills/TerraNova. It also produces the MSPAP, Maryland's principal
school assessment test, and has won a five-year,
$10.3 million contract to develop Maryland's new high school graduation
tests. It has about 40 percent of the market, slightly
behind Harcourt.

3. Riverside. The company produces the popular Iowa Test of Basic Skills
and the Woodcock Diagnostic Reading Battery. It
is based in Itasca, Ill., just west of Chicago, and has about 20 percent
of the market. (Washington State WASL, ITBS)



@@Control

One criticism of new assesment and "accountability" systems is that
they are being used as a weapon to impose control on districts and
schools that do not comply with mandated reforms and curriculum.

If the Federal government can take a
state that is only second in ACT score and percentage of high school
graduates and impose a mandated curriculum on them, then they can
impose it anywhere in the United States


@@Core Knowledge

Core Knowledge has tests now
aligned to their curriculum.


@@Correlation

PERFORMANCE BASED RESULTS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME AS TRADITIONAL TESTS,
SO IF TRADITIONAL IS CHEAPER, WHY DO THE NEW TESTS?
http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/v3n6.html 
(local) \clip\97\25\edasses.htm
(4) "Educational Assessment Reassessed:  The Usefulness of
Standardized and Alternative Measures of Student Achievement as
Indicators for the Assessment of Educational Outcomes,"
Educational Policy Analysis Archives, Vol 3 No 6, March 3, 1995
(available at website:  http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa)

Shavelson et al. found that "taken in the aggregate, a combination of
the alternative assessments correlates about the same with aptitude
as does the standardized science achievement test. Aptitude, then, is
a major factor in generalizing performance across assessment tasks"
(p. 26). What this means is that students score at a comparable level
on the battery of performance assessments in Shavelson's study and on
aptitude and a standardized science achievement test.

          On the California Bar exam, the largest program so far to
have incorporated performance testing, the rank order of applicants
is nearly the same on the performance, essay, and multiple-choice
sections.  Low-scoring students score low on all three parts,
high-scoring candidates score high on all three.  According to a new
study, the same thing is true on the free-response and
multiple-choice parts of the Advanced Placement computer science
exam. Several similar studies on other tests have yielded similar
conclusions. . . . (p. 31) 

the question becomes which form of assessment is most appropriate to
a given purpose. Having determined that, we must next ask which
appropriate model is most efficient in terms of cost and resources.

http://www.arthurhu.com/index/washtest.htm#cost

@@Cost

Performance based tests are very, very expensive in terms of time and
money compared to traditional machine-scored standardized tests. Free
response questions must be scored by trained "experts" with complex
rubrics because many questions have no correct answer. Some tests are
untimed as well.

Traditional tests typically cost less than $5 per student,
free-response tests cost from $30 up to hundreds depending on how
development costs are assessed.

If these tests provided more information, it might be worth it, but
for all the talk about "higher order thinking" and "multiple
intellegences" and "racial bias", the gap for poor and minorities is
even greater, and the rank order of students is almost identical to
that of traditional tests, so you're spending much more time and
money to find out that the rich, white, Asian, and kids who study
really hard, drill a lot and memorize lots of facts get the best
scores, compare to students who learn "naturally".

In terms of total reform movements, Kentucky 
Test cost spectrum:

$840-$1,650 Kentucky KIRIS test
  $450 New Principal test
  $150 NAEP
  $135 European essay-on-demand test
   $85 Traditional Principal test
   $65 AP Advanced Placement
$20-25 Maryland
$31.79 Colorado
$29.00 Washington
 $4.19 Tennesee TVAS
 $2.40 CTBS
 $1.30 Terra Nova
---------------------------------------------------

Annual Testing Cost
$900M Testing across US
$120-250M Kentucky estimated
$100M Texas proposed
 $55M CLAS proposed
 $31M Texas
 $18M Virginia SOL

Development Cost 
$2.5M Arizona AIMS
$1.3M WA WASL Science test (suspended)
 $18M Massachusetts annual


%%Bidding

Cunningham When a state sends
out an RFP for the construction of a test, the proposal may cost as
much as one hundred thousand dollars to prepare.  Only McGraw-Hill
and Harcourt-Brace can afford to prrepare such an expensive proposal.

%%Development

$16 MILLION TO DEVELOP FLORIDA TEST QUESTIONS
Trouble with FCAT St. Petersburg Times, published October 7, 2002 They
said disclosing the tests to parents would force the state to spend
$16-million creating new test questions every year

%%Letter

Doyon: It was budgeted.  I believe I heard or read it at A+ or in the
paper.  $100,000 a year. [to send congratulations letter to every
WASL passing student from Governor and OSPI / superintendent] 1/7/03

%%reform program

http://www.scam-mcas.org/
By July of 1999, Massachusetts had spent over 50 million dollars on
the MCAS. That money could have been used for teacher training and
workshops, to install and preserve interesting electives and programs,
or to improve funding for schools that are not doing well academically

\clip\98\17\edclip04.txt ANALYSIS Tests result prove education law is
a work in progress By Scot Lehigh, Globe Staff, 11/24/98 Five years
after the passage of Massachusetts' landmark education reform law,
the message from yesterday's student test results was not how far the
state has come but rather how far it has to go.  Since the law passed
in 1993, Massachusetts has spent an extra $5 billion to phase in a
doubling, to $2.8 billion a year, of its yearly baseline spending on
education.  

Date sent: Sat, 12 Dec 1998 13:45:29 -0500 From: "Richard G. Innes"
<70224.434@compuserve.com> Kentucky increased spending from 2 to 3
billion dollars, up 50% in 5 years! (that's annually!)

TESTING EVERYBODY EVERY YEAR IN ILLINOIS TO COST 80% MORE - $129m
z45\CLIP\2000\10\ILLTEST.TXT http://chicagotribune.com/.  Article URL:
http://chicagotribune.com/news/metro/chicago/
article/0,2669,ART-47533,FF.html State seeks yearly tests for most
students By Stephanie Banchero
 and Michael Martinez Oct 18, 2000
The Illinois State Board of Education proposed Wednesday that all
3rd- though 11th-grade public school students take standardized tests
every year in reading, writing and math, which would make Illinois
children among the most frequently tested in the nation. ... experts
who balk at giving up more classroom time for annual state testing
and from legislators who bristle at the $129 million annual price
an 80 percent increase over the current funding level.


%%testing 

http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/0318aims.shtml
\clip\99\09\aimscopy.txt Aide copied portion of AIMS, state says
Theft counts sought on N. Arizona official By Karina Bland The
Arizona Republic March 18, 1999 "AIMS test cost about $2.5 million to
develop "

\clip\98\19\taas.txt Stiffer TAAS' yearly cost: $100 million
Education officials say new testing plan would be three times as
expensive By A. Phillips Brooks American-Statesman Capitol Staff
Published: Dec. 13, 1998 Expanding and enhancing the state student
testing system as Education Commissioner Mike Moses has proposed
would cost about $100 million a year -- triple the current cost,
education officials said.  Moses' plan is more expensive than the
current testing system, about $31 million a year

\clip\98\05\newscl04.txt 2/19/98 Oakridger (TN) Half of state's
second-graders taking non-mandated, non-funded tests anyway The
Associated Press NASHVILLE Education Department told the Nashville
Banner that 38,039 of Tennessee's 74,333 second-graders will be
tested.  .  Testing of all second-graders would cost $90,000. (or
just about $1 per student)



$47,000 PER QUESTION, $8 MILLION PER YEAR, $120-257 MILLION OVERALL
gkcunn01@ulkyvm.louisville.edu A total of 170 essay questions a year.
For this the state was paying Advanced Systems $8 million a year.
total cost of assessment $120 to 257 million per year.  You don't
know any one that would write 170 questions such as the above for $8
million do you.  That's about $47,000 per question.  Not a bad
business to be in.  An audit was just completed to determine how the
state's money was spent.  Well the audit couldn't find any evidence
of money being mispent.  George Cunningham U of Loiusville

\clip\97\27\coltest.txt
http://www.insidedenver.com/news/1110test4.html Rocky Mountain News
November 10, 1997 Low test scores expected Ninety-six percent of
fourth-graders in Colorado public schools -- 50,328 -- took the test,
which cost $1.6 million." ($31.79 per student)

MARYLAND COSTS $20 TO $25 PER STUDENT
http://www.mdn.org/1995/STORIES/ASSESS.HTM \clip\97\26\misso.txt Missouri Tries to Avoid
Outcome-Based Ed. Mistakes By: LISA ROBINETT State Capital Bureau May
04, 1995 Missouri Digital News The cost of Maryland's program, which
is in its fifth year, ranges from $20 to $25 per student, Gabrys
said. 

NEW OPEN RESPONSE PRINCIPAL TEST COSTS $450 VS. $85
The questions on the test, which is called the School Leaders
Licensure Assessment, are designed to reflect the standards for
administrators developed by the 23-state consortium, which was
organized by the Council of Chief State School Officers in
Washington.  The tests contrast sharply in cost. The ETS
multiple-choice test costs candidates $85, while the price of the new
one is $450.

CLAS WAS TO COST $55 MILLION PER YEAR
From: KHolg10296@aol.com Date sent: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 08:54:48 -0500
(EST) I thought everyone would be interested in hearing what
California planned to pay for the failed CLAS test.  At the end of 3
years when it was to have been fully implemented, the state estimated
it would cost at least $55 million per year to test.

TENNESEE TRADITIONAL + TVAS = $4.19 PER TEST p. 30 "Using and
Interpreting Tennesse's Value Added Assessment System: A Primer for
Teachers and Principals" Samuel E Bratton et al. The University of
Tennesee R11-0435-02-002-97

ALTERNATIVE TESTS ARE MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE
http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/v3n6.html (local) \clip\97\25\edasses.htm
(4) "Educational Assessment Reassessed: The Usefulness of
Standardized and Alternative Measures of Student Achievement as
Indicators for the Assessment of Educational Outcomes," Educational
Policy Analysis Archives, Vol 3 No 6, March 3, 1995 (available at
website: http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa)

the cost-effectiveness of nationally standardized tests is a major
boon to most local school districts. They can, in effect, get
accountability for pennies a pupil. 

The alternatives are far more expensive.  director of the California
Assessment Program, will concede that the cost differential can be as
much as five times per pupil." (p. 11).  Shepard with estimating the
cost of the fourth grade math portion of the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) at $150 per pupil. 

George Madaus has reported estimates that using performance
assessment in most subjects in American schools would cost between
$2.5 and $3 billion annually. And Desmond Nuttall has pointed out
that, despite several advantages of the broad use of performance
assessment in England, its financial and personnel costs are so
immense as to threaten its continuation (p. 452). 

          For his estimate, Arthur Wise used the College Entrance
Examination Board's fee for Advanced Placement (AP) tests: $65 per
test. His projection of costs for five tests at three grade levels
comes to between $2 billion and $3 billion a year. Keep in mind that
the AP tests for the most part are scored by machine. . . . 

In several [European] countries it is estimated that to score
essay-on-demand exam papers in four to five subject fields at ages
16+ and 18+ costs $135 per student (Madaus & Kellaghan, 1993, p. 467) 


KENTUCKY COSTS $840 TO $1,650 PER STUDENT TO TEST
KENTUCKY TEST WAS A DISASTER \doc\web\97\08\kentest.txt From:
gkcunn01@ulkyvm.louisville.edu Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 11:57:45 -0400
Lawrence Picus, a leading finance expert has determined that the
Kentucky test costs between $120 and $254 million per year and
between $848 and $1,791 per student tested... 

WA SPENT $29 FOR NEW TEST VS ONLY $2.40 FOR CTBS

The Seattle Times Company Thursday, Sept. 4, 1997 Education
reform's big test: Held to higher standards, fourth-graders score
badly, showing the challenge ahead The new test costs $29 per student
compared to only $2.40 for the CTBS. The test also take place over
several days, and more hours per day.


@@Canada

CANADIANS GET THEIR WASL TOO z45\priv\2000\10\canwasl.txt
http://www.thestar.com/editorial/news/20001019NEW02b_SLINGER.html The
Toronto Star News October 19, 2000 The new Grade 10 exam might test
your patience ... "While the ministry is counting on the results
proving that things are worse than we ever imagined, there is no
doubt the official testing will lead to a far more intelligent.."


@@Candidate

BLACK DEMOCRAT RUNS AGAINST HIGH STAKES TESTING FOR STATE BOARD
z69\clip\2003\08\camprock.txt
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-0/106102622221800.xml
LEAP critic runs for BESE seat 
Higher teacher pay on Demo's agenda
Saturday August 16, 2003
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-0/106102622221800.xml
LEAP critic runs for BESE seat 
Higher teacher pay on Demo's agenda
Saturday August 16, 2003
Communications consultant C.C. Campbell-Rock has announced her
candidacy for the District 2 seat representing Orleans Parish on the
state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. 
"I am against high-stakes testing," Campbell-Rock said Friday, because
such tests have "punitive consequences." 




@@Criterion Referenced
 Or The Test that All Can Fail

As opposed to the traditional norm-referenced test which merely ranks
every one on a scale from bottom to top 1 to 99th percentile, the
idea is to set a standard that everyone can meet. Unfortunately, when
politics demands a "high" standard, on the NAEP and most reform state
tests, the "standard" is set at a level that most actual students
fail.  Officials promise that scores will improve, but the when
initial levels correspond to students at the 70th or 80th percentile,
they are not acknowledging the impossibility of raising all students
to such a level when they were not able to bring all students to the
lower previous level.

CRITERION BASED TESTS FLUNK BASED ON BOGUS PASS RATES
http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/v1n2.html
z46\clipim\2000\10\30\testok\testok.htm Education Policy Analysis
Archives Volume 1 Number 2 February 2, 1993 ISSN 1068-2341
Educational Reform in an Era of Disinformation David C. Berliner
...they designed a norm-referenced test, where each item was to have
a difficulty level of about .50. Such tests, by design, will have a
mean of approximately fifty percent. If you then use that test in a
criterion-referenced manner, indicating arbitrarily that a passing
grade is sixty percent, you have ensured that the vast majority of
your students have failed the test.

MORE STATES USE CRITERION THAN NORM REFERENCING = 13 CRIT ONLY
Education Week Quality Counts Jan 11, 1999. Of 48 states that give
state assessments: 42 are criterion referenced. 29 have norm
referencing

 They are still ridiculously high
This was pointed out this spring by Lye Jones, a psychometrician at
North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  He noted that in the 1996 NAEP science
assessment, only 18% of 4th graders were proficient and only 2% were
advanced.  But, said Lyle, these are the same 4th graders who
finished third in the world among 26 nations in TIMSS.  Does it make
sense to say so few are doing well?  He didn't answer his question.
Didn't have to.

\doc\web\99\02\braccrit.txt
The problem is that Glaser and all the enthusiasts who took up the crusade
didn't seem to realize that most educational disciplines are so vague
domains that it's impossible to specify those benchmarks.


@@CTBS

Innes on CTBS-5 norming used by Kentucky.


@@Cunningham, George

Kentucky expert critic of University of Louisville of performance
based tests. He maintains that traditional tests are much cheaper,
more reliable, and are just as good. Says that performance tests are
just repacking of essay tests our grandparents took that are simply
harder, more expensive to score.  There is no reason to favor essay
over
 multiple choice.  He is probably one of the only people who has
recognized that OBE has been transformed into the Standards-based
reform movement which purposes creates tests so difficult, very few,
especially minorities can pass them, so opposition is coming from the
left as well now. 

email: gkcunn01@ulkyvm.louisville.edu
He's happy to take calls too at home at 502 452-9764.  
2114 Lakeside Drive 
Loiusville Kentucky 40205

"new standards are beyond belief"
11th and 12th grade standard - college level 95th percentile
Kentucky supt behind New Standards
require a 10th grade test - probably New Standards
11th grade standard - 

MSWord: Unrealistic Standards


- giving report on basic use of log-log and semi log decible scale

- solve regular N-gon of same size lengh figure out 

- formula for height v=h(t)=h0 - quadratic function the purpose is
not to prepare kids for college


Here's his new book:
Cunningham, G. K. (1998) Assessment in the Classroom: Constructing and
Interpreting Tests. Falmer Press: London.  ISBN 0 7507 0732 1 paper

News
Says mc tests are more effective, 3000 to 1
cheaper

Ed week blames conservatives in new wave of testing

Why don't all states use the ITBS instead of 
developing their own tests?

Art and ECC/Loop

<>

I think Dr. Cunningham did very well, especially considering the
broadcast was on KY Educational Television, with the obvious danger
of bias present.  He even slipped in some late-breaking data I had
passed on about the newest score results.  The "OBE Borg"
(Interesting term, Art) tried to imply the tests were not very
relevant.  That didn't sit too well with anyone.  Dick 

Standards Based Reform: The Kentucky Experience

Terra Nova is just repackaged CTBS
and it's a scam.

Progressives have made a deal
with the STW devil which creates tests that expect that all will
peform at the same very high levels, but just flunks everybody.

George Cunningham KY: NEW TESTS ARE
STW, NOT OBE AND TOO DAMN HARD For anyone interested in a more
detailed description of this sort of assessment you might want to
check out _Assessment in the Classroom: Constructing and Interpreting
Tests_ which I just had published by Falmer Press (ISBN 0 7507 -732).

What the STW influence has been is to make the tests very difficult.
The failure rates can be expected to be extremely high, particularly
among minorities.  This is one indication of the difference between
STW and progressive education.  In Washington state the failure rate
for minorities on their new test is 95%.

As for OBE, the concept is dead and has been replaced by the STW
standards movement.  Even William Spady, its founder admits that the
term is only used now as a term of opprobrium.  OBE was captured by
progressives who distorted it, and ultimately destroyed it.

You can't teach higher order
thinking and criterion reference / essay questions are bogus

@@Cure

Marda Kirkwood writes letter
attacking WASL, published in 5 papers.  the TNT, Vancouver Columbian,
South County Journal, Snohomish Valley Herald, and the Federal Way
News [or Mirror, whichever is the more conservative one.]
The latest is the North Kitsap Herald.

@@Curriculum Based Measurement :)  


"CURRICULUM BASED MEASUREMENT
The computer program assessment package is called "Monitoring Basic
Skills Progress" (MBSP) available from Pro-Ed
http://www.proedinc.com/store/840.html

@@Curriculum Control

Tests are not being used merely as yardsticks of what has been
taught, but to force alignment of curriculum with new reforms such as
fuzzy math, whole language, and new progressive standards. WA
education reformers say "test scores will become acceptible once the
curriculum reflects the "new" skills".

The Phyllis Schlafly Report NOVEMBER 1997 Control of Tests = Control
of Curriculum \doc\web\97\09\testcont.txt



@@Cut-Scores
@@Bookmark

How are Cut Scores Set?
Also see standard setting

The Bookmark Standard Setting Procedure:
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/oea/bookmark.html

COGNITIVE EXPERIENCE OF BOOKMARK PARTICIPANTS:
http://www.education.ualberta.ca/educ/psych/crame/files/dawlew.pdf

Cut Score Refs:
Understanding a Scaled Score (see esp. p. 4):
http://www.apics.org/Certification/PDF/Scaled%20Score.pdf
 
Establishing the Cut (Passing) Score:
http://www.saminc.com/resp/wwwboard/112.htm

z63\doc\web\2003\01\bench1.txt
George Cunningham U Louisville:
"items are placed in order of difficulty.  Judges then determine
where the cut-points should placed.  Generally, the judges are give
impact data (in California this is called the empirical approach),
which allows the judges to take into account the ratio of passes to
failures associated with a given cut-score. [but not in Washington]
The judge's scores are combined using methods of achieving consensus
or they are averaged in some way."


@@Daycare

EXTENDED DAYCARE AS TEST PREP z42\clip\2000\06\daytest.txt School,
Day Care To Open Together By Brooke A. Masters Washington Post Staff
Writer Thursday , June 1, 2000 ; V01 As concern grows that Alexandria
elementary students need more supervision and educational
opportunities, the city and its public schools have announced plans
to open a before- and after-school child-care center that might
eventually serve as a model for the city. City and school officials
also said they were concerned that many Alexandria students might
need help passing the state-mandated Standards of Learning tests.



@@Defective

z56\doc\web\2002\05\testab.txt
PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT FOUND TO BE UNRELIABLE, INVALID
TITLE Developing a valid and reliable portfolio assessment in the
primary grades: Building on practical experience.
AUTHOR Shapley, Kelly S.; Bush, M. Joan
AFFILIATION Office of Institutional Assessment & Evaluation, Southwest
Educational Development Lab, Austin, TX, US, 1
SOURCE Applied Measurement in Education. 1999 Vol 12(2) 111-132
"the portfolio assessment did not provide high quality information
about student achievement as hoped.  The reliability of the scores was
low, and the portfolio contents did not provide a valid sample of
students' work. "

STUDENTS WHO FLUNK KIRIS ACE THE ACT
TITLE Kentucky Performance Assessment of Mathematics: Do the numbers
add up?
13% of those judged less than proficient had ACT mathematics scores of
22 and above. The results indicate that the Kentucky constructed
response tests do not adequately discriminate differences in
mathematics abilities, as measured by the ACT,
AUTHOR Strong, Sue; Sexton, Larry C.
SOURCE Journal of Instructional Psychology. 1997 Sep Vol 24(3) 202-206

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT INVALID, DEFECTIVE, DANGEROUS
TITLE Performance assessment for state accountability: Proceed with
caution.
because it lacks genuine reliability and validity, its use for
high-stakes decisions including State accountability is dangerous.
...became a means of changing behavior rather than a mechanism for
gathering information ... prepared to undertake it without sufficient
quality control" (S. Dunbar et al, 1991). 
AUTHOR Strong, Sue; Sexton, Larry C.



@@Deflating Scores

Schmidt says lowering scores to
get money is probably an urban myth.  transcript from the Nightline
show on cheating has Katy Haycock of the Ed Trust saying the
following: "In fact, in the '60s and '70s, a large part of the
cheating was in low-performing schools, and the teachers were
actually feeding the kids wrong answers, because in those years you
got more money from the federal government if you performance was low
than you did if it was high."  June 12, 2000
http://abcnews.go.com/onair/nightline/transcripts/nl000606_trans.html


@@department of education

office of civil rights  to produce
position paper on high stakes tests

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/testing
z44\clip\2000\08\ocr\TestingResource.pdf


@@Difficult

Most states are "happy" that so many of their students are failing
their new tests. My test is harder than your test.''Are we now
creating an exam that we can say, `My exam's tougher than your exam?'

50% OF MCAS MATH BEYOND HALF OF STUDENTS, TOUGHER THAN ACT
"SOMETHING'S NOT ALIGNED"
z56\clip\2002\07\mcasmat.txt
The Boston Globe
A percent problem: MCAS results show math woes 
By Anand Vaishnav, Globe Staff, Globe Correspondent, 7/18/2002 
"''When you've got 50 percent of students in the state missing a
question, that probably suggests that it's beyond what a large
percentage of kids have had experience with,'' Payzant said.
''Something's not aligned "
More than half of the multiple-choice math questions on the 2002 MCAS
exam stumped more than half of the 10th-graders who took it, according
to a Globe analysis of preliminary state data. 

KIRIS WAS DESIGNED TO BE 1ST YEAR GRADUATE LEVEL, BUT IT'S WORSE z46\doc\web\2000\10\kiris.txt George
Cunningham about KIRIS "I know no professors that could achieve
proficient on all parts of the test, I know I couldn't.  The designer
of the test said that it was intended to require first year of
graduate school level performance for every student, but it is much
more difficult than that."

10/10/99 Seattle Times reports
4th grade test is too hard

ohtest.txt DESIGN OF MATH TEST
ISN'T ADDING UP by Betty Raskoff Kazmin (Forum/Opinion piece) The
Columbus Dispatch, Jan 23,'99 How reasonable is it for Ohio
legislators to subject schoolchildren to the law of unintended
consequences?  Senate Bill 55 decrees that fourth graders must pass a
state reading test to advance to fifth grade, beginning in 2001. More
than half of Ohio's fourth graders failed the reading test given last
spring. 


VERY EASY TO MAKE A VERY HARD TEST
(Where did you read that most minorities failed WA test?)  I read it
in an article that appeared in the Seattle Times written by Jolayne
Houtz.  It was sent to a listserve over the internet, but has no
date.  The same thing is happening all over, but most states don't
report results separately for minorities for obvious reasons.
Colorada officials are giddily happy about how poorly their students
did on their test. They think this shows how good their test is.
Actually it is not that difficult to make a test too difficult.
George K. Cunningham University of Louisville

PARENT WITH ENGINEERING DEGREE AND LAW DEGREE CAN'T PASS MATH TEST
\clip\98\19\aims.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/1222aims.shtml State
refigures AIMS math Education board OKs condensing 5 tests into 1 By
Julie Amparano The Arizona Republic Dec. 22, 1998 "One parent, Fred
Gamble, said he couldn't pass the test even though he had an
engineering degree and graduated with honors from law school.  "

MASS TEST IS TOO HARD FOR AVERAGE 10TH GRADER
2/26/98 A recent graduate's opinion: Unfair By Globe Staff, 02/26/98
\clip\98\05\newscl08.txt ''Basically, I feel the test is unfair. The
majority of 10th-graders will probably have great difficulty passing
the test because it involves some difficult mathematical and
scientific concepts. After completing the test, I showed a neighbor
of mine some of the questions, and he informed me that the question
concerning the properties of water had actually appeared on an AP
[advanced placement] biology exam two years ago. Expecting the normal
10th-grader to answer such a question is ridiculous. 


@@Developmentally Appropriate

Many critics of standards based tests that flunk 50-70% of kids
is that they are not developmentally appropriate.

BAR WAS SET TOO HIGH ON MCAS ENGLISH
z52\clip\2001\10\mcasscor.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/277/metro/State_officials_alter_scoring_of_MCAS_tests+.shtml
State officials alter scoring of MCAS tests
Few students seen affected
By Scott S. Greenberger, Globe Staff, 10/4/2001
since no more than 1% got "advanced" 4th grade
english, they determined that the bar was too high for children that
age. This year, it will be easier for students to reach the
proficient and advanced categories. 


@@Diploma

Most states are slated to make passing a high stakes test a step to
getting a diploma, or attaching a rating to a diploma

%%Tier

z78\clip\2004\04\tierdipl.txt Education Week American Education's
Newspaper of Record April 28, 2004 Three-Tier Diplomas Ignite Delaware
Spat By Michelle R. Davis Education Week
      This year, 51 percent of the state's high school graduates are
slated to receive the basic diploma, 40 percent the standard diploma,
and eight percent the distinguished diploma, according to state
department of education projections. 


@@Disabled 

ORE will not permit accomodations on
CIM test.

@@Disclosure of Results

 Parents Are Starting to Win School
Victories September 1, 1999 by: Phyllis Schlafly Debra Gaudette
of East Hartford, Connecticut, has just triumphed in her five-year
effort to see the results of her daughter's Connecticut Mastery Test
given in the sixth grade.  The U.S. Department of Education finally
issued a ruling saying that the school establishment had violated
Mrs.  Gaudette's parental rights under the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA).


@@Drivers Licence

Cynthia Woods,WA says: As of January 1, 2000, the law in Oklahoma is
that a student must pass the 8th grade Ok Reading Test to apply for a
driver license.  The student must take a letter with him/her to the
DVMP to show he/she passed the test.  I'm not sure if private and
homeschoolers are exempt from this requirement. 


@@Dropout

Rather than "rising to the bar", many students will simply respond to
higher standards by dropping out.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND OR LEAVE BEHIND ANYBODY WHO DOESN'T MEET STANDARD?
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Living/exitexams030909.html Exit
Strategy Critics Say Graduation Tests May Drive Kids Out of Schools By
Dean Schabner Critics of the move say that there is already evidence
that children particularly minority and poor children are dropping out
or being pushed out of schools as a result of emphasis on high-stakes
testing.

8TH GRADE HIGH STAKES TESTS CORRELATE WITH HIGHER DROP OUT RATES
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/f/sfr3/papers/aera2002.doc DO
HIGH-STAKES TESTS AFFECT STUDENTS' DECISIONS TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL?
EVIDENCE FROM NELS Sean F. Reardon Claudia Galindo Pennsylvania State
University April, 2002 We find that the presence of an eighth grade
promotion test requirement is strongly associated with an increased
probability of dropping out prior to tenth grade.  The difference in
dropout rates ..particularly for students with low achievement, low
GPA, and from low-SES families), where the difference in dropout
probabilities is as much as two percentage points.  This is a sizable
difference when we consider that these are dropout rates early in high
school, when aggregate dropout rates generally below 5%. 
z63\clip\2003\01\aera2002.doc

z48\clip\2001\03\bilidrop.txt Higher standards -> Bi-Lingual Dropouts
(We told you so....)
http://www.nypostonline.com/news/regionalnews/27214.htm BILINGUAL-ED
STUDENTS ARE QUITTING AT A GROWING RATE Saturday,March 24,2001 The
New York Post By KENNETH LOVETT Of the 9,942 students in the class of
2000 who were in bilingual programs, 31 percent quit school, a sharp
increase from the 17 percent dropout rate in 1998, according to city
Board of Education figures.  The alarming increase among immigrants
coincides with tougher state standards that took effect last year,
requiring almost all students to pass the English Regents exam before
graduating.

STANDARDS DRIVING BLACKS OUT OF CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOLS?
z42\doc\web\2000\07\jimcrow.txt
Schmidt:
Every September for the past 40 years (or so), Chicago has done its annual
"Racial Ethnic Survey", a head count of the kids for the federal government.

In September 1995, Chicago's public high schools had 102,719 students.
By September 1999, Chicago's public high schools had 93,210 students.
That is a loss of 9 percent in the high schools unless my calculator broke.
What happened? We got "standards and accountability".

The number of black kids in Chicago's high schools had decreased by nearly
10,000 since 1995. According to the same data:

In September 1995, Chicago's elementary schools had 169,946 black children.
In September 1999, Chicago's elementary schools had 173,751 black children.

In September 1995, Chicago's high schools had 58,192 black children.
In September 1999, Chicago's high schools had 48,976 black children.


BOSTON DROPOUT RATE MAY BE RISING DUE TO NEW MA ASSESSMENTS
\clip\99\07\edclip06.txt 
LESSON PLAN Rise in school dropout rate may reflect challenges to
come By Beth Daley, Doreen Iudica Vigue, Kate Zernike, Globe Staff,
03/02/99 " For the first time in a decade, the dropout rate for
Boston public school ninth-graders who do not graduate within five
years has risen, although the reason is unclear.  The 3 percent rise
to 26.4 percent may be just a statistical blip, but some officials
say the school system's new high academic standards may be leaving
more students behind.

STATES WITH HIGH STAKES TESTS HAD HIGHEST DROP OUT RATES
\clip\99\07\edclip05.txt Richmond Times-Dispatch: Bigger risk for
at-risk?  Weakest students could become school dropouts Monday, March
1, 1999 BY KRISTEN NOZ Times-Dispatch Staff Writer "Testing systems
that hold students, teachers and schools accountable for standardized
test scores work to the disadvantage of at-risk students, according
to Walt Haney, research associate with the Center for the Study of
Testing.  " Researchers found nine of the 10 states with highest
drop-out rates use high-stakes graduation tests. None of the states
with lowest drop-out rates used tests for high-stakes purposes. 
[If they don't rise to the higher bar, they'll just drop out!]


@@Dumbing down

Schools can play games to buy tests that make them look good or 
bad.

Lake Wash was found to have
purchased special dumbed down versions of tests, this may be common.



@@Easier

TESTS "GUARANTEED" NOT TO GET EASIER? YEAH, RIGHT \doc\web\98\10\easier.txt <> We were told the same thing about Kentucky's KIRIS test
when it first began.  However, linking open-response questions and
performance events is a terribly challenging proposition.  Ditto with
WASL washington test


@@Education Week


Blomstrom concludes that states like Iowa which got lowest grade for
assessment had the highest NAEP scores
 z47\clipim\2001\01\30\std\std.htm


NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GRADES FOR "STANDARDS" AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
z47\clip\2001\01\edweek.txt http://www.educationnews.org/ January 22,
2001 Center for the Study of Jobs & Education in Wisconsin and the
U.S.  Education Week’s Grading of the States Receives a Grade of F By
Dennis W. Redovich Wisconsin received a grade of D and ranked 37th on
Standards and Accountability but ranked in the top 10 on all six
tests.


@@Effective

NO EVIDENCE HIGH STAKES TESTING IMPROVES LEARNING, JUST SCORES
HIGH STAKES KEEPING THE LOWLY LOWER, JUST LIKE FIRST TESTS DID
web: http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v10n18/
z55\clip\2002\04\highstak.txt z55\clipim\2002\04\23\highstak\highstak.htm
Education Policy Analysis Archives 
Volume 10 Number 18 March 28, 2002 ISSN 1068-2341 
* The authors wish to thank the Rockefeller Foundation for support of
the research reported here. 
* Analyses of these data reveal that if the intended goal of
high-stakes testing policy is to increase student learning, then that
policy is not working. While a state's high-stakes test may show
increased scores, there is little support in these data that such
increases are anything but the result of test preparation and/or the
exclusion of students from the testing process.
* If student learning is not affected, the validity of a state's test
is in question. 
* [beliefs of testocrats] that these statements are true only some of
the time, or for only a modest percent of the individuals who were
studied. The research suggests, therefore, that all of these
statements are likely to be false a good deal of the time. And in
fact, some research studies show exactly the opposite of the effects
anticipated by supporters of high-stakes testing
* after TAAS practice materials, the middle school teachers in more
than one district reported students were unable to read a
novel even two years below grade level.
* journalist Peter Schrag noted that "...the unimpressive scores on
other tests raise unavoidable questions about what the numbers really
mean [on the high-stakes tests] and about the cost of their
achievement." (Note 86) 
* On the ACT Six states displayed overall positive effects, while
twelve states displayed overall negative effects. 

BOGUS CLAIM THAT TESTS RISE, AND DROPOUT DOES NOT GO UP
z42\clipim\2000\05\12\waslmons\waslmon.htm
5/12/2000 Spokesman Review
Gordon Ambach, executive director of the Council of Chief State
School Officers, said “The actual rates of passing these tests rise
very rapidly and the rate of final graduations does not drop below
what they were before the tests were put in place," Ambach said

States Committed to Standards Reforms Reap NAEP Gains.  Education
Week March 10, 1998 David J. Hort et al. Colorado, Kentucky and
Connecticut were the only states to show statistically significant
gain in NAEP. Supporters of whole language opposed to going back to
basics and phonics say this proves reforms were working. [But
Kentucky KIRIS showed inflated gains relative to NAEP, and NAEP is
largely aligned to education reform]


@@Electives

ARTS DROPPED IF SOL SCORES TOO LOW.
z58\priv\2002\09\solprep.txt
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53109-2002Sep22.html
Pr. William Middle Schools Boost SOL Remedial Work
  For at least one nine-week grading period, and as many as four,
those students must drop an elective course such as music or physical
education in order to take a remedial math or reading class...
in addition to their regular math and English classes



@@Erb

Education Record Bureau has reputation for good, traditional 
tests, but they may have given into Educationists like the NTCM
standards. These are high-end tests aimed at private schools with
higher norms.

CunninghamThe main way they differ
from the mainstream standardized achievement tests is that they were
originally created for use in private schools.  They now are going
after the suburban market.  They can put in harder questions and
still average 62% correct. 

\eztest.txt Wayne Bishop likes ERB,
Nanny714@aol.com I'm pretty sure that the local private Core
Knowledge school uses the ERB.  Initially, they used the MAT.  Nancy

I saw the tests annually and was consistently 
highly impressed with its traditional content and presentation style and
its rigor.  I would have

I saw the tests annually and was consistently 
highly impressed with its traditional content and presentation style and
its rigor.  I would have said for sure that it is the most reliable and
valid achievement test available today.


@@Errors (in scoring and testing)

Many of the new and even some old tests are prone to error with "high
stakes" consequences such as sending kids to summer school or holding
them back a grade. Scoring is subject to low quality, or sometimes the
scoring keys are defective, or the questions themselves are defective
as Washington state found, or the standards themselves are defective.

- Standards defective
- Specifications do not meet standards
- Items do not meet specifications
- Reading not appropriate to grade level
- Cognitive loading is not developmentally appropriate

z69\clip\2003\08\error.txt
z69\clipim\2003\08\22\error.pdf
http://www.bc.edu/research/nbetpp/statements/M1N4.pdf Errors in
Standardized Tests: Errors in Standardized Tests: A Systemic Problem
National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy
Kathleen Rhoades & George Madaus Lynch School of Education Boston
College May 2003
[Excellent study of most major screw up stories in US, Canada and UK]

Latent errors may stem from poorly conceived legislation or policy
mandates, or from a faulty decision made at a department of education.
For example, latent error in testing resides in the following:

Legislation requires a single test be used to determine graduation – a
requirement that goes against the advice of the test developer or
published test standards, or is in conflict with the test design. [WASL
or any other exit test with a "cut score"]

A state department of education demands that test scores be reported
faster than can be dependably accomplished by the contractor.

A mandate requires that school test scores increase by x percent per
year.This directive fails to take measurement error into account, and
projects growth estimates that are not realistic. [NLCB, A Plus 
accoutability proposals]

Policy makers use tests to track achievement trends without any
external confirmation of validity, making it impossible to tell
whether the trend is due to actual differences in achievement or to
some other factor, such as changes in the test. [Claims of WASL
test score improvement, despite admitting test has been made easier]

z70\clip\2003\08\mathare.txt STATE TO RESCORE REGENTS MATH TEST
Newsday -- August 27, 2003 by John Hildebrand
With thousands of students and parents holding their breaths, state 
school officials Tuesday announced an unprecedented rescoring of a 
Regents math exam failed by an estimated two-thirds of Long Island 
students who took it last spring.

FLORIDA 3RD GRADE TEST WRITTEN AT 7TH GRADE LEVEL WITH MISSPELLINGS
z63\clip\2003\03\fcatfail.txt
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/
orl-edped191031903mar19,0,4532284.story?coll=orl%2Dopinion%2Dheadlines
Orlando Sentinal Posted March 19, 2003 
FCAT failures
"As a Sentinel editorial revealed last week, third-graders are likely
to be tested on material written at a seventh-grade level or higher."

$16,000 FOR EACH HARMED STUDENT
z62\clip\2002\11\testpay.txt
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2002/nov/25/112501435.html
Testing Company May Pay $7 Million
By BRIAN BAKST
ASSOCIATED PRESS 
Testing Company May Pay $7 Million 
Jake Plumley, 21, of St. Paul, who now paints houses for a living,
couldn't participate in his commencement at Harding High School
because of the error. He'll be eligible for $16,000. 

$18M FOR FLAWED SOL SCORES
z57\clip\2002\08\solgoof.txt
SOL scorer erred -- writing scores better
5,625 who 'failed' now are passing
BY PAIGE AKIN TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER	Aug 14, 2002
More than 5,000 students who took Virginia's writing SOLs in the spring 
and received failing grades actually passed the tests. That's because 
the company that grades all of the state's Standards of Learning tests 
miscalculated the pass/fail cutoff for fifth-grade,
eighth- grade and high school writing tests.

NCS HAS 6 WRONG ANSWERS OUT OF 68 QUESTIONS
z57\clip\2002\08\ncsscore.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/specials/testing/20EXAM.html
May 20, 2001 
Right Answer, Wrong Score: Test Flaws Take Toll 
By DIANA B. HENRIQUES and JACQUES STEINBERG  
"someone at NCS had failed to adjust the answer key, resulting in 6
wrong answers out of 68 questions."

New York Times 6/30/01 Mandatory Math Test Had Confusing Errors,
State Officials Say By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS New York State officials
acknowledged that a statewide test given to thousands of students as
a requirement for high school graduation contained several confusing
errors.

SUBSTITUTE FLUBS WASL TIMING
Sub mistakes WASL as timed
test, scores off kilter.

ACADEMIC DEATH PENALTY
z45\clip\2000\08\errtest.txt Aug 20 2000 Test accuracy crucial as
reliance on them grows Several high-profile errors in scoring raise
concerns nationally Brian Bakst; The Associated Press ; News Tribune
staff writer Cheryl Reid contributed to this story. Wash rescoring
"We call it the academic death penalty - if you don't pass it you're
done.  That's what the result is," said Shawn Raiter, a St. Paul
lawyer who filed one of three lawsuits against National Computer
Systems.


07/30/2000 Compiled from News Tribune News Services TEST-SCORING
ERROR: As many as 336 high school seniors were not allowed to
graduate because a private scoring company incorrectly graded the
mathematics portion of a Michigan test, officials said Friday. In
all, 7,989 students who took the test in February and April this year
were mistakenly told they failed when they actually passed. National
Computer Systems President David Smith said the company will offer
$1,000 in tuition aid to students who failed to graduate because of
the errors.

NY STATE REGENTS EXAM NO CORRECT ANSWER ON ELASTIC CLAUSE
z43\clip\2000\07\nygoof.txt Uticaod.com :
http://www.uticaod.com/news/local2.htm Regents questions with wrong
answers? That's correct By MEGAN ALLEN Observer-Dispatch It turns out
the U.S. history and government, biology and earth science [New York
State] Regents exams included mistakes, according to the Associated
Press.  The exams each included one or two multiple-choice questions
with no or two correct answers, the AP reported.  The question, which
had no correct answer, was based on part of Article 1 of the U.S.
Constitution, known as the elastic clause.  The elastic clause allows
Congress to make any laws necessary to execute its powers, which
include establishing an army and navy. It serves to give the federal
government more power and flexibility, Breckel said.  [Why the heck
are they even asking kids about the elastic clause???]

zip37\clip\99\18\testerr.txt TEST SCORE FLUB SENDS KIDS TO SUMMER
SCHOOL IN NYC BY MISTAKE 9/18/99 National Testing Co. Botches Scores
The Associated Press By MARTHA MENDOZA MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) - An
error by a national school testing company that may have accidentally
sent almost 9,000 New York City kids to summer school or held them
back a grade has also affected results in four other states.

GOOF PUTS SAMPLE PROBLEM ON REAL WASL TEST
http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/test_19990429.html
\clip\99\12\goof.txt April 29, 1999 Goof puts sample questions on
state test for fourth-graders by Linda Shaw Seattle Times staff
reporter In what the state superintendent's office calls an
unfortunate mistake, two questions published in the widely
distributed sample test accidentally ended up on the real exam. One
of the questions also appeared in materials distributed to every
school to help teachers better understand how the test is scored,
said spokesman Marc Frazer.  
																								 
Many tests show serious errors

\clip\99\08\testerr.txt EDUCATORS FIND ERRORS IN NEW STATE SCIENCE
TEST 03/03/99 By PETER ASELTINE Staff Writer New York Times TRENTON
-- The state Department of Education has flunked its own science
standards by sending out sample test questions that are riddled with
errors, according to area school officials. [Offical counters that
they would have been found in field testing, but how can they come up
with wrong questions in the first place? WA field tested questions
that flunked 80% of kids, but no problems found?]

New York Post \clip\99\02\edclip04.txt STATE'S GOOF LETS 4TH-GRADERS
GET THE BEST OF TEST By SUSAN EDELMAN and MARIA ALVAREZ
Fourth-graders at dozens of city schools got a big break yesterday -
the state's feared new reading test included three of five passages
that came straight from their classwork.

\images\972\1218\hornbeck1.tif, hornbeck2.tif Letter from Hornbeck to
Stanford Achievement test about incorrect scoring, perfect score was
NOT above "standard"!


@@Essay Testing

%%Grading

\clip\98\08\esaygrad.txt Subject: Scoring Essays by Computer THE
WASHINGTON POST, Sunday, April 26, 1998; Page C07 . . . GRADED BY
MACHINE By Amy E. Schwartz The New Mexico State University system was
proud enough of the invention by two faculty members to announce it
on its Web site: "Computer software grades essays just as well as
people, professors announced." 

@@Eugenics

Early IQ tests were motivated by Eugenics

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/Archives/13_03/eugenic.htm#6b The
Forgotten History of Eugenics Vol 13 No. 3 Spring 1999 High Stakes
testing has its origins in the eugenics movement and racist
assumptions about IQ. We forget, at our own peril, that this legacy
hangs over current demands for increased testing. Alan Stoskepf


@@Evaluation


TEST EVALUATION  by Lawrence M. Rudner, ERIC/AE 12/93
\clip\97\26\testeval.txt


@@Exemplars

An excellent example of a standards based testing company that comes
up with awful out-of-grade-level performance / outcome based testing,
has run into ethical questions by asking teachers to use their own
materials and student responses.

"Exemplars has been publishing top quality teacher  developed and
teacher tested mathematics assessment  material for five years.
Today, Exemplars math  materials are being used by teachers in
schools and  districts in 49 states and 8 foreign countries." 

They are based on NTCM standards :(

All tasks include the context for the problem, what it  is designed
to accomplish, what students will do,  teaching tips,
interdisciplinary links, materials needed  and time that the task
will take to complete, and  rubrics describing Novice, Apprentice,
Practitioner  and Expert performances.

The Best of Exemplars CD ROM comes with a workbook to help teachers
get started with [standards-based assessment and instruction] using
Exemplars. It includes a self-guided tutorial that individual
teachers can use, or it can be used in study groups or professional
development sessions.  Exemplars also offers professional development
opportunities for schools and districts that focuses on [problem
solving] and [standards-based performance assessment].

Home Page: http://www.exemplars.com/
271 Poker Hill Rd, Underhill VT 05489 800-450-4050


From: Nanny714@aol.com 7/15/98
Arthur,
    The problem solving tasks are a key component of the math portfolios.
Former Vt. DOE employee Ross Brewer has formed a company to market and sell
this hog wash. It's known as "Exemplars" and they have a web site:
http://www.exemplars.org
or .com
    What's worse is that our kids are being used in the classrooms to develop
these bogus problem solving tasks. There are examples listed on the Exemplars
site. I also have examples which were given to my fourth grader this past
school year.
                         Nancy



%%Samples

Timber to trees - how many seedlings do you need to plant and how
many houses can you make with them. Comment - they're not directly
teaching the skills needed to solve the problem, it's more like
thematic based instruction where you have to solve the problem, then
figure out what you need to know to solve it.

Preview Page

Estimating M&Ms

Concepts: sample size, computing probability ratio, scaling from
sample to whole, increasing sample size improves quality of result.
Students are NOT expected to have been exposed to probability unit
prior to solving this problem.

G3-5: Estimate the number of each color of M&M in boxes of M&M.  The
mastery of concepts such as deter-mining a sample size and applying a
ratio were necessary in successfully solving this task.  This task
was presented to a class of low-performing 4th grade students after a 
unit on estimation.  

although they had the concept of "the larger the sample, the more
accurate your results are likely to be," students had difficulty
explain-ing this idea. Students who have had a unit on probability
before undertaking this activity may take a different approach by
determining the typical number of each color candy per box, and then
using those results to predict the number of each color in 10 boxes.

Note - Ratio appears to be assessed at 4th grade in performance based
tests, but benchmarked at 7th grade (WA and LA)

G4    Exemplars Sample http://www.exemplars.com/preview/math/35/page3.html
G4    WA Assessment
G6    Japan 1990
G7    WA Benchmark
G7    LA standard


Figure out average in 2nd grade, 
solve for N with extra trips


@@Exemption

WISCONSIN PARENTS CAN EXEMPT STUDENTS FROM TAKING THE TEST
\clip\99\07\edclip05.txt Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Graduation test
may lose some clout Parents persuade key state legislators to
consider other high school factors By Marie Rohde of the Journal
Sentinel staff March 01, 1999 large numbers of students in Michigan
have opted to not take graduation tests. For the most part those were
students with good grade-point averages who had received scholarships
that they feared might be affected by a poor showing on a graduation
test.


@@Expulsion

Issaquah parents say police are
targeting low-performing youth so that the school can raise WASL
scores by expelling them.


@@FairTest

Activist organization hates norm reference multiple choice test,
loves the new open-ended criterion referenced tests.  "We place
special emphasis on eliminating the racial, class, gender, and
cultural barriers to equal opportunity posed by standardized tests,
and preventing their damage to the quality of education." But the new
tests are even HARDER on minorities!

FairTest's work on K-12 testing issues centers on three broad
concerns:

     standardized tests, especially norm-referenced, multiple choice
tests, are harmful to kids and to education; (why? Because
minrorities with lower performance get lower scores??)

     basing high-stakes decisions on standardized tests (high school
graduation, advancement, etc.) is bad educational practice; (but
that's just what they are doing with CIM!)

     alternatives to standardized tests, such as performance
assessment and portfolios, must be implemented at all levels, from
individual classrooms to large-scale assessment (what's the 
differnce? these new tests are worse for minorities!)


 Home page
State survey of K12
testing

They like KIRIS (Innes) and Maryland, but they've also gone on record opposing 
the state testing movement in general

Fairtest said they liked Kentucky's now defunct KIRIS test, too.
That says a lot about the judgment of this group!  For those in the
group who don't already know, KIRIS had to be discontinued after the
legislature was presented with overwhelming evidence of its lack of
validity.  (Richard Innes)

www.edweek.org
6/2/1999 Education Week Student Protesters in Massachusetts Sit Out
State Exams By Kerry A. White "MCAS is now determining education in
Massachusetts, and it was never intended to do that," argued Karen
Hartke, a project director for the National Center for Fair & Open
Testing, or FairTest, a Cambridge-based group that strongly opposes
most standardized and high-stakes testing.

LIBERAL FAIRTEST JOINS BATTLE AGAINST STATE TESTING MANIA
http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-17/20fair.h17
\clip\99\12\fairtest.txt
FairTest Report Questions Reliance On High-Stakes Testing by States
By Debra Viadero 

\clip\99\12\stakes.txt High Stakes Tests Do Not Improve Student
Learning A FairTest Report by Monty Neill, Acting Executive Director
January 1998
http://fairtest.org/k12/naeprep.htm Read "High Stakes Tests Do Not
Improve Student Learning," on the National Center for Fair & Open
Testing Web site. 

Students in states that require them to pass a test in order to
graduate from high school tend to fare worse on the National
Assessment of Educational Progress, according to a new report.  The
report, released last week by a group critical of standardized
testing, takes aim at growing calls for states to put in place
so-called high-stakes tests.


@@Federal ESEA Goals 2000

Improving America's Schools Act of 1994
directs all states to implement high stakes performance based tests.

Who defined states content &
performance standards  I will quote Minnesota's approval statement
for our voluntary G2K plan from the USDOE.  "The [Minnesota] plan,
developed in accordance to the criteria under Title III of the Goals
2000: Education America Act,..." 

Z67\CLIP\2003\05\elmore.txt clipim\2003\05\07\elmore\elmore.htm

Unwarranted Intrusion by RICHARD F. ELMORE 
http://www.educationnext.org/20021/30.html
recommended by Don Orlich
1994 ACT LAUNCHED STATES TO DEVELOP STANDARDS AND TESTS, UNTIL 2000
http://www.educationnext.org/20021/30.html ...in 1994, when Title
I—the flagship federal compensatory education program—was amended to
require states to create performance-based accountability systems for
schools. ..  they required states to develop academic standards,
assessments based on the standards, and progress goals for schools and
school districts, all within ambitious timetables. The merger of state
and federal accountability policies—or alignment, as it was called—was
supposed to occur by the year 2000.


@@Fitness

z84\clip\2004\11\fittest.txt
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/education/10270191.htm?1c
Posted on Thu, Nov. 25, 2004 
Students fail to measure up in state physical fitness tests
By Jackie Burrell
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Alameda and Contra Costa county children are relatively more
physically fit than the state average, with two-thirds scoring in the
"healthy fitness zone" on exams measuring body composition, aerobic
capacity, and four other areas. But just 30 percent reached
proficiency levels in all six areas, according to the report that came
out Wednesday.  .... Five years into a new physical fitness test for
fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders... 27 percent of the California's
state's students passed physical fitness tests measuring
cardiovascular fitness,


@@Florida
@@FCAT

%%FCAT

The '97 FCAT will NOT give out ranking scores, or national
comparisons. It will only be graded above proficient, proficient and
below proficiency. The FCAT includes a combination of multiple-choice
and grid response questions.  Their legislature passed a law
requiring passing the FCAT reading to pass the 4th grade, with school
board approving any exceptions, but tests were not returned in time to 
make promotion decisions!

Got documents
(a) A 21-page contract (May 24, 1999 - November 30, 2002) with Harcourt, and
(b) A 22-page contract (July 27, 1999 - November 30, 2002) with
National Computer Systems, Inc.  The total amount of both contracts,
which I have not analyzed yet, is in excess of $50 million and may
total $100 million.

91% PASS RATE IS ACTUALLY ONLY 57.5% OF 9TH GRADERS
5/22/2003: Bracey: All Things Considered just reported that 91% of the
seniors have passed the FCAT.
Gloria Pipkin: In 1998-1999 when the most of this year's seniors were in 9th grade, the
state enrollment figure for grade 9 was 218,529, while the class of 2003 had
about 138,000 members last fall.  If 91% of those passed the FCAT, that's
around 125,580 who passed, or roughly 57.5% of the original high school
cohort.

SAMPLE
FCAT 5th grade math look familiar?
http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/fcat/pdf/fc5mib1r.pdf
Artur The FCAT is also based on hi-G factor mental gymnastics rather than 
basics. Many items, such as rate, and computing median, or computing 
distance between points on a grid along a diagonal are not on the WA
EALRS until 7th or  10th grade.

FCAT FAILS MORE THAN HALF OF DADE COUNTY STUDENTS
z56\clip\2002\05\fcatscar.txt
Miammi Herald 
May. 23, 2002   
FCAT failure rate is `scary'
Many in S. Florida must retake the test
BY DANIEL A. GRECH
dgrech@herald.com
sophomores in Miami-Dade failed the FCAT at a much higher rate than
other students in the state.  This year, 56 percent of the 24,300
10th-graders in Miami-Dade failed the reading section and 42 percent
failed math. In Broward, about 40 percent of the 13,800 10th-graders
failed reading and 28 percent failed math, mirroring state averages.
Students who fail to pass receive only a ''certificate of completion''
at graduation.

FLA REQUIRES RETAINING 4TH GRADE READING FAIL, BUT TEST NOT SCORE IN
TIME z42\clip\2000\05\fcatdel.txt
http://www.sptimes.com/News/051400/State/State_test_scores_are.shtml
State test scores are likely to be tardy As schools close for summer,
some will make decisions on promoting students without crucial data
on their performance.  By STEPHEN HEGARTY © St. Petersburg Times,
published May 14, 2000

4/2000 Three practicing teachers and I will be guests this afternoon on a
local public radio talk show to voice our opposition to FCAT.  One of
the teachers is also the mother of twin fourth graders who have
already received retention notices (before scores are available).
"Flunk the FCAT, Not the Kids" is our slogan.  Advice and counsel
welcome.  Gloria Lynn Haven, FL gpipkin@i-1.net

\clip\99\04\fcat.htm
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/020199/met_2a1fcat_.html
Monday, February 1, 1999 Students ready, teachers uneasy as FCAT
nears By Beau Halton Times-Union staff writer Because the test is
essentially forcing changes in how teachers teach and how students
learn, Jacksonville's teachers, principals and administrators have
lukewarm greetings for FCATs. 

May 11, 1998 or April Herrle, (850) 488-5394 Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test (FCAT) Results Released
http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00031/980511pr.htm 

The highest average statewide subscore for any FCAT test was 65 for
"literature" on the Grade 10 reading test--indicating the average
student achieved 65 percent of the content for that portion of the
test. The lowest average statewide subscores are 40 for the
"measurement" portion of the Grade 5 mathematics test and the "data
analysis and probability" portion of Grade 8 mathematics. 

A minimum competency test can be thought of as a twelve-inch ruler on
which most students score near the twelve-inch end of the ruler
because the content of the test is restricted to levels that every
student is expected to achieve. The FCAT is like a yardstick on which
students can be measured throughout the length of the yardstick to
very challenging levels of difficulty. 

z58\doc\web\2002\09\fcat.txt
Florida is proud of the rising student achievement we're seeing over
the last four years.  Since there is such good news, we thought you
may be interested in this information.  
First, this is new data.  The ethnic breakdown of the 2002 FCAT scores
have just recently been confirmed by the Florida Department of
Education.  

Percent of students meeting and surpassing the proficient level on the
FCAT reading test are rising
Grade 4:  AA:  23 to 42, Hisp:  38 to 56, White 65 to 74, ESE: 13 to 16
Grade 8:  AA:  20 to 27, Hisp: 33 to 43, White:  55 to 64, ESE: 8 to 12
Grade 10: AA:  11 to 16, Hisp: 20 to 28, White:  37 to 51, ESE:  4 to 9

%%HSCT

The High School Competency Test must be passed before graduation, it
is taken as junior, and can be retaken, level set at 9th grade with
algebra.


ONLY 60% OF MIAMI JUNIORS PASS TEST
\clip\98\18\edclip03.txt Published Friday, December 4, 1998, in the
Miami Herald Officials encouraged by students' test scores By SABRINA
WALTERS Herald Staff Writer The passing rate for Miami-Dade high
school students on a state-required exam remained steady this year,
with 60 percent of juniors receiving satisfactory scores that will
allow them to graduate.


\clip\98\18\hcst.txt Orlando Journal-Sentinel: Test scores make
educators happy
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/120398_HSCT03.html Catherine
Hinman of The Sentinel Staff Published in The Orlando Sentinel, Dec 3
1998 

\clip\98\17\edclip03.txt New standards may give schools a jolt
Catherine Hinman of The Sentinel Staff Published in The Orlando
Sentinel, Nov 23 1998.  Under a tough grading scale proposed for a
new high-stakes state test, Florida's schools and its students are in
for a cold bath.  Statistically speaking, it may look like a blood
bath.  More than two-thirds of fifth-graders who took the math
portion of the test last school year scored below par, as did 56
percent of eighth-graders and 71 percent of 10th-graders taking the
reading test. Minorities fared far worse as a group. 

HIGHER DROPOUT RATE DUE TO TOUGHER EXIT EXAM newscl04.txt 2/19/98
Miami Herald New test yields fewer high school graduates The High
School Competency Test ensures graduates have at least ninth-grade
skills. It's given to juniors, and can be taken multiple times.
Florida Department of Education: the percentage of all students
assing the test has fallen from 97.9 percent in 1990-91 to 94.1
percent in 1996-97. Black = from 96.2 percent to 88.6 percent.
Hispanic from 98.7 to 92.7.  The graduation rate among white students
has hovered around 97 and 98 percent since 1990-91.

Fail rate on Florida HSCT is 6 times higher for blacks
white  2.0
hisp   7.3
black 11.4

Richard Innes wonders if test will
be as bad as KIRIS

\clip\98\03\edclip2.txt 1/26/98 Miami Herald A test of standards
State exam to measure reading, math skills By SABRINA WALTERS Herald
Staff Writer. Standards were adopted in 1996.

http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00018/perfstat/about.htm#DINDEX Florida
Department of Education 1995-96 Performance Status Report For reading
and math in elementary and middle schools, the proficient range is
defined as scores above the 50th national percentile on Reading
Comprehension and Math Concepts/Application subtests.  Comparable
data for high schools consist of percent passing the Communications
and Mathematics sections of the HSCT.

FLORIDA BRACES FOR LOW, NEW TEST SCORES
1/23/98 Miami Herald State leaders vow to stand firm on school test
By JACKIE HALLIFAX Associated Press TALLAHASSEE -- Florida leaders
say they are bracing themselves against any public outcry that
develops after students take a tough new assessment test next week.
That's because the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which will
be given to students in grades 4, 5, 8 and 10, is likely to produce
lower scores than students, parents and educators like.

%%Pass Rates

\doc\web\2004\02\fcatpass.txt
http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/fcat/pdf/grade12pass03.pdf
z75\clipim\2004\02\28\grade12pass03.pdf

FCAT 12th grade pass rates 2003

            Reading    Scale   Pct       Math      Scale    Pct
            Tested     Score   Passed    Tested    Score    Passed
Statewide   15065      263     31        12072     283      42
Desoto         16      251     19           17     258       6
Hardee         19      287     47           17     305      71
Clay          222      290     59          198     295      56

Statewide, only 30-40% of students pass either test, so fewer than 30%
will passboth tests. Even in the best districts, no more than 60% pass.
Only the top 50-60% of students take the SAT, so the median FCAT flunk
should be equal to an average SAT score.

Any data on what a passing score on the FCAT is equivalent to?

''Clearly the students that are not passing the FCAT are not likely to 
score 1200 or even 1000 on the SAT,'' said Education Commissioner Jim Horne.

FACT - the flunk line on the FCAT appears to correspond to the median
SAT taking population, or the 70th percentile.

FCAT PASSING SCORE = 410 VERBAL, 370 MATH, 780 COMBINED 
http://www.firn.edu/doe/opri/pdf/cstdoc.pdf
http://www.arthurhu.com/2004/02/fcatconc.htm
The FCAT tenth grade passing score approved by the State Board of
Education is 300.

Concordant Scores - FCAT and Other National Tests
Reading Scores Math Scores
FCAT Reading SAT Verbal FCAT Math SAT Math
300-303      410        300-303 370
285-288      370        292-295 350
FCAT Reading ACT Reading FCAT Math ACT Math
292-300      15          286-301 15
285-291      14
FCAT Reading PSAT Verbal FACT Math PSAT Math
296-300 37 297-302 34
284-289 34 292-296 33
FCAT Reading PLAN Reading FCAT Math PLAN Math
293-304 14 299-313 15
282-292 13 285-298 14

Concordance Studies Between the FCAT and Other Standardized Tests
Concordance Between the FCAT Math and SAT Math Scores
Based on Students Who Took Both Tests
2000-2001
(N=71,118)

SAT Math FCAT Math SAT Math FCAT Math
Scores S c o r e s S c o r e s Scores
760-800 500 450 330-332
750 449-499 440 326-329
740 441-448 430 322-325
730 433-440 420 319-321
720 425-432 410 314-318
710 415-424 400 312-313
700 410-414 390 308-311
690 405-409 380 304-307
680 401-404 370 300-303
670 396-400 360 296-299
660 393-395 350 292-295
650 389-392 340 288-291
640 386-388 330 283-287
630 383-385 320 279-282
620 380-382 310 274-278
610 377-379 300 270-273
600 374-376 290 267-269
590 372-373 280 260-266
580 369-371 270 258-259
570 366-368 260 251-257
560 364-365 250 245-250
550 360-363 240 242-244
540 358-359 230 236-241
530 355-357 220 233-235
520 352-354 210 227-232
510 349-351 200 100-226
500 346-348
490 343-345
480 339-342
470 336-338
460 333-335



@@For Testing

Monty Neill [Mneillft@AOL.COM] Fairtest 4/2000
"Why TEsting Experts Hate Testing" was authored by Doug Phelps, who authored
a peice a few years back in Ed Measurement arguing that in fact the US does
not test too much. The data was largely junk and EM actually printed a letter
from me on that. Then he appears with his massive mis-information for Fordham
-- tho with backhanded praise for FairTest for our effectiveness. In addition
to FairTest, he also went after Boston College and CRESST. The thing about
the Fordham reports is they are mailed massively across the country. Then
again, their efforts to trash us don't seem to have affected whether
reporters call us.
Monty Neill

www.edtrust.org
www.achieve.org
www.edexcellence.net   Here you can find an interesting paper "Why Testing
Experts Hate Testing."  Never heard of the guy who wrote it but he does take
a lot of well known psychometricians to task: Lorrie Shepard, George Madaus,
Dan Koretz, etc., and, of course, FairTest.  This is the home of the Fordham
Foundation which Checker Finn's lawyer daddy persuaded a rich widow to set
up for him.
www.ncee.org



@@GCSE (UK General Certificate of Secondary Education)
@@GNVQ (Vocational Certificate)

%%A-level

VOCATIONAL GCSE TO REPLACE FAILED GNVQ
z47\clip\2001\01\vocuk.txt Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2001 16:09:34 EST
Subject: UK News- Pupils to be steered into vocational path at 14
Pupils to be steered into vocational path at 14 Education Unlimited
Will Woodward Education editor Wednesday January 24, 2001
"Currently, students can take up to 14 intermediate vocational GNVQ
qualifications. But small employers in particular have been reluctant
to recognise them and they still suffer from the stigma of being less
demanding than GCSEs. In pilot schemes, about 50,000 youngsters are
already taking work-related study programmes from aged 14. Vocational
A-levels began last September in the new post-16 curriculum.  "

UK INTRODUCES NEW A-LEVELS
http://www.educationunlimited.co.uk/doubledutch/story/0,7348,369887,00.html
z45\clip\2000\10\newalev.txt The new exams Will Woodward Tuesday July
18, 2000 Guardian Newspapers Limited 2000

Advanced Extension Award Instead of? The Special Paper.  AEAs will be
the last part of the "suite" of world-class tests available at nine,
13 and 18 for most advanced students AEAs will be available in
biology, chemistry, economics, English, French, geography, German,
history, Latin, maths, physics, religious studies, Spanish, Welsh,
and Welsh as a second language and, subject to confirmation, critical
thinking.  

Vocational A level Instead of? Advanced GNVQ. 

%%Race

Phil Rushton notes: the UK from The Times 3/11/99:
London Times March 11,1999
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/99/03/11/timnwsnws02009.html?1302437
\clip\99\09\gcserace.txt
Gypsy children, who were included in the survey at the request of the
Department for Education and Employment, registered by far the lowest
results. Many opted out of education at an early age and, in half of
the schools surveyed, no member of the group had sat a GCSE
examination. 

Percent passing GCSE exams with five grades C or better 1998
Exclusions per 1,000
Percentage of 1998 higher ed entrants
Pop 
--------------------------------------------

\doc\web\99\05\gcserace.wk1
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/99/03/11/timnwsnws02009.html?1302437
\clip\99\09\gcserace.txt The Times of London March 11 1999 John
O'Leary and Hannah Betts on a claimd of institutional prejudice
Analysis by Arthur Hu

UK Office for Standards in Education


Ranked by GCSE
Group         Hi GCSE ExcludedHigh Ed Pop     Ed rate
Chinese            61%       5     2.0     0.7    2.86
Indian             54%      22     4.0     1.5    2.67
White              47%      28    89.8    94.5    0.95
Bangladeshi        33%       9     0.6     0.6    1.00
Carib Black        29%     160     1.0     0.9    1.11
Pakistani          29%      35     2.2     0.9    2.44
Gypsy             "lowest"

Chinese 80% stay after 16, lowest exclusion rate
Whites are only group slightly under-represented in higher ed


Ranked by Exclusion
Group         Hi GCSE Excluded
Carib Black        29%     160
Pakistani          29%      35
White              47%      28
Indian             54%      22
Bangladeshi        33%       9
Chinese            61%       5

Ranked by Ed Rate
Group         Hi GCSE High Ed Pop     Ed rate
Chinese            61%     2.0     0.7    2.86
Indian             54%     4.0     1.5    2.67
Pakistani          29%     2.2     0.9    2.44
Carib Black        29%     1.0     0.9    1.11
Bangladeshi        33%     0.6     0.6    1.00
White              47%    89.8    94.5    0.95

www.elibrary.com
\clip\99\09\bgcse.txt Michael Brooks, Education: Closer inspection
could narrow the ethnic gap., Independent, 12-04-1997, pp E8,9.  
[underlying message - monitoring of racial stereotypes will close the
gap???]

Birmingham top 3 grades GCSE math science
White    32.2 36.9
Black     8.6 12.4
Indian   34.2 44.1

Testing on LEA entry level and GCSE vs average
Black    +20  -21
Indian    -5  +14
White    +10   +6

Blacks start ahead on entry, but fall behind at high school exit.

UK STUDY: LOW EXPECTATION AND STEREOTYPING MAIN CAUSE OF LAG?
BLACK, PAKISTANI, BANGLADESHI, GYPSY AT BOTTOM OF GCSE
\clip\99\09\brittest.txt Young, gifted, black - and a living reproach
to our racist school system (UK) Independent; Judith Judd Education
Editor; 03-11-1999 
                                                  
Black Caribbean pupils in Britain's schools... are at the bottom of
the heap for academic qualifications - just 29 per cent achieve five
good grades at GCSE, though girls do better than boys.  Thefigures
for whites are 47 per cent and for Indians 54 per cent.  A report by
school inspectors published today suggests that racial stereotyping
and low expectations among teachers are to blame for the poor exam
performance of Black Caribbeans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Gypsy
Traveller children.  

54 Indian
47 White
29 Black


www.elibrary.com (pay) \clip\99\09\ukprej.txt Independent; JUDITH
JUDD; 05-16-1996 Black pupils 'held back by prejudice' 

Black boys do badly at school because teachers believe they are
disruptive and unacademic, leaders of the Commission for Racial
Equality said yesterday.  

Birmingham analysis based on 1995 GCSE results.  
                                                                               
Percentage of boys getting grades A to C in maths:                             
                                                                               
Afro-Caribbean 8.6                                                             
Black African 14.3                                                             
Indian 34.2                                                                    
White 32.2                                                                     
                                                                               
Percentage of boys getting grades A to C in science:                           
Afro-Caribbean 12.4                                                            
Black African 28.6                                                             
Indian 44.1                                                                    
White 36.9                                                                     

UK MINORITIES BETTER EDUCATED - BUT IS IT ASIANS OR BLACKS?
\clip\99\09\alevel.txt www.elibrary.com Weekly Journal, The; Sulaima
Elmi; 09-16-1993 Black people 'better educated' 

"Of all white people in the Britain aged over 18, only a small
proportion, 13.4 percent, have an A-level or higher education. But
for people from all ethnic minorities, the figure is 15.4 per cent.
" Considering the smaller proportion of blacks who get high GCSE
grades, it's highly unlikely the claim is true that blacks are
"better educated"

GCSE/GNVQ RESULTS For pupils aged 15 in schools 

GCE A/AS/ADVANCED GNVQ RESULTS For students aged 16-18 in schools and
colleges 


%%Example


SEXISM STUDIES Rude sexual parody
of GCSE. Crude jokes, but you get the idea of question format.

%%General

Dumbing Down of UK General Certificate of
Secondary Education (GCSE)

\clip\98\19\gcseres.txt UK GOVERNMENT: GCSE/GNVQ and GCE
A/AS/Advanced GNVQ 1997/98 provisional results for young people,
England., M2 PressWIRE, 12-01-1998. 

GCSE/GNVQ RESULTS For pupils aged 15 in schools 

GCE A/AS/ADVANCED GNVQ RESULTS For students aged 16-18 in schools and
colleges 

GCSE/GNVQ RESULTS For pupils aged 15 in schools                                                                      
                                                                                                                     
-- 46.3 per cent achieved 5 or more grades A*-C at GCSE or the GNVQ
equivalent. (Table 1) 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
-- 87.5 per cent achieved at least five grades A*-G at GCSE or the
GNVQ equivalent. (Table 1) 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
-- 93.4 per cent achieved at least one grade A*-G at GCSE or the GNVQ
equivalent. (Table 1) 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
-- Girls continue to outperform boys, particularly at the higher
grades (A*-C); 51.5 per cent of girls achieved at least 5 A*-C grades
or the GNVQ equivalent compared with 41.3 per cent of boys. (Table 1) 
                                                                                                                                         
The UK also has the NVQ and GNVQ which is effectively a vocational
certificate for those not good enough for academics

GCSE NOT FOR UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE, IT MAY DISCRIMINATE AGAINST BOYS
\clip\98\19\gcseboy.txt electric library Lucy Hodges, Warning to
boys: don't leave it too late., Independent, 06-18-1998, pp 2,3.
"Increasingly, they are using stellar performance at GCSElevel to
help them select the few who will be offered places.  That is
worrying some people because GCSEs were never designed for university
entrance. And it disturbs boys' schools, in particular, because boys
do worse at GCSE than girls. They develop later, sometimes waking up
only in the sixth form."


@@GED General Equivalency Diploma


@@Gender Bias

z47\clip\2001\01\femexam.txt How exams are fixed in favour of girls
The Spectator, 20/1/2001 Girls are doing better than boys in exams,
but that does not mean that they are brighter, says Madsen Pirie.
What has happened is that exams have been feminised — and so has the
country
http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3?table=old§ion=current&issue=2001-0


@@Georgia


z44\doc\web\2000\07\gwin.txt
70% failed pilot so cut score was set below chance rate so very few fail

ONLY 2-3% FAIL GWINNET 4/7TH GRADE TEST
http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/today/local_news_93a62c7ed52da10900fa.html
Schools not in hurry to copy Gwinnett's Gateway test plan Sophia
Lezin Jones - Staff Tuesday, July 11, 2000 About 16,000 fourth- and
seventh-graders in April took the Gateway exam --- customized based
on Gwinnett's curriculum --- becoming the first students in the state
required to pass a standardized exam to be promoted to the next
grade.  Exam results showed 3.1 percent of fourth-graders and 1.8
percent of seventh-graders failed. 

GA GATEWAY 25% IS A PASSING SCORE, BUT TEST IS OK PROMOTION TEST?
z42\clip\2000\05\gwin.txt Atlanta Constitution• May 15, 2000 Gateway
scores flunk logic test Lucy Soto - Staff Monday, May 15, 2000 'Alice
in Gwinnett' "Then you should say what you mean," the March Hare went
on.  Gwinnett County. 

The school system has spent four years and $6 million developing the
Gateway test to measure how well students are learning in the
classroom. Test results are due in the next few weeks. Fourth- and
seventh-graders have to pass to be promoted. The test is supposed to
help parents know exactly how their kids are doing. 



@@Germany

Wolf explains what the German
tests for Mittle Reife and Arbitur are like. Each teacher comes up
with their own test that is approved by the central education agency
which checks manual scoring on a A-E scale. Tests are long written
papers on one topic, not short answers to lots of topics like US
tests.

Academic Standards A Profile of Germany's Education System
College-Bound Students 
http://www.aft.org/edissues/standards/germcb.htm
\clip\2001\01\germstan.htm
compulsory education starts at age 6
grundschule - 4 years primary school
tracked by ability into high school
high school
  hauptschule to grade 9, employment
  realschule to grade 10, nonprofessional skill trade + college
  gymnasium to grade 10
  upper gymnasium to grade 11-13
  apprenticeship to post-gymnasium 

in 1990-91, approximately 33 percent of German students were in
hauptschule, 28 percent in realschule, 31 percent in gymnasium and
eight percent in comprehensive schools. 
If you are held back more than twice, you are moved to a lower track

There is no single set of national standards in Germany, there is a
process for college qualification and an earned certificate called
the Abitur, 

In 1991, 37 percent of the age cohort took their Abitur. More than 95
percent of these candidates passed. Arbitur no longer guarantees
place in university.

%%Shootings

STUDENT WHO FAILS HIGH STAKES GERMAN EXAM GOES ON SHOOTING SPREE
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/04/29/germany.school/index.html
CNN.com 4/29/2002 Thuringia, where Erfurt is the state capital, is
alone in denying even an intermediate diploma to students who go
beyond 10th grade but then fail twice to pass final exams.
Officials said Steinhaeuser had failed last year, and his expulsion a few
weeks ago deprived him of the second -- and last -- chance for a full
diploma, necessary to attend a university or get a decent job."


@@Gifted

10%-20% OF GIFTED STUDENTS IN OHIO NOT PROFICIENT
Schools Fight Over Test Scores of Gifted
WSJ 2/4/04 90.7% of Ohio sixth-graders identified as "gifted" (usually
top 5%) scored at proficient or advanced in math, vs. 44.6% of all students.
Youngstown district 79.5% math, 72.7% reading vs 11.4/15.7
         Gifted   Other
Math     92.8     51
Reading  95.2     60
Writing  94.4     74.7

College
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=wasl27m&date=20021127&query=WASL+running+start
Seattle Times November 27, 2002 
10th-grade exam harder than college test?
By Linda Shaw
original study http://www.k12.wa.us/Research/pubdocs/pdf/WASL-CC%20placement.pdf

The study looked at a sample of students who took both the WASL and
one of the community-college exams in one of three years — 1999, 2000
or 2001. The majority sought entry into Running Start, 

some students who failed the WASL passed the community-college exam,
and vice versa, making those results more mixed

In reading, about 80 percent of students who passed the WASL also
cleared the recommended passing level set by the publishers of the
community-college test.

In math, however, the community-college exam was clearly more
difficult. Only a third of the students who passed the math part of
the WASL also passed the community college's math test

Of the 3,757 sophomores in the study, 88 percent passed the
community-college writing exams, which determines whether they are
ready for college-level work. But fewer — 73 percent — passed the
writing section of the 10th-grade Washington Assessment of Student
Learning (WASL).

Only 75% of Running Start students in WA passed WASL test

z75\clip\2004\02\giftscor.txt
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_atrocities.html?id=367
In Era of Scores, Schools Fight Over Gifted Kids
Wall Street Journal
2004-02-04
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB107584553220519637,00.html?mod=home%5Fpage%5Fone%5Fus
NCLB In Ohio: Just When You Think Nothing Can Surprise You

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Matthew Benton, a self-possessed sixth-grader with
an "A" average and an I.Q. of 132, is likely to pass the Ohio
Proficiency Tests next month with ease.

But his prowess on the tests, which are used to assess schools'
performance, won't help Bennett Elementary, where Matthew is in a
citywide program for academically gifted students.

@@Grade Level

NO NATIONAL DEFINITION OF GRADE LEVEL
z70\clip\2003\09\mishmash.txt U.S. EDUCATION LAW NETS MISHMASH OF
RESULTS Palm Beach Post -- September 10, 2003 by Kimberly Miller
because every state individually decides what it takes to pass,
academic success measured by Bush's No Child Left Behind Act is wildly
different throughout the country.  In Florida, for example, education
officials said "adequate yearly progress" last year meant 31 percent
of students should be able to read on grade level... but 88 percent of
schools failed to meet that standard.  California said making progress
meant 14 percent of elementary school students and 11 percent of high
school students should be able to read on grade level. Forty-five
percent of California's schools failed to meet the standards.  There
is no national standard defining grade level.



@@Grading Alignment

Boston asked teacher to fail as many students as was failed by the
MCAS test, which is nearly all minority students.

z47\clip\2000\12\mcasgrad.txt
Remarks of David Stratman to the Boston School Committee, December 6, 2000
I have here in my hand a memo dated November 1 which Superintendent Payzant 
sent to teachers and various administrative personnel in the Boston Public 
Schools directing teachers to "align" their grades with MCAS scores.


@@Grade Promotion

z56\clip\2002\05\houssurv.txt
HoustonChronicle.com
May 7, 2002, 10:36PM
Teachers dislike test being key to pupil promotions
Few favor state's new policy
By MELANIE MARKLEY
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
Only 10 percent of Texas teachers believe a test should decide whether
students are promoted or held back a grade, a recent survey found.


@@Grammar

Tests like TAAS tend to use
non-traditional or even incorrect grammar


@@Grade Level

STANDARDIZED TESTING STARTS AT FIRST GRADE
\clip\99\08\edclip03.txt For 6-, 7-year-olds, a standardized test can
be scary Leslie Postal Orlando Sentinel March 7, 1999.  Like many in
Seminole County, Young's [6, 7 yr olds] students last week took the
county's ABACUS test. The first-grade version assesses reading and
math skills. For kids who are used to nothing more than short
quizzes, ABACUS was a test of a very different sort.


@@Grade Equivalent Level

Grade Level equivalent is based on the median test score, not any
mastery of content. It is even worse for showing growth over time
since the average itself will move.

GES yielded by a group test
(such as the ITBS) represents the AVERAGE RAW SCORE of students at a
particular grade level.  Thus, a GES of, say, 7.5 represents the
average of the raw scores (usually the number of correct responses)
of a group of individuals who are in the fifth month of grade seven.

see also (a) the Sun Times (5/25/00) article, "Margin of error in
Iowa Tests raises red flags," and (b) the Consortium's 1998 report,
"Academic Productivity of Chicago Public Elementary Schools."  The
latter raises the point that in addition to being poor indicators of
individual student achievement, Grade Equivelent scores (GEs) are not
appropriate for measuring changes in GROUP performance OVER TIME. 


@@Graduation Requirement

Many states and some districts are contemplating or imposing rules of
having to pass a 10th grade test to graduate. This is a bad idea,
especially given the very high flunk rates of most of the tests.

%%Against

z75\clip\2003\11\massbord.txt Nov 2003 press release
MASC Reaffirms Strong Opposition to MCAS Requirement, Votes
Overwhelmingly Against NCLB
Massachusetts Association of School Committees delegates yesterday
reaffirmed their opposition to the MCAS graduation requirement by a
four-to-one margin, in a stunning repudiation of the notion that MCAS's
high pass rate means Massachusetts students are all receiving a
high-quality public education and that MCAS opposition has dissipated.

%%General

EXIT EXAMS ARE A TIME BOMB
\clip\99\05\exitexam.txt February 3, 1999, in the San Jose Mercury
News `Exit exams' already being put to the test Standards: Graduation
hurdle favored by Gov. Davis is a tricky undertaking.  BY MICHAEL
BAZELEY Mercury News Staff Writer 
" Many states have run into controversy as parents and politicians
tried to come to grips with alarmingly high failure rates.  "

\clip\99\03\edclip02.txt Group seeks to eliminate ISTEP rule
Education panel votes to stop requiring a passing score on the
10th-grade exam to earn diploma.  By Thomas P. Wyman Indianapolis
Star/News Indiana House Democrats enlisted a powerful and unusual
coalition of school boards, superintendents, principals, and teachers
unions to challenge the 10th-grade ISTEP exam as a high school
graduation requirement. ISTEP graduation requirements mean many
students who maintain passing grades but cannot master the test will
be unfairly denied a high school diploma.

\clip\98\19\gradtest.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/news/education/1005aims.shtml
Arizona joins graduation-test push Fair or not, 22 states require
graduation tests Suzanne Starr/The Arizona Republic By Kathleen
Ingley The Arizona Republic Oct. 5, 1998 

Fairtest opposes movement towards graduation tests (but likes the
Maryland test??) MALDEF opposes Texas test. Nevada revised test and
got 40% flunk rate.

\clip\99\03\edclip01.txt
Charlotte Observer:January 20, 1999 Raising bar to affect thousands
of Carolinas kids By FOON RHEE Staff Writer 
"[propose] to require students in third, fifth and eighth grades to
reach standards on state math and reading exams to move on to the
next grade, though local schools would still make the final call. To
graduate high school, students would have to pass a new 10th-grade
reading and math test, plus complete a senior project."



@@Green Party

The Texas
Green Party has an item on its platform that explicitly addresses this
8. We oppose over reliance on high-stakes standardized tests when such tests
are used as the primary criterion for grade advancement, graduation, or
teacher pay. Likewise, we refute that the averaged scores from such tests
can be used to make fair or meaningful comparisons between schools.
http://www.txgreens.org/resources/gpinfo/gptx_state_platform.htm






@@Anxiety
@@Health
@@Sickness

Testing causes so much stress that it has become a health issue.

TEST RELATED STRESS IS MAKING KIDS SICK
z49\clip\2001\05\highconc.txt High stakes testing: A statement of
concern by the Alliance for Childhood, April 25, 2001.
http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/news/histakes_test_position_statement.htm
Health-care professionals and parents already report
that test-related stress is literally making many children sick.

HOW TO DEAL WITH TESTING ANXIETY HAS A HEALTH ISSUE
z42\clip\2000\06\testanx.txt
http://www.komotv.com/healthwatch/index.html Reducing Test Anxiety
Published: 5/21/00 It's that time of year when kids are gearing up
for final exams.  For many it can be pure torture because of the
anxiety. 

STUDENTS ARE GETTING SICK, SUICIDE, NERVOUS BREAKDOWN OVER TESTS
\doc\web\2000\06\bractest.txt
THE GWINNETT GATEWAY TESTS: UNECESSARY
Gerald W. Bracey
Third graders across the nation are throwing
up on test day and there have been test-induced suicides and nervous
breakdowns documented in New York, California, and Arizona.  No
wonder.  Children are being asked to do the impossible. 


@@Higher Order Thinking

Proponents of alternative tests say that multiple choice tests do not
test "higher order" thinking, and do not resemble "authentic"
real-world tasks, which are not multiple choice. Defenders of traditional
tests point out that tests like the SAT are rarely just recall of simple
facts, but usually involve several higher order skills

TRADITIONAL TESTS DO REQUIRE MENTAL PROCESSING, NOT JUST FACTS RECALL
60% of the items of a Norm Referenced Test (according to the
publisher) require mental processing -- skills in logic, synthesis,
analysis, etc.  It is simply not true, as mot test bashers claim,
that multiple choice tests consist mainly of items that ask for the
recall of facts.  p. 27 "Using and Interpreting Tennesse's Value
Added Assessment System: A Primer for Teachers and Principals" Samuel
E Bratton et al. The University of Tennesee R11-0435-02-002-97

TRADITIONAL TESTS CAN TEST HOT, NEW TESTS MIGHT NOT
http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/v3n6.html 
(local) \clip\97\25\edasses.htm
(4) "Educational Assessment Reassessed:  The Usefulness of
Standardized and Alternative Measures of Student Achievement as
Indicators for the Assessment of Educational Outcomes,"
Educational Policy Analysis Archives, Vol 3 No 6, March 3, 1995
(available at website:  http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa)

The notion that multiple choice tests can tap only recall is a myth.
In fact, the best multiple choice items can--and do--measure
students' ability to analyze, synthesize information, make
comparisons, draw inferences, and evaluate ideas, products, or
performances. (p. 67) 

Feinberg points out that "the most widely known multiple-choice exam,
the Scholastic Aptitude Test, tests very little knowledge; it is
almost completely a test of analytical and reasoning ability at quite
complex and sophisticated levels" and that "many other standardized
tests, particularly at the high school level, also probe the ability
to draw fair inferences and reach tenable conclusions." (p. 16).


@@High Stakes Testing

High stakes tests - which are attached to diploma or grade promotion
or draconian accountability / punishment schemes are evil, whether
based on performance or norm referenced tests.

\doc\web\2003\12\seabwasl.txt Dec 2003
...the Seattle Education Association
Board of Directors, condemn the planned use of the WASL as a barrier
to graduation and call on legislators, the Superintendent of Public
Instruction, the Washington State Education Board and the Seattle
School District to adhere to ethical testing policies as stated in
this warning.


z54\clipim\2001\12\20\stakes.pdf \clip\2001\12\stakes.txt
Rethinking "High Stakes:" Lessons
from the US and England and Wales William A. Firestone Rutgers, the
State University of New Jersey David Mayrowetz Rutgers, the State
University of New Jersey
http://www.tcrecord.org/PdfRedirect.asp?ContentID=10501

INDUSTRY STANDARDS BAN USE OF TESTS AS HIGH STAKES
z49\clip\2001\05\testfail.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/21/business/21EXAM.html
New York Times - May 21, 2001
When a Test Fails the Schools, Careers and Reputations Suffer
By JACQUES STEINBERG and DIANA B. HENRIQUES
"Making such decisions based on a single test score violates the
testing industry's standards, and both CTB and city school officials
agree that the company advised the city against putting such a
premium on its test. But the board forged ahead anyway.  "

HIGH STAKES ACCOUNTABILITY TESTS FALL SHORT OF NORM REF TESTS, DO NOT
INFORM INSTRUCTION z48\clip\2001\04\lyonread.txt "Measuring Success:
Using Assessments and Accountability to Raise Student Achievement".
http://www.nrrf.org/lyon_statement3-01.htm Statement of Dr. G. Reid
Lyon A single test cannot address all these purposes. For example, a
so-called "high-stakes" test can be useful for accountability
purposes, but does not provide teachers the information they need to
plan instruction, particularly in kindergarten through the second
grade. Consistent with the NRC report on high stakes testing,
accountability is hard to assess before Grade 3 Norm-referenced tests
assess transfer of learning.  They essentially rank children within
their grade level on how well they read. An assessment designed to
rank individuals will not generally be effective for diagnosing
problems, or providing prescriptive information to inform and guide
instructional practices


@@High Standards

DOES HOLDING EVERYONE TO ONE ELEVATED STANDARD MAKE SENSE (NO!)
Z75\clip\2003\10\scalebk.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/education/14REGE.html
October 14, 2003
NEWS ANALYSIS 
Scaling Back Changes on Regents Standards
By KAREN W. ARENSON
the deeper question for New York is whether it will ever be
possible to hold all students to an elevated standard — the same for
everyone — and whether it even makes sense to have such a system. 


@@History

Most modern testing companies started out with versions of IQ 
test.

Terry Olive contributes:
This is a fascinating article from "Education Week" on the history of
standardized testing, told partially from the perspective of the family
who founded CTB/McGraw-Hill (CTBS), the testing division of McGraw-Hill
Companies Inc.   It certainly answered a lot of questions I had about who,
what, when and where. Terry ------------------------------------------
"QUIZ BIZ" http://www.edweek.org/ew/1999/40ctb.h18
"Commercial publication of tests began before the First World War.  In
1916, Houghton Mifflin Co., a leading textbook publisher at the time,
began publishing the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale, an
individual-intelligence test created by the psychologist Lewis M. Terman
of Stanford University. The test quickly took hold in schools.
In addition to intelligence tests, the schools had dozens of achievement
tests and 'scales' written by university professors or school district
research directors. Many of them were published for sale around the
country."


%%OLD

[[Kansas 1895 Salinas Journal

http://archive.dailynews.net/root/Archive/HNS_archive/Salina/1996/6/HNS-SJ_Saline_county.html
1895 TEST USED TO JUSTIFY TESTING HELL z50\clip\2001\06\test1895.txt
105-year-old Saline County test in nation's spotlight
http://www.saljournal.com/sub/1895/ By TANA THOMSON The Salina
Journal June 2001 The test has resurfaced via the Internet, prompting
the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, National Public Radio and
other media to run stories and columns centered on the difficulty of
the questions such a young group was expected to know. Even though
the 1895 graduation test was given in eighth grade, very few people
actually took the test "Their graduation rate was only 10 percent,
so, that test was prepared and administered for a very small portion
of the population - it wasn't designed for the whole population."

1895 Kansas 8th grade final test
  with answers
Urban legends review of 1895 test
z48\clip\2001\03\test8.txt
http://129.7.63.61/8thgradetest.html - with answers
This is the 8th grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, Kansas. It
was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley 
Genealogical Society and Library in
Salina, Kansas, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

link
Could You Pass the 1885 Admission Test for High School?
The following entrance examination for prospective high school
students in Jersey City, N.J. was reprinted in the Union City, N.J., 
newspaper, the Hudson Dispatch,
and later in the Wall Street Journal, June 9, 1992, Section A, p. 16.

[[Jersey City 1885

Jersey city

%%State History movement

EXAMS EVOLVE FROM GATEWAY TO HIGH SCHOOL FOR ALL
http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=10762
z60\clip\2002\10\testhist.htm
HIGH SCHOOL GRAD FROM 3 TO 17% 1890-1920 8TH GRADE EXAM WAS GATEWAY
When the Committee of Ten issued its report in 1893, the high school
was a small institution focused on those bright children whose parents
were “willing and able to forego their labor.” In this context, the
eighth-grade examination reaffirmed the limited role of the high
school and accentuated its elite status by limiting admission to those
students “who show themselves able to profit by an education prolonged
to the eighteenth year” By 1920, however, the high school was no
longer an elite institution designed for a few select students. In the
period between 1890–1918, high school attendance increased from
202,000 to 1.6 million, a 711 percent increase.  Where in 1890 only 3
percent of the age 17 population graduated from high school—by 1920
nearly 17 percent of 17 year olds would graduate from high school
(Krug 1964; Tyack 1974, p. 57–58). 

In Kansas, educators called for the state to discontinue the
eighth-grade exam because “the concept of minimum essentials or
minimum standards is not defensible, the only defensible standard is
the best that each child can do under his particular circumstances”
Only in New York and Minnesota did the state examination persist past
the 1930s.

.. agents of socialization and “social control” In an era of social
control, custodial care, and compulsory school laws, a model of
examinations as gatekeepers made little sense. What was crucial was
getting all students into high school and keeping them there (Krug
1964). 




@@Holistic

Normally a term referring to the flakey lifestyle ads in the alternative
paper classifieds, this claims to grade a paper on its "whole" effect vs.
the analytic scoring of various criterion such as spelling, grammar.

WHAT THE HECK IS HOLISTIC SCORING ANYWAYS?
\clip\99\13\rubric.txt
Phi Delta Kapan May 1999
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kmab9905.htm
Writing to the Rubric: Lingering Effects of Traditional Standardized
Testing on Direct Writing Assessment, by Linda Mabry
Holistic is "whole effect" vs analytic scoring parts to get one score.
"claims of their holism rarely survive analysis"


@@Horror story

AIMS PILOT TESTS 4TH GRADERS ON KNOWLEDGE OF PHAROH LINK something that this reminds me
of is our AIMS test here in arizona.  two years ago, our school
piloted the AIMS (4th grade) and one of the 'essay' questions for the
writing section of the test asked students to write about what they
would do if they were pharoh of egypt.


@@Horse Race

HORSE RACES TAILORED TO BE COMPETITIVE RATHER THAN ONE PASSING STANDARD
z63\clip\2003\01\horse.txt
(Published in educationnews.org  (1-16-03)
January 16, 2003
130 No Child Left Behind
Horse races more equitable than high-stakes testing
by Daniel Pryzbyla
[instead of one high standard for all...]  "Specific "conditions" for
each race are provided to horse trainers: race distance, age of
horse, gender, weight, winners, non-winners, etc. A trainer's main
objective is to enter the horse(s) in a race within conditions it can
be competitive, in hopes of advancing to higher "class" divisions."


@@Illinois 
@@ISAT
@@ISTEP
@@IGAP
@@Prarie State Exam

ISAT (1999)
Cost: 7.7m 1999
Development 1 yr

IGAP (1988)
Prarie State exam starting in 1999.
Cost:
Development 4 yrs
Required for graduation: no
Includes ACT college admissions test

Schmidt says the state tests are not
high stakes, it's only the cities that are punishing their kids.

Schmidt explains difference between
CASE, ITBS, IGAP and ISAT city and state test mess.

%%Against

ISTEP should be abolished. I was
formerly a schoolteacher for twelve years, and then switched to
computer programming.  As I was taking classes in the ISTEP, I for a
time graded ISTEP tests. Politicians cannot MANDATE better school
performance--any more than a gubernatorial decree will make a genius
out of a jackass. 

%%igap

The 1998 IGAP scores are listed by school districts along with
comparative information at:
http://chicagotribune.com/ws/front/0,1413,66,00.html

The 1999 ISAT scores are listed by school districts (no comparative information) at:   
http://chicago.tribune.com/ws/front/0,1413,74,00.html

ILLINOIS DISTRICT WANTS TO TIE GRADUATION TO TEST SCORES, NOT
REQUIRED BY STATE http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/test23.html
\clip\99\20\igap2.txt School officials want to put students to test
November 23, 1999 BY MARK SKERTIC SUBURBAN REPORTER The days when
students could earn a high school diploma by just passing a series of
classes could soon be over in School District 230. " Illinois does
not mandate that students pass an exam to receive a high school
diploma, but it does require students to take plenty of tests.  "

%%ISAT

If you go to the ISBE website:  http://tp1.clearlearning.com/ISBE/
you'll find sample ISAT tests for all the grade levels. 

ISAT is ridiculous, rdyarrow

ZIP37\clip\99\18\isat.txt
ISAT EASIER THAN IOWA STANDARDIZED TESTS The Chicago Sun Times Test
results leave Vallas in puzzlement September 15, 1999 BY ROSALIND
ROSSI EDUCATION REPORTER More Chicago public school students passed a
tough new state reading test--supposedly linked to "world class"
standards--than passed a widely used standardized test, results
released Tuesday showed. 

Report on daughter who took the isat
many problems.

ISAT HASTILY PREPARED IN 1 YR, IGAP 3 YRS, COST $7.7m
\doc\web\99\02\isast.txt

almost $7.7 million in contracts have been awarded for the printing,
scoring and other technical support for the tests. 

Work on ISAT didn't begin until after the state adopted new learning
standards in July 1997. Pilot testing was conducted in 400 to 500
schools last winter.  In contrast, the IGAP exams took three years to
complete and conduct pilot testing before they were first sent to
schools in 1988.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/test01.html \clip\99\04\isat.txt
Tougher state school tests debut Chicago Sun Times February 1, 1999
BY ROSALIND ROSSI EDUCATION REPORTER Amid increasing complaints from
some parents about testing, Illinois public schools today will
introduce a new state standardized test that raises the stakes for
children. ..Such questions raised a furor in California, where a
two-year, $50 million testing experiment was scrapped.

MULTIPLE RIGHT ANSWER FORMAT DUMPED FOR MULTIPLE CHOICE
\doc\web\99\01\isat.txt Kane County Chronicle Thursday, January 7,
1999 PUT STATE TESTING OF ILLINOIS STUDENTS IN PERSPECTIVE by Dr.
Sandra S. Wright BTW, so far we have had no luck in getting the
reading levels for the new ISAT test evaluated for grade level so
those of you who are trying to do this, please persevere.  ...The
state decided to abandon the controversial multiple-right answer
format used in the IGAP in favor of a more straightforward multiple
choice format

Only 37% of 6th graders meet "state standards"

\doc\web\98\06\igap.txt
\clip\98\10\igap.txt full (c) text, not posted

Validity of IGAP scores questioned Associated Press Daily Herald
Saturday July 11, 1998 (Illinois test)
SPRINGFIELD- Last fall, the state\'s top educator called a five-year
tumble in scores on statewide reading tests \"a hemorrhage\".  Now
two developers of the tests say changes in scoring- not in
children\'s skills- may be to blame for the plunge. (scoring was 
changed after 5 years of rising scores, but perhaps it was caused
be ed reform like whole language?)

\clip\98\04\prarexam.txt Officials get some Prairie State Exam
answers Daily Herald-- Neighbor section Tuesday, Feb.10, 1998 [won't
be required to pass, but score will be noted on transcript]

http://www.iasb.com/files/LAWSURV.HTM What is the Prairie State
Achievement Examination?  Beginning with the 1999-2000 school year,
each high school will administer the state-developed and required
examination to its twelfth grade students. Recognition by the
Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is given to students whose
scores on the test are determined by ISBE to be excellent. 10:303 May
a student be denied a high school diploma by reason of a poor score
on the Prairie State Achievement test?  A student may not be denied a
diploma if he completes all other applicable high school graduation
requirements.

clip\97\30\estlou.txt 10-31-97 St. Louis Post-Dispatch *East St.
Louis Pupils Fall Lower on State Tests; More than 70 Percent Aren*t
Meeting Illinois Goals* [64% of 6th graders could not meet state
reading goals, on IGAP compared to 37% statewide]
http://web3.stlnet.com/archives/pdarc97.nsf/ce5cb66cf17fd8b686256363005212c4/d8a842eabb971dfc86256542005a6c85?OpenDocument

From: ILCHEC  12 Dec 1997 Is this illinois? I thought
they had the igap. >> We have the IGAPs, and have had them for years.
But recently passed legislation will produce "enhanced" IGAPs ---
these new tests will be performance- based, with few, if any, purely
academic questions.  Few will be assessed by machine, they will need
to be analyzed with a state-wide rubric as the grading guide, and
hand-graded by teachers and teachers' aides.  The labor costs will
soar, and the objectivity in assessment will dive.  Fran Eaton IL

From: mlljd@interaccess.com (Martin A. Kanofsky) The state
legislature just passed implementing the new Prairie State Test for
12 grade starting in the year 2000. Will this replace a diploma?  The
legislation says that those who pass the Prairie State Achievement
Test (performance-based granddaddy of all our new performance-based
assessments) will be the ones who receive a Prairie State Achievement
Award.  All those who do not pass the test of political-correctness
will merely receive a "regular diploma".... 

%%Prarie State Exam / ACT

ILLINOIS ADDS COLLEGE ACT TO HIGH SCHOOL EXIT REQUIREMENT
z46\clip\2000\10\illact.txt A test for Illinois athletes: NCAA flunks
state ACT October 30, 2000 BY ROSALIND ROSSI EDUCATION REPORTER
Illinois has been trying to establish new "world-class" state tests
for its public school students.  The Prairie State exam is the third
new state high school test in four years. Two years ago the state
abandoned an old test for a new test, and then opted to replace the
new test with the Prairie State for high school juniors only [which
includes the college ACT but given on a weekday, NCAA will require a
saturday]. 

%%Scores

30-40% FAIL ILLINOIS TESTS, BLACKS TWICE AS BAD
z56\clip\2002\07\illtest.txt
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0208010273aug01.story?coll=chi%2Dnews%2Dhed
August 1, 2002
Test scores surge for minorities
But whites still far ahead in state
Overall, the statewide results from the Illinois Standards Achievement
Test and the Prairie State Achievement Exam remained disappointing,
with at least 30 to 40 percent of students failing to meet state
standards on most of the tests.
On all but three tests, more than half [Chicago] pupils failed. ..Only
34 percent of black 3rd graders passed the state's reading exam, for
example, compared with 76 percent of their white counterparts.


@@Illinois 

WORKPLACE SKILLS ASSESSMENT 

\clip\98\16\iwsa.txt Illinois WORKPLACE SKILLS ASSESSMENT URL:
http://206.166.105.251:80/lberkman/97wps.htm The Illinois Workplace
Skills Assessment is a multiple-choice test that is designed to
assess student's knowledge of skills needed for success in the
workplace. The assessment was developed in response to the Carl D.
Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990
requirements, national reports such as the Secretary's Commission on
Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), and requests from commerce,
industry, and labor throughout Illinois.


@@Improvement


%%Hawthorne Effect

Hawthorne effect is when
numbers rise just because everybody is paying attention to raising a
single number being measured. Leon Todd says this is what causes
rising NAEP and other test scores. Kirkwood says that people put in
extra when they're being measured, but bounce back once the
microscope is removed.


@@Indiana


z48\clip\2001\03\wobbwasl.txt Seattle Times March 02, 2001 Editorial
Too early, too easy to give up on WASL Indiana suggests not. Their
"2008" was last year. The first time around, only 54 percent of
Indiana's Class of 2000 passed its new 10th-grade math and verbal
tests. By the fourth time - and lots of remedial work - 86 percent
passed the tests. After one more test, the final graduation rate last
June was 89.5 percent, the same as when Indiana had no test.  A
student who failed math could graduate with a "C" in each of a list
of core subjects

\clip\99\03\edclip02.txt Group seeks to eliminate ISTEP rule
Education panel votes to stop requiring a passing score on the
10th-grade exam to earn diploma.  By Thomas P. Wyman Indianapolis
Star/News Indiana House Democrats enlisted a powerful and unusual
coalition of school boards, superintendents, principals, and teachers
unions to challenge the 10th-grade ISTEP exam as a high school
graduation requirement. ISTEP graduation requirements mean many
students who maintain passing grades but cannot master the test will
be unfairly denied a high school diploma.


@@Instructional Validity
@@Curricular Validity

%%Graduation

EVALUATION SAYS CAL EXAM VALID FOR GRADUATION REQUIREMENT
"State
Board of Education Meeting Highlights" from 5/2003
http://www.cde.ca.gov/board/highlights/highlights0503.htm
"An independent evaluation of the California High School
Exit Exam (CAHSEE) has found that the exit exam is valid
and meets all nationally recognized test standards for use
as a graduation requirement."
All of HumRRO's reports on the CAHSEE are available
on the CDE (California Dept. of Education) web site, at:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/cahsee/eval/eval.html

TEST MUST BE VALID, AND TOLD IN ADVANCE	
Missouri NEA
Essentially, in the landmark Debra P. v. Turlington case (Florida, 
1976), students challenged the testing requirement as racially biased. The 
case “established two major requirements for diploma sanction testing: 
adequate notice and curricular validity. Adequate notice requires that 
students be told what a graduation test will cover several years before the 
test is implemented. Curricular validity means that the schools are teaching 
what is being tested; under Debra P., the state must collect data to 
demonstrate curricular validity” (Phillips, 1993). 

\clip\99\05\timss\timss.txt
Kappan Professional Journal
September 1998
URL: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbra9809.htm
Tinkering with TIMSS By Gerald W. Bracey
"Forgione was director of testing for the state of Connecticut for a
number of years. During his tenure, the minimum-competency-testing
madness swept the country, culminating, in one sense, with the 1978
ruling in Debra P. v. Turlington.  In that decision, the court held
that for a test to be used to qualify students for high school
graduation, the state had to prove that the test had instructional
validity. That is, the state had to show that students had had an
opportunity to learn the material tested...  ..issues were discussed
at considerable length in The Courts, Validity, and Minimum
Competency Testing, edited by George Madaus of Boston College they
stated, "If tests without instructional validity are being used for
certification, the students who fail such tests are being penalized
for the failures of the schools and teachers -- and not for their own
inadequacies. The rational basis for judging student performance in
school is undermined."



@@Iowa

IOWA STANDS CLEAR OF STAMPEDE TOWARDS "STANDARDS" BRAVO!
\clip\98\20\edclip03.txt
Iowa schools stand alone on standards Outsiders question the local
control that has served the state's children well.  By TOM CARNEY
Des Moines Iowa Register Staff Writer 12/28/1998
" Iowa is the only state without specific requirements for schools on
student achievement or uniform testing."



@@japan

Congratulations, Standards Based Education has managed to import
"Examination Hell" into the US from Japan.

FROM EXAMINATION HELL TO MOVING AWAY FROM HIGH SCORES FOR ALL The
struggle to create creativity Economist June 28, 1997 p. 46
..Japanese scores are high, but they fall in a narrow band. Median
American scores aren't as high but they have a broader band of good
and poor results. Just as US and UK are stressing the importance of
high achievement by all, reformers in Japan are moving in the other
direction. .. in favour of junking many of the practices that make
school life an "examination hell" for Japanese children. The rigid
reliance on testing deprives..  interests outside the core
curriculum.  Parents who want their kids in the best corporations
won't tinker with what has worked in the past.

Long Document details of why TAAS is
weak in math, has Japan examples.

Sailer talks about exam hell in
Japan, which is the sort of system Standards Based Education claims
to emulate vs. the hated SAT

@@Job Requirements

ONLY 20% OF JOBS REQUIRE COLLEGE, 5% HIGHER MATH /SCI
link
There is a surplus of well-educated people for jobs that require
higher levels of education and training. 3. A majority of jobs in the
American workforce require only short-term (45%) or moderate length
(10%) on the job training or experience. About 20% of jobs might
require a bachelor's degree or more. 5. About 5% of jobs in the 2000s
might require higher math and science course work - Center for the
Study of Jobs & Education in Wisconsin And the United States 122 High
stakes testing in math and science for promotion or graduation in
public elementary and secondary schools is child abuse.  By Dennis W.
redovich November 2002 Table I Employment 2000, U.S. BLS Projected
Employment 2010, BLS 2000 Average Earnings & Education and Training
for Top 46 Occupations with at least 800,000 Jobs in 2010 In the
United States



@@Kansas

Kansas State Report Card School Year 1995-96
http://ict.feist.com/usd259/rc/rc133.htm Statewide Mathematics Test:
The mathematics assessments were given to fourth-, seventh- and
tenth-graders. The tests measured problem-solving abilities (real
life situation problems with no immediately apparent answer),
mathematical reasoning abilities (mathematical understanding used to
create solutions) and mathematical communications skills (the ability
to communicate mathematical information to others) Standard of
excellence =75, state average = 50-59

PERFORMANCE TEST TO BE OPTIONAL
http://www.wichitaeagle.com/extras/gradingschools/overhaul1214_txt.htm
\clip\97\29\asses.txt [KANSAS] Assessment tests are getting major
overhaul The material may have significant changes starting in
1998-99 school year.  By Bill Bartel The Wichita Eagle 12/14/97

Kansas '97 sample questions These
test questions are very straightforward applications of what is
taught in school.

City schools
http://www.wichitaeagle.com/extras/gradingschools/scores1214_txt.htm
Last year, only 19 percent of Wichita's schools had math scores that
were at or above the state average. This year, 28 percent of USD 259
schools scored higher than the state average in math.

The Wichita district lagged behind suburban and Catholic neighbors
with only 51 percent of its scores at the state average in science.

\clip\97\29\cath.htm Catholic school scores
http://www.wichitaeagle.com/extras/gradingschools/catholic1215.htm

Suburban schools
http://www.wichitaeagle.com/extras/gradingschools/suburban1215.htm
c:\clip\97\29\suburb.htm


@@Kentucky (KIRIS -> CATS)
@@KIRIS

KIRIS is a criterion referenced state-developed test that is the
centerpiece of its reform program. It is horrendously expensive, ($1
billion dollars over 6 years) has suffered major scoring booboos, has
been declared invalid and flawed by UCLA.

Reform proponents point to increasing test scores as proof that
reform works, but a Rand stduy concludes most increases are
artificially inflated by teaching to the test, and not supported by
naep or act test increases.

KIRIS is unique in that it does not have ANY mulitple choice
questions, and shows rising scores, while SAT, ACT, and military
tests show achievement going down. Opponents want to use a nationally
norm-referenced test. CATS is basically a renamed KIRIS to deflect
negative publicity over KIRIS.

See the RAND report that finds KIRIS was completely 
bogus.

Full detail
is available at the KDE web site
(http://www.kde.state.ky.us/KirisResults/Download.html). 

%%CATS

Critics say the CATS will just be a renamed version of KIRIS which
suffered an ignomious death.

Kentucky Dept of Education
http://www.kde.state.ky.us/default.asp?m=142
Reliable and valid scores will be used for school and student
accountability.  Teachers will be extensively involved in designing
and scoring the test.  Results of a nationally normed test might be
used in accountability.  The format will reduce testing times for
schools and students.  A way to measure the progress of individual
students over time will be solicited.  Test results will be reported
to schools and districts in a more timely fashion.

%%Correlation

Oregon Test does not have a valid
construction process, Kentucky similar problems

KIRIS POOR COLLEGE PREDICTOR COMPARED TO ACT
Richard G. Innes KIRIS got ratings
no higher than .38, and one score, for Math, actually was -0.02!  In
essence, KIRIS is a non-predictor of college work.  the GPA awarded
by teachers earned ratings no higher than 0.48,

%%Cost

Est of cost
Cunningham: Kentucky's custom-made, constructed response assessment
cost between $750 and $1500 per student tested.  (including costs
of grading, administering test too)


%%Critics

4-12-2000 Lexington Herald-Leader Once upon a time, Kentucky's
education system was declared unconstitutional.  KERA celebrates a
decade By Linda B. Blackford, Herald-Leader Education Writer
FRANKFORT -- Even 10 years ago, in the hectic last days of a
legislative session, lawmakers knew they had something big on their
hands. It was a 900-page bill that would overturn just about
everything in Kentucky's schools, from how schools were funded to how
children were taught. 

SERIES ON KERA, CATS, KIRIS TEST AND ACCOUNTABILITY FAILURES
z40\clipim\2000\04\kyfail.txt
Money gap shrinks between rich, poor districts
KERA's main goal is to meet financial needs of students 12 April 2000
By Steve Vied Messenger-Inquirer The Kentucky Education Reform Act of
1990 shook the commonwealth's system of elementary and secondary
schools to its very foundation.

NAEP GAINS HELPED BY EXCLUDING SP ED STUDENTS
KENTUCKY SHOWS GAINS ONLY IN THEIR OWN TESTS
\clip\99\09\edclip01.txt Friday, March 12, 1999 Omitting special ed
kids may have aided Ky. scores BY ANDREA TORTORA The Cincinnati
Enquirer 
WASHINGTON The three Southern states, including Kentucky, that
enjoyed big gains in national reading scores released last week may
have been helped by the high rate at which they excluded special
education students. 
Kentucky education officials, who for the past 10 years have carried
out the nation's most ambitious education reform experiment. However,
until last week's reading scores were released, Kentucky had seen no
improvements in national tests, only in their state tests. 
[This is more proof that state reform movements create their own
tests which are guaranteed to show inflated improvement claims, not
create real gains]

\clip\99\06\edclip09.txt February 18, 1999, in the Herald-Leader
Study says test scores slow to match funding By Linda B. Blackford
HERALD-LEADER EDUCATION WRITER Kentucky's 1990 education reforms have
almost completely equalized funding between school districts, but the
state is making slower progress in student achievement...\ the
increase in performance, we haven't gotten there yet, Although scores
have risen steadily on Kentucky's statewide test, scores on the NAEP
have remained mostly stable.

"OUTSTANDING" KIRIS SCHOOL IS BELOW AVERAGE
\DOC\WEB\98\10\kirisno.txt

CUNNINGHAM- GOAL IS 100% "PROFICIENT" IN 15 YEARS, NOW ONLY 5-13% e:\doc\web\98\10\gcunn.txt Full detail
is available at the KDE web site
(http://www.kde.state.ky.us/KirisResults/Download.html).  These
percentages represent mostly Proficient performance because hardly
any students are at the Distinguished level.  
Almost all of the growth about which the Kentucky Department of
Education is so proud came from students moving from the Novice to
the Apprentice level.  To expect that the above numbers will all be
100 in fifteen years is nothing short of ludicrous.  


RAND STUDY FINDS KIRIS GAINS "IMPLAUSIBLE" AND "INFLATED"
\doc\web\98\10\kiribad.txt
web http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1014/
filed zip29\clipim\98\12\09\kiris\kiris.htm
You can order the entire report for $15.

Dr. Daniel M. Koretz, a "national-class" testing expert, shows that
critics of KIRIS were dead right.  The RAND team found serious
inflation when KIRIS results were compared to results on the ACT (a
college entrance test similar to the SAT) and the National Assessment
of Education Progress. 

INTERPRETATIONS OF FINDINGS
Taken together, the external evidence and internal evidence suggest
clear inflation of score gains in mathematics. Many KIRIS gains were
implausibly large, and all external comparisons showed either no
increases in mathematics on other assessments or increases that were
far smaller than those on KIRIS. Changes in item difficulty over time
and differences in performance between new and reused items were
generally consistent with a hypothesis of inflation and created a
sawtooth pattern—an increase in performance on reused items followed
by a decrease in performance on new items—in both grades. Moreover,
the modest tendency for the discrepancy between performance on new
and reused items to be larger in high-gain schools suggests that
item-specific coaching may have contributed to inflation of scores.

p. xiii: All schools were expected to have all students proficient at
the end of 20 years regardless of current score. (100 score).
Performance was set without regard to current performance. A typical
school would have to show improvement of 2 standard deviations over
20 years, the difference between 8th grade US and highest scoring
Japan in math is is only 1 SD. Some schools met this goal in only ONE
year. Between 1992 and 1993, the entire state reading gained by 1.3
SD, math and science about 0.5 SD. In secondary grades, gains were
about 0.5 SD. THE SIMPLE SIZE OF THE LARGER OF THE KIRIS GAINS RAISES
QUESTIONS ABOUT ITS VALIDITY.

\clip\98\04\edbrief2.txt 2/15/98 Lexington Herald Leader Commentary
KIRIS is flawed and based on false premises By Wayne S. Lewis I am
wholeheartedly opposed to the KIRIS testing system, a major component
of the Kentucky Education Reform Act.
	
\doc\web\98\06\textest.txt
TEXAS NAEP MIXED RESULTS
KENTUCKY DOWN IN ALL 3 TESTS

%%KERA

State reform law
z40\clip\2000\04\kera.txt A New Direction KERA changes way schools
teach, students learn 10 April 2000 By Mark Cooper Messenger-Inquirer
Looking for physical evidence of the Kentucky Education Reform Act
(KERA) in schools is more frustrating than looking for Carmen
Sandiego without the clues.
Inness says it's all an illusion 
with no real progress.

%%New Standards

Date sent:        Mon, 9 Mar 1998 22:44:49 -0500
From:             "Richard G. Innes" <70224.434@compuserve.com>
Kentucky was a New Standards member state, probably the launch state, for
that matter.  We know NS questions were embedded in our KIRIS test several
years ago.  So, we were NS guinea pigs.
Our KIRIS, which is NS all the way, has consistently failed to correlate to
other testing results for Kentucky students:  NAEP, CTBS/CAT, PSAT, SAT,
DOD entrance testing, you name it.  
Richard Innes  

%%Race

WHITE FEMALES HIGHEST, WHITE M/BLACK F IN MIDDLE
z47\clip\2001\01\kytest.txt
http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/011201/statedocs/12achievementgap.htm
January 12, 2001, in the Herald-Leader 6 school districts taking on
`achievement gap' Fayette part of effort to raise black students'
test scores By Charles Wolfe ASSOCIATED PRESS FRANKFORT Six school
districts have pledged to attack one insidious aspect of public
education the ``achievement gap'' that is reflected in test scores
that show black students consistently lagging behind their white
peers. As a group, white females are the highest achievers and black
males the lowest. White males and black females are fairly close to
each other in the middle


@@Kindergarten

5/2000 Alex Molnar, Professor of Education will discuss kindergarten
standardized testing on Wisconsin Public Radio from 6 a.m. until 7 on
Friday.  He's against it.  I wrote a crummy letter to the editor
published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 14 edition in which I
bashed the absurdity of administering standardized tests to 5 year
olds.  Brian LeCloux

Washington Kindergarten Readiness
standards
From 18 months to 36 months, children should be able to:
        *       Experiment with the effect of their own actions on objects.
From 36 months to 60 months, children should be able to:
        *       Identify objects that influence or affect other objects.
For example, "The sun makes the ice melt."
        *       Ask "why" questions to show effort at understanding cause
 and effect.

DISCUSS TESTING FROM KINDERGARTEN
z41\clip\2000\05\mpstest.txt
MPS to consider plan for earlier standardized testing
By Joe Williams of the Journal Sentinel staff Last Updated: May 9,
2000 Milwaukee Public Schools administrators tonight will present a
controversial plan to the School Board that would begin standardized
testing earlier and more often as a way to better measure student
performance.
Is kindergarten too early for standardized testing?  
 Yes (80.4%)   
No (19.6%)   

@@Kozol, Jonathan

z41\clip\2000\05\kozol.txt ALL CHILDREN NEED MORE THAN TEST-TAKING
SKILLS. PET BURIALS, FOR INSTANCE.  May 22, 2000 The Details of Life
by JONATHAN KOZOL
http://www.thenation.com/issue/000522/0522kozol.shtml I know the
fairly hard-nosed attitudes that govern social policy in urban
neighborhoods today and can anticipate that this may be perceived as
a preposterous distraction from the bottom-line concerns with
"discipline" and "rigor" and "job preparation" and "high standards"
and what is now known as "high-stakes testing" and the rest of the
severe agenda that has recently been put in place for inner-city
kids. 



@@Innes
[[Innes, Richard G 

Richard G. Innes <70224.434@compuserve.com>

Outspoken critic of KIRIS tests, also credited for pointing out
flaws in NAEP claims of improvement.

Doubts Rand report texas top,
cal bottom based on NAEP.

Word .doc format
Innes on fradulent rise in NAEP
scores The Troubling Situation With The 1998 National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP) 4th Grade Reading Assessment

Innes says KIRIS people came up
with bogus finding that NAEP gains were genuine in Kentucky.

\clip\99\11\innes.txt Christian Science Monitor May 18, 1999 Parent
spots flaw in national test Using data available over the Internet,
Mr. Innes argued that gains in some states, including Kentucky, were
the result of excluding higher numbers of students with learning
disabilities.

NAEP GAINS HELPED BY EXCLUDING SP ED STUDENTS
\clip\99\09\edclip01.txt Friday, March 12, 1999 Omitting special ed
kids may have aided Ky. scores BY ANDREA TORTORA The Cincinnati
Enquirer WASHINGTON The first to point out the special education
issue was Kentucky education critic and commercial pilot Dick Innes,
who crunches education data on the side.

\clip\98\05\kirino.txt Richard Innes finds KIRIS question has no
correct response. Editorial, Cincinatti Enquirer 2/20/98 "KIRIS
Questions put to the test"

Kiris similar to WA test in that it
was created to make a atmosphere of crisis, did not stay within
curriculum guidelines, deliberately graded down to allow "room for
improvement"

State Audit shows KIRIS test has
been getting easier in order to show progress.

[[Cunningham, George

Kiris not specific enough to
enforce benchmarks, slavish attention to NTCM style puzzles.

KIRIS to be reformed beyond recognition
and invalidated.
1. Reference to performance assessment has been eliminated.
2. Writing portfolios can not be used in school accountability scores.
3. Accountability scores must include scores from standardized tests.
4. All past results are voided.
5.  New rewards and sanctions can not be imposed until 2002.
6.  The accountability and testing systems must be rebuilt.



%%News

END OF KIRIS STILL SAYS MOST SCHOOL SHOWED PROGRESS
\clip\98\18\edclip03.txt KIRIS test ends 7-year run with good news,
bad news Most schools improve but some scores fall By Linda B.
Blackford HERALD-LEADER EDUCATION WRITER In five years, the
proportion of high school students scoring in the lowest bracket in
reading declined from nearly 60 percent to 16 percent. 

\clip\98\04\newscli8.txt 2/14/98 Lexington Herald Leader Editorial No
retreat on reform (keep the KIRIS, we need reform no matter how badly
screwed up the test was)


\clip\98\04\newscli4.txt 2/11/98 Lexington Herald Leader Bill up for
vote would revamp KIRIS testing By Linda B. Blackford HERALD-LEADER
EDUCATION WRITER Kentucky's school testing program would keep its
soul but get a new name, a new boss and several new parts in the
latest version of a compromise bill being hammered out in the General
Assembly.


\clip\98\04\kirkflop.txt 2/6/98 Lexington Herald Leader Commentary
Problems with KIRIS test erode public's support for reforms By Gex
"Jay" Williams Kentucky's accounting system doesn't work and isn't
fair, KIRIS isn't usable when it changes every year, and isn't even
valid for one year.

KIRIS IN REAL TROUBLE, COULD WA BE NEXT?  \clip\98\03\kiris3.txt
1/29/98 Lexington Herald Leader Lawmakers seek ways to fix KIRIS Bill
calls for suspending test (WA's zarelli is doing the same thing, but
does the Seattle Times cover it? Noooooooooooo.)  By Linda B.
Blackford HERALD-LEADER EDUCATION WRITER

BILL WOULD KILL KIRIS, UCLA SAYS TEST FLAWED, INVALID, START OVER
AGAIN
\clip\98\03\kirifail.txt 1/24/98 Lexington Herald Leader Lawmakers
struggle to save KIRIS test from outright ban By Linda B. Blackford
HERALD-LEADER EDUCATION WRITER "To change the assessment now would be
a radical mistake." [the test IS a radical mistake!]  Sen. Gex "Jay"
Williams, R-Verona has Senate Bill 113 would suspend the test for a
year and replace it with a standardized test

\clip\98\03\kirifai2.txt BY PATRICK CROWLEY The Cincinnati Enquirer
1/27/98 Williams lobbies for changes in school testing

2/4/98 gkcunn01@ulkyvm.louisville.edu One of the strongest criticism
of Kentucky's KIRIS was written by a professor and another educator
who are very progressive.  Their criticism was aimed at the STW
aspects of the assessment program.  The article appeared in the Phi
Delta Kappan in the fall.


$1 BILLION FOR KIRIS BUT NO
EVIDENCE OF IMPROVMENT.

KIRIS was supposed to be set to
NAEP but KIRIS goes up while NAEP scores are stagnant

Dec 10, 1997 Education Week Ky. Test Scores Up as KIRIS Criticism
Lingers \clip\98\01\kiris\kiris.htm

KENTUCKY SCORES UP
http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/120597/n21kiris.html
\clip\97\29\kentuk.txt Lexington Herald-Leader 12/5/97 " In June, the
department admitted that scores for nearly all elementary and middle
schools in 1996 - more than 1,000 schools in all - had been
miscalculated by the state's contractor, Advanced Systems of New
Hampshire.  "

Complete scores 12/978
http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/kera97/kera97index.html

KENTUCKY SAYS 3RD BEST SCHOOL IS IN TROUBLE BECAUSE IT IS NOT
IMPROVING \clip\97\29\account.txt State may change the way it
evaluates test results By Linda B. Blackford Lexington KY
Herald-Leader Education Writer 
http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/120597/n22test.html

http://www2.southwind.net/~educate/bob95.html Wednesday, October 1,
1997 Would-Be National Testers Disparage English and Computation By
Robert Holland Kentucky has been the model state for the Clintonites'
attempted trashing of objective testing in favor of
"performance-based assessment." That kind of yardstick supposedly
measures students' "thinking skills" as opposed to the core knowledge
that is necessary for any so-called "critical thinking" to be more
than uninformed opinion.  National testing experts lambasted the
Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) two years
ago as an invalid gauge of student achievement.  Finally, last June,
the wheels came off completely when Cody had to terminate the
contract with the creator of KIRIS because of gross errors in rating
the achievement of the state's pupils. 

From: 70224.434@compuserve.com (Richard G. Innes) To All ECC & Loop,
Our Education Commissioner has just sent a rather extraordinary
letter to all teachers proclaiming the entire nation accepts the
KIRIS test as a valid assessment!

From: CMMEHuss@aol.com Obviously, Wilmer Cody has not bothered to ask
all Kentucky teachers if they think that the KIRIS tests are valid!
Or maybe he doesn't count us as part of the nation.  MEH, KY teacher

%%Portfolio

KIRIS finds portfolio grading to
be very unreliable, off by at least one grade


@@ITBS

Iowa Test of Basic Skills, traditional multiple choice, computer
scored test, dropped in favor of controversial WASL by Washington
state after 2005.

\doc\web\2005\06\itbs05.xls
Analysis by Arthur Hu
Washington ITBS Scores 1999-2005


                Reading                 Mathematics
                    1999    2004    2005    1999    2004    2005
Third Grade
All students          55      58      58      60      67      66
Native American       39      43      46      43      50      52
Asian                 49      57      58      67      75      76
African American      39      46      45      40      49      48
Hispanic              28      32      33      36      43      43
White                 60      63      63      64      72      71
Asians up 5 pts to equal state average in reading, but still lags whites by 5.
Asians beat whites in math 76 to 71. Hispanics lowest at 43
Blacks only 5 pts shy in reading, 2 pts shy of 50 average in math

Sixth Grade     Reading                 Mathematics
                    1999    2004    2005    1999    2004    2005
All students          54      55      55      56      58      58
Native American       36      42      41      38      43      43
Asian                 50      54      55      64      68      68
African American      36      39      40      35      38      40
Hispanic              28      31      31      34      37      37
White                 59      61      61      60      62      62
Asians have also reached state average in sixth grade, up 5 pts in reading
Asians beat whites 68 to 62 in math, Hispanics 37 is lowest score
By 6th grade, blacks fall from 46/48 to  40/40 in reading/math compared to 61/62 white
(By comparison, IQ and tests like WASL put blacks at 15-20th percentile)

Source: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Seattle Times table 6/14/2005 p. B4

e:\clip\2005\06\itbswa.txt Seattle Times June 14, 2005
State students' scores change little 
By Linda Shaw Seattle Times staff reporter 
Washington's scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills stayed steady
this year, the last year that students in third and sixth grades will
take the exams.



@@Lake Wobegon Effect

Test score inflation effect named for Lake Wobegon, Garrison
Keillor's mythical Minnesota community, the women are strong, the men
are good looking and the children are all above average. In the
1980s, a researcher found that most districts were claiming to be
above average. A 1989 article uses this problem to justify test of
what "students should know and be expected to do".

Comment: Most districts will score at or near average simply because
most students go to the large districts, so scores around average
won't tell you much. However, scores above 80 and below 30 pretty
much consistently tell you which districts are far above or below
average. This "effect" is largely responsible for the even more
destructive use of"criterion based" testing where expectations are
set with NO relationship to how actual children perform, thus the
test so hard that "everyone scored below average".

ROOTS OF REJECTION OF MEDIAN = GRADE LEVEL FOR "AGREED UPON STANDARDS"
Lessons Edward B. Fiske New York Times July 11, 1989
z39\clipim\99\12\12\average.gif New York Times .. grade level can be
misleading.. instead of the levelf of what students in the grade
should be achieving, it is a midpoint with half of the students above
and below...  confusion... can be seen as an argument for setting
national standards for setting national standards of what _students
at each grade level should know and be able to do_ Then ... could
rate schools on how many of their students can function at the agreed
upon levels [Who'd guess the result would be everybody flunking
because nobody can agree on what everybody should know - that's why
we started with the curve!]

The Lake Wobegon Effect Students
get used to old norms on tests.

Giving Equity a Chance in the Excellence Game Harold Howe II Harvard
Grad School of Education "The intepretation of the meaning of test
scores by politicians has some comical aspects, including the concept
that all students should achieve at above average levels. The only
place this happens is Lake Wobegon ... where all the children are
above average... a similar idea is that all children should be
reading at grade level -- like the belief that all football teams
should win all their games". The Great School Debate Which Way for
American Education Edited by Beatrice and Ronald Gross (c) 1985
Touchstone book




NY TIMES NEW TEST MANIA: RETURN OF THE WOBEGON EFFECT?
\clip\99\12\average.txt
http://www10.nytimes.com/library/review/062099educ-review.html New
York Times June 20, 1999 New Math: No One Is Below Average By ANEMONA
HARTOCOLLIS "Dr. Cannell surveyed school districts across the country
and found that most of them reported their students scoring above the
national average on standardized tests -- something that any
high-school math student would dismiss as statistically impossible."
[warns that officials have ways to manipulate test scores to make
them look good]


@@Law


NC BANS USE OF TEST SCORE FOR RETENTION
z62\clip\2002\12\ncpath.txt
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/17_02/IBM172.shtml
'McDonald's or IBM' 
In North Carolina, eighth graders are forced to make decisions that
will impact the rest of their lives
Winter 2002/2003
"Recently, due to public pressure, a law was passed forbidding the use
of standardized test scores as the sole criterion for student
retention in North Carolina."

z45\clip\2000\10\wellston.txt Oct 2000 National Council of Teachers
of English Endorses "Fairness and Accuracy in Student Testing Act"
This legislation is a significant step toward bringing sanity to the
high-stakes testing movement. —NCTE Executive Director Faith
Schullstrom 

Here's an excellent resource for looking up current actions on Senate and
House Bills
 THOMAS -- U.S. Congress on the Internet
http://thomas.loc.gov/

s.460 A BILL To provide for
fairness and accuracy in high stakes educational decisions for
students. by Wellstone

S.2348
Sponsor: Sen Wellstone, Paul D. (introduced 4/4/2000)
Related Bills: H.R.4333
Latest Major Action: 4/4/2000 Referred to Senate committee
Title: A bill to provide for fairness and accuracy in student testing.


Excerpted from NY Times obituary for Paul Wellstone.  Often, Mr.
Wellstone was the only senator voting against a measure, or one of
only a few. He was, for instance, one of three senators in 1999 to
support compromise missile defense legislation. He was the only one
that year to vote against an education bill involving standardized
tests, and the only Democrat who opposed his party's version of
lowering the estate tax.




@@Learning Record

Home: http://www.learningrecord.org

Ed-reform Goals 2000 aligned assessment system said to be favored over 
standardized testing by progressives.



@@Links

Washington
Educational Research Association  Assessment group based in
Washington, many assessment links.

FairTest They're against 
valid tests like the SAT, but killing OBE tests is a good start.

Good anti-MCAS page


@@Louisiana
@@LEAP

Louisiana has the LEAP, a criterion referenced test, a section must
be passed to graduate from high school, or be advanced past grade 4

LOUISIANA REQUIRES 4TH GRADERS TO BE HELD BACK IF NOT PASS TEST
z41\clip\2000\05\leap.txt Schools BESE changes rule on holding
students back By WILL SENTELL Capitol News Bureau Fourth-grade
students who struggle with school work should not be required by the
state to repeat the grade more than once, Louisiana's top school
board has decided.  We have a small victory for eight graders. They
will not be required to repeat a grade as long as they do remedial
work. BESE changed its rule last week. However, fourth graders, our
youngest public school students must repeat grade four if they don't
pass the test.

\clip\99\07\edclip03.txt Tests taking LEAP forward in difficulty
students Times Picayune students will have to correctly answer half
the test questions in both math and English to achieve approaching
basic. Ninety percent correct in either subject will be deemed
advanced.  State officials expect 35 percent of Louisiana's public
school students to fail the new LEAP test in its first year and 25
percent to demonstrate skills approaching basic (60% below standard!)
Some parents voiced concern that consistent grading of such a test
will be difficult

LOUISIANA EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM Given in grades 3, 5 and 7.
Required by state.  Measures students' abilities in math and language
arts against state criteria. Score represents the percentage who
pass.  A separate five-part section of the LEAP, called the Graduate
Exit Exam, is given to high school students, who must pass it to
graduate. 


@@Lower Bar

ARIZONA, TEXAS LOWER THE BAR - DON'T SET A GOAL THAT NO SCHOOL HAS REACHED
z68\clip\2003\07\lowbar.txt
Academic bar lowered to get schools on track
Maggie Galehouse
The Arizona Republic
July 14, 2003
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0714oddmatch14.html
"What does concern him is that the federal government expects all students 
to be performing at a proficient level by 2014, regardless of income, race 
and English proficiency.
"We should not set a goal for all schools that is so high that no school 
has yet achieved it," Linn said.
"


@@Low Scores

Across the nation, the buzz is warning about low test scores expected
of first year "raising the standard" tests.

Also see public relations addressing how to sell these low scores.

ONLY 33% OF NY CITY, 48% OF STATE PASS NY READING TEST
http://www.edweek.org/ search: standards assessments
\clip\99\12\nytest.txt Poor Districts Fare Worst On N.Y. Assessment
By Caroline Hendrie Around the country, states have been hit by
similarly weak first-year scores as they institute more rigorous
assessments linked to revamped standards. The results often come as a
shock to schools and the public, even though education leaders seek
to dampen expectations beforehand by stressing that the initial
scores should be seen as starting points for improvement. ("Panel To
Probe Validity of N.Y.  Reading Test," Feb. 3, 1999.) 



@@Maine

MEA test abandoned totally
open response questions, example given of kicking ball (ridiculous
rubric)


@@MALDEF

Mexican American Legal Defence Fund sued state of Texas 
because TAAS test denies diplomas to Mexican Americans.

http://www.maldef.org/TAAS/PostTrialBrief.htm
z39\clipim\2000\03\maldef\maldef.htm

San Francisco Regional Office (covers Washington)
660 Market Street, Suite 206
San Francisco, CA 94104
415.248-5803
415.248-5816 Fax


@@Manipulation

Manipulating data to show
improvement read the Appendix XXVI in Charlotte's book. It is
called "Shamanistic Rituals in Effective Schools" by Brian Rowan,
colleague of Spady. In this paper which he presented in 1984, he
tells how the educrat reformers "massage" the data to "prove"
effective results. It is an extremely revealing look into the
backroom management of educational research data for public
manipulation.



@@Maryland MSPAP
@@MSPAP (RIP)
@@MSA


Maryland's test scores are not released to individual students or
parents, has no multiple choice questions. It has raised protests
from parents and teachers. Fairtest calls it the best state test in
the country, but less than half of students pass "satisfactory".

March 2001: Grasmick announces that "standards based" tests will be
replaced by traditional tests. It's DEAD for all practical purposes.

In the best Kent county, only 60% of students met the state standard.

rigorous 70% satisfactory mark was established when the tests were
begun in 1993.

MSDE website at www.msp.msde.state.md.us
Baltimore 5th grade math state satisfactory standard of 70%                                                               																		 

MSPAP Satisfactory: Grade 5 - Mathematics					                          																		 
                     Percent of Students								                          																		 
  1993   1994    1995    1996    1997   1998    1999    2000  CTBS			                          																		 
  11.8   13.3    16.7    13.2    13.6   13.5    16.2    20.5  26		                          																		 
Alexander Hamilton
  1.4     0.0     1.6    16.3     7.7    1.3    14.8    33.3  23 
Kent county
  30.7   38.7    31.1    53.8    52.5   49.0    52.7    48.9
Montgomery
  59.6   60.7    59.6    61.1    63.2   61.9    61.2    60.4  70

%%Critic

HSA: HIGH STAKES TESTING STILL AN AREA FOR PIONEERS
z68\clipim\2003\07\07\ed_highstakes_703.pdf
ABell Foundation: High Risk or High Time?
July 14, 2003 - In the next six months, the Maryland State Board of
Education will decide whether to raise the stakes by making passing
scores on the new more rigorous High School Assessments (HSAs) a
condition for graduation.
as more and more states have entered the high-stakes testing arena,
numerous studies and reports with conflicting evidence give the Board even more
fodder for its decision-making this summer and beyond. It is clear from the lack of
concrete answers to the questions posed to and by the Board that high-stakes testing
is still an arena for pioneers.
The Graduation Requirement Dilemma
Maryland is not alone in delaying its new graduation requirement, nor is it to be
admonished for doing so, given the potential impact it will have on many students.
Indeed below is a sampling of states at similar impasses in implementing graduation
requirements:
• Alaska has postponed requirement due to high failure rates.
• Arizona has postponed implementation of the requirement four times.
• California has just decided to postpone its requirement for two more years.
• Florida lowered the passing scores for math and reading, and waived requirement
for special education.
• Massachusetts also lowered scores for passing and issued waivers.
• Michigan offers multiple types of diplomas for different levels of achievement.
• New York has added a waiver/appeal process.
• Wisconsin has made the requirement optional for school districts.


COMPLEX ASSESSMENTS PERCEIVED AS UNFAIR, INVALID AND UNREALISTIC
The Education Policy Analysis Archives is a peer-reviewed scholarly
journal freely accessible of the internet at http://epaa.asu.edu.
EPAA has just published Volume 11 Number 3 " The Limits of Sanctions
in Low-Performing Schools: A Study of Maryland and Kentucky Schools
on Probation" by Heinrich Mintrop.
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n3.html
Heinrich Mintrop
University of California, Los Angeles
The article reports on a study of 11 schools that were labeled as
low-performing by the state accountability systems of Maryland and
Kentucky, nationally known for complex performance-based assessments.
The study shows that putting schools on probation only weakly motivated
teachers because the assessments were largely perceived as **unfair,
invalid, and unrealistic **

MSPAP TO BE REPLACED BY MULTIPLE CHOICE
z55\clip\2002\04\endmsp.txt Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 10:30:53 -0400
Maryland school test is dropped MSPAP to be replaced, fails to meet
new federal standards, officials say; Current round of testing is
last; New performance exam likely to be a commercial product By Mike
Bowler [Baltimore] Sun Staff April 25, 2002 ..scores on the new test
will be made available to individual students, a requirement of the
new federal law, and the new test will include "objective"
multiple-choice questions.

3RD GRADE MSPAP IS DEVELOPMENTALLY INAPPROPRIATE
z55\clip\2002\03\Testing tests Testing tests Vaishali Honawar THE
WASHINGTON TIMES Published 3/10/2002 "The third-grade test is
developmentally inappropriate. What children have to answer is very
difficult," he said.  Mr. Catania said the MSPAPs carry with them a
great deal of stress.

MARYLAND SCRAPS STANDARDS BASED MSPAP FOR TRADITIONAL TESTS
z55\clip\2002\03\mspform.txt
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5256-2002Mar10.html
Once-Lauded MSPAP Undermined by Format 
Grasmick has all but scrapped this year's eighth-grade version of
the MSPAP and announced plans to ultimately replace the test with a
far more traditional exam.

WASHINGTON TIMES: PROBLEM IS FLAWED TEST, NOT DECLINING SCORES
Z55\CLIP\2002\02\MSPAP.TXT
http://asp.washtimes.com/printarticle.asp?action=print&ArticleID=20020217-200312
The Washington Times
http://www.washtimes.com
The MSPAP mishap
House Editorial
Published 2/17/2002 
If the Evers panel has it correct, the real problem with the MSPAP
isn't the declining student scores, but the fact that the test itself
is flawed.

z55\clip\2002\01\mspscor.txt
MSPAP Grading Shocked Teachers
Even Wrong Answers Could Earn Points 
By Brigid Schulte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 4, 2002; Page B01 
she and other teachers were trained to look for key
words. If the students used the words, they would get credit, even if
the answer was wrong or made no sense. Answers that were perfectly
sound but lacking the key words got a zero.


MSPAP GRADES ON PROCESS, NOT KNOWLEDGE z54\clip\2001\11\recyc.txt
http://www.edweek.org/ew/newstory.cfm?slug=10neumark.h21 Education
Week November 7, 2001 Recycled Modern Theory By Tom Neumark Education
Week Equipping students with vague concepts and weak skills is not
the foundation for lifelong learning.  the statewide testing program
that is long on process and short on content.

On the MSPAP, students are graded more on the process used to arrive
at answers than on whether their answers are correct.
BALTIMORE SUN: SOMETHING WRONG WITH THESE TESTS
z53\clip\2001\10\mspapno.txt
http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.mspap11oct11.story?coll=bal%2Dlocal%2Dheadlines
Parents, educators criticize MSPAP They seek changes to testing
format By Howard Libit Sun Staff
October 11, 2001
Maryland ought to look at using more traditional, multiple-choice
exams.  "There is something wrong with these tests," said Zalee
Harris, a Prince George's County education activist. "This can't go
on." 

A WONDERFUL BUT FLAWED TEST??
z52\clip\2001\10\mspap2.txt Education Beat: Mike Bowler, Baltimore
Sun Oct 3, 2001 THE ABELL Foundation ...find Maryland's testing
program to be well-conceived and well-executed...  can it be an
assessment tool and a model for classroom instruction at the same
time? "It seems impossible for an assessment system to achieve both
purposes."  .. no evidence MSPAP measures higher-level thinking
skills.. .. heavy reliance on writing might be distorting scores.

BIG MSPAP REPORT: MSPAP IS GREAT BUT....
z52\clipim\2001\10\01\mspap.pdf
http://www.abell.org/pdf_pubs/HambletonReport.pdf Our findings
regarding selected psychometric aspects of MSPAP are generally
positive. The state and its test contractor have done a good to
excellent job of delivering, scoring, and reporting complex
assessment materials. Many aspects of the process are
state-of-the-art in the assessment field.

...The timing of the administration of the assessment is out of step
with the delivery of the subject matter content in the classroom,
there was no direct evidence that we saw that demonstrates that the
tasks are measuring higher level thinking skills, there appears to be
a confounding of the assessment of higher level thinking skills with
writing skills, non-standardized testing conditions due to the
pre-assessment activities are used, questions remain about the
developmental level of the tasks in the assessment...
There is also one major shortcoming and that is the failure, to date,
to compile what the panel believes to be a sufficient amount of
validity evidence to support the multiple intended uses of the MSPAP.

In MSPAP, constructed response is the only format used and writing
skills are important in large parts of the assessment. NAEP takes a
maximum of 90 minutes of a student™s time.  MSPAP may require nine
hours. It is almost certainly the case too that ihsatisfactorylI on
the MSPAP is not identical to ioproficiencyll on the NAEP.

percent of Maryland students performing at the satisfactory level has
increased from 31.7% in 1993 to 44.1% in 1998.

If it is unknown whether the content has actually been taught, then
interpretation of low test scores becomes problematic. At Grade 3,
for example, over 50% of the teachers indicated that the material
related to mathematics would be taught later in the school year.

MOST TEACHERS BELIEVE MSPAP TASKS ARE NOT DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE
less than one-quarter of Maryland teachers agreed with the statement,
The MSPAP test is developmentally appropriate for their students.
Overall 67% either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this
statement.  Therefore, there seems to be concern, at least with the
majority of the teachers, about the developmental appropriateness of
MSPAP tasks. ... that the tasks or response strategies are too
difficult for the students or that they call for cognitive skills
that are developmentally inappropriate. Even though the tasks are
reviewed for developmental appropriateness, teachers report that the
tasks are not developmentally appropriate, especially for the lower
grade levels (3 and 5).

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIMENSIONS - IT'S JUST MEASURING IQ!
...these content area correlations are remarkably high. The reasons
for these excessively high correlations are not clear but may result
from lack of content area independence due to the interdisciplinary
nature of the tasks. The degree to which such high intercorrelations
impact on the validity of score interpretations is not clear.

The heavy emphasis on writing as the sole means for a student to
communicate his or her answers should be re-considered due to the
potential confound in score interpretation. It could be the case that
a student has the cognitive skills and knowledge to correctly answer
a question, but is limited in the writing skills needed to
communicate the answer effectively.

A Delphi-like process was used to set the standard for Satisfactory
performance for schools.

MSPAP IS PART OF STW/GOALS 2000, ENFORCER AFTER 5 YR HIGH STAKES BAN
z49\doc\web\2001\04\MSAPAP studied after
10 years.htm Page 145 of Public Law 103-227-94, Goals 2000 Educate
America Act, Section 211 (5)(C)(ii), reads: "…such assessments will
not be used to make decisions regarding graduation, grade promotion,
or retention of students for a period of 5-years from the date of
enactment of this law." In other words, five years after MSPAP became
the official accountability tool, which was July 1, 1995, MSDE became
the enforcer, controller, and dictator of the federal education
reform laws

(same) Poor Performance Review Sunday, April 1, 2001 Washington Times
"In most subjects, the tasks did not come close to testing for
knowledge of the things asked for in Maryland's own standards, which
are supposed to guide districts in choice of textbooks and curricula,
and to present the state's own idea of what its children should be
learning.  Furthermore, the grading was inconsistent, with correct
answers often not recognized as such by some of the graders, and
incorrect answers given full credit. The questions themselves were
often incoherent, trivial or based on erroneous understanding of the
subject matter by the composers of the questions.  " 

2 teachers speak out A test is never
the cure for the disease it diagnoses. Except, that is, in the field
of education

z47\clip\2001\01\msprap.txt Prince George's Journal
http://cold.jrnl.com/cfdocs/new/pg/story.cfm?paper=pg§ion=fp&snumber=40
The rap on MSPAP "What gives conspiracy theorists the creeps,
perhaps, is the way that MSPAP can make ``plays well with others''
and ``good team worker'' judgments about children - and teachers,
schools and school systems.  ..the limited view of MSPAP that the
public is allowed hampers both its improvement and its acceptance. "


%%For

z47\clip\2000\12\mspscor.txt FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kent County Posts
Highest MSPAP Scores in Maryland Baltimore, MD (December 1, 1999) --
The Eastern Shore's Kent County is the highest performing school
system in the state, according to the results of the 1999 Maryland
School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) released today by State
Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick.  The 1999 MSPAP results
indicate that 60% of Kent County students performed at the
satisfactory level on the highly rigorous tests,

ONLY FOUR SCHOOLS IN STATE PASS THE TEST
z49\clip\2000\12\mspwork.txt Teaching to the Test
http://www.asbj.com/achievement/aa/aa4.html September 1997 issue of
The American School Board Journal.  "Fullerton school was one of only
four elementary schools in the state to meet or surpass the state's
expectations for third-graders on the 1996 Maryland School
Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP), Neither particularly wealthy
nor particularly poor

%%General

OFFICIALS COMPLAIN CONSERVATIVE BIAS AGAINST TESTING
z46\clip\2000\11\mspap.txt
http://www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyi
d=1150510209456 Think tank challenges validity and accuracy of state
school testing Subhead: Md. officials dispute criticisms of MSPAP By
Mike Bowler SUN STAFF A bitterly disputed independent review of
Maryland's school performance test says it is "riddled with errors"
and doesn't measure what is taught in the state's schools.

z40\clip\2000\03\taiwtest.txt Baltimore Sun March 15, 2000 Taiwan has
upper hand in its success on MSPAP
http://www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?section=news-maryland-sun&pagename=story&storyid=1150290202226
By Mike Bowler Sun Staff Taiwan school pay to take the Maryland
Performance tests - and shine.  "The Taiwanese school system -- like
other Asian educational systems -- is often said not to foster the
kind of creative problem-solving stressed by MSPAP. The Chinese kids
generally beat the socks off their Maryland counterparts in grades
three, five and eight, especially in the higher grades."

When Maryland, for example, released the results of a new assessment
in 1993, only 31.7 percent of its students reached the "satisfactory"
level. Improved performance in subsequent years, however, has made
Maryland's testing program a model among states implementing
standards-based reforms.

ritest.txt
http://www.arthurhu.com/clip/97/25/ritest.txt 44% OF RI
8TH GRADERS FAIL STATE MATH STANDARD, BUT EQUAL TO NATIONAL AVERAGE
\clip\97\25\ritest.txt New Test in R.I. Sends Shock Waves Through
State By Jeff Archer

ONLY 25% PASS 8TH GRADE READING
\clip\98\18\edclip09.txt
8th-grade reading tests remain worry for Maryland educators 
No growth in scores in 6 years; a quarter can read satisfactorily
By Mike Bowler Baltimore Sun Staff

MSAP PRINCE GEORGE AND BALTIMORE SCORE AT BOTTOM 
ONLY 44% PASS
\clip\98\18\msap.txt
Maryland Students Boost Test Scores But Less Than Half Rated
'Satisfactory' On Spring Exams By Amy Argetsinger Washington Post
Staff Writer Wednesday, December 9, 1998; Page B01

WHY GIVE TEST BEFORE CURRICULUM IS ESTABLISHED?
\clip\98\17\edclip06.txt Giving Schools a Sense of Direction: Md.
Proposes List of Standards For Content By Amy Argetsinger Washington
Post Staff Writer Monday, November 23, 1998; Page B01 Some observers
find it odd that a state would establish stringent assessment exams
before establishing content guidelines -- essentially, before
specifying the subjects and skills students need to master to do well
on the tests.  "People are putting the cart before the horse," said
Paul Gagnon, a senior research associate at Boston University's
School of Education and formerly a champion for content standards at
the U.S. Department of Education.

MARYLAND CONSIDERS RELEASING SCORES OF STUDENTS TO PARENTS
\clip\98\16\msap2.txt From: LYTK73A@prodigy.com (MRS COLEEN C ARY)
Md. May Widen Release of Test Scores By Amy Argetsinger Washington
Post Staff Writer Tuesday, November 10, 1998; Page D05 

\clipim\98\03\credib.tif National drive fails critic's credibility
test The Washington Times Oct 28, 1997 p. E3 Maryland MSPAP is based
on Goals 2000, introduced by the US Dept of education, questions
about scoring and enforcement of politically correct values. Schools
are threatened with takeover if they get low scores. Business
roundtable is a big supporter of tests. Trained workers instead of
independent thinkers

MARYLAND TEST HAS NO MULTIPLE CHOICE 
link
From: LYTK73A@prodigy.com (MRS COLEEN C ARY) THE WASHINGTON POST, May
11, 1998 IN MD., THE 'BUBBLE' TEST HAS BURST Analytical Exam Gains
Favor Over Multiple-Choice Format By Amy Argetsinger and Ellen
Nakashima Washington Post Staff Writers A small but vocal cadre of
parents continues to protest the MSPAP, saying it takes time away
from the "basics" of everyday school instruction.

[goal of 70% pass, 25% excellent by 2000] Last year, only 41.8
percent of Maryland students scored "satisfactory," up from 31.7 in
1993. Still, state education officials insist the test is within the
reach of elementary and middle school children: In two experiments,
Taiwanese students took the same test translated into Chinese and
outperformed Maryland students of the same age. [but does not prove
they met the goal either, or that Maryland students are equally
capable since they don't have a performance-based curriculum either,
and US Asians also beat US whites by the same margin]

 "Are we shooting too high?' " .. we've established standards that
are certainly within the abilities of students [but that has not been
shown when 50% fail]." [one of the first performance based tests,
started after Tucker-led governor's report]

FairTest calls it "the best single statewide test in the country."
Others say the MSPAP is too subjective and fuzzy. Dan Koretz, a
senior social scientist at Rand Education..  "Maryland's test is very
unusual for achievement testing and in my view hasn't been adequately
evaluated," he said. 

few states have followed Maryland's lead, finding such tests to be
too expensive and time-consuming. [some had added multiple choice
like WA]

MARYLAND REQUIRES 70% OF SCHOOLS TO MEET TEST STANDARD
\clip\97\29\maryland.txt Middle schools lag in state test scores;
elementary schools hold their own By: LESLIE GROSS, Staff Writer
12-18-97 The Capitol (Annapolis, MD) "Middle Schools Lag in State
Test Scores; Elementary Schools Hold Their Own"
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/view/live/12/18-24/TOP " School
officials provided individual school scores on the Maryland School
Performance Assessment Program, a test taken each year by third-,
fifth- and eighth-graders. 

           The state requires all schools to have 70 percent of
students meeting a satisfactory standard in six different subjects by
the year 2000. Therefore, elementary schools must meet a total of 12
standards -- six each for the third- and fifth-grade tests -- and
middle schools must meet six standards for the eighth-grade test.  "

%%Graduation Requirement

2009 TESTS WILL BE REQUIRED
z81\clip\2004\06\mdreq.txt
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-te.md.exit16jun16,0,2786049.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
Diplomas to require state tests Condition of graduation to start for
Class of 2009 The new tests replace the Maryland functional exams, ..
since the late 1970s. ... predictions that thousands would fail and
drop out.  Eventually, only a handful of students failed the tests,
and the vast majority of students passed without breaking a sweat 


5/21/2003 Class of 2008 to Face State Exam The State Board of
Education voted yesterday to require the Class of 2008 -- students now
in seventh grade -- to be the first group of Maryland high school
students to pass a standardized exam to graduate.


@@Massachusetts 
@@MCAS

Massachusetts is bracing for a new "hard" test, the MCAS in the
spring of 1998.  The state Education Reform Act of 1993 mandates that
these tests be given this year. (Similar to other state reform acts
that call for performance based tests) The 1993 reform act lead to a
doubling of state spending on education, but the "test" show massive
"failure" rates. The test is required for graduation, making it effectively
a CIM. Boston College did a study showing that the acuracy of the 
test is completely laughable.

The Mass NAACP has taken a position against the tests. Pass rates for
10th graders jumped to 75% in 2001.

MCAS shows one of the highest race failure ratios of any test. Blacks
and Hispanics show a rate of 4 to 5 times higher. Even Asians are
nearly twice as likely to flunk, in a state with a relatively high
number of poor Southest Asians.

==================================================================

MCAS BRAGS 95% PASS RATE, WASH POINTS TO SUCCESS, BLACK RATE 56%
   From: "GERALD BRACEY" 
The MCAS pass rate is NOT 95% for anybody except those who are in the
senior class.  For instance, there were 77,733 members of the class of
2003 in the ninth grade.  By the time they got to the 12th grade,
there were only 60,000.  What happened to the nearly 18,000 who
disappeared? 

When Anne Wheelock did the appropriate calculations for the class of
2004, she got these pass rates:

All        74%
Whites    80%
Blacks    56%
Latinos    54%
Asians    89%

Looking only at pass rates can obscure a possible increasing
achievement gap.  All this explained on pp. 54-57 of Reading
Educational Research: How to Avoid Getting Statistically Snookered.

Jerry Bracey 

90% PASS REALLY MEANS 70% OVERALL, 54% BLACK, 40% LATINO PASS MCAS
mcaspass.txt
The writer is the Coordinator of Marylanders Against High Stakes
Testing.  She maintains the group's website at
www.geocities.com/stophsa 
DOE report inflates MCAS pass rates 
for the Class of 2003" --March 2003
- DOE's 90% pass rate overstates the statewide pass rate by 20
percentage points.  The real "on time pass rate" is 70% when all
members of the original class of 2003 are included.
- MCAS pass rates, when restated as "on time pass rates," show that
only 54% of African American, and 40% Latino students from the class
of 2003 have passed MCAS.

ASIANS NEARLY TWICE AS LIKELY TO FLUNK MCAS AS WHITES
z68\clip\2003\06\mcaspass.txt
He maintained a 'B' average, but this Massachusetts senior can't graduate KEN MAGUIRE; The Associated Press 
http://www.tribnet.com/news/story/3304966p-3336023c.html
BOSTON - Four attempts. Two points shy. 
Pass rates:
94 percent of seniors in suburban schools pass
79 percent in city schools.  pass
74 Fitchburg
69 Springfield
64 Chelsea, 64 percent
60 percent city of Lawrence, lowest in state

Failure rates:
percent - ratio
30      -5.0 percent of Hispanic
25      -4.2 percent of black seniors
10      -1.7 percent Asian
 6       1.0 percent white
by Department of Education statistics.
number for advanced systems questions
mcas support services
   1-800-737-5103 help line

School Forum

Springfield paper
list of stories over "controversy".

Boston Globe Jordana Hart hart@nws.globe.com     

State Dept of Education MCAS page 

\clipim\98\11\mcas1998.pdf  4Mbyte pdf file of test booklet

%%critics


HIGH STAKES ASSUMES THAT EVERYONE HAS FAILED
The Sunday, March 2, 2003 Boston Globe Magazine At the root of this
heretofore inchoate rebellion seems to be a feeling of
powerlessness...  High-stakes testing is premised upon the assumption
that everyone else involved in education - up to and including (shh!)
students and their parents - has failed so dismally that a kind of
exam ex machina is needed to sort the whole mess out.
http://www.boston.com/globe/magazine/2003/0302/coverstory_entire.htm


MCAS EITHER 95% OR 66% PASS RATE
z63\clip\2002\12\mcas66.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/351/metro/MCAS_likely_to_trip_5_to_10_+.shtml
MCAS likely to trip 5 to 10%
Swift to report on class of '03
By Anand Vaishnav, Globe Staff, 12/17/2002
"Based on its much-larger freshmen enrollment, the
seniors' MCAS pass rate is about 66 percent, said Walt Haney, an
education professor at Boston College's Lynch School of Education."

z54\clip\2001\12\mcasre.txt
MCAS retest is equally rigorous, education chief says
Some questions not as hard, but scores must rise
By Scott S. Greenberger, Globe Staff, 12/10/2001
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/344/metro/MCAS_retest_is_equally_rigorous_education_chief_says+.shtml
Boston Globe 12/10/2001
Forty-six percent of vocational students who took both tests in 2001
passed them, compared with 20 percent in 2000.
Only about 14 percent of high school juniors in Massachusetts are
black or Hispanic, but nearly 30 percent of those who have not passed
both English and math are from one of those groups.
Eighty-two percent of students who took the exam last spring passed
English, compared with 66 percent in 2000. The math passing rate was
75 percent, up from 55 percent in 2000.

z54\clip\2001\11\mcas2.txt
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/columnists/colgreenberg11162001.htm
      Greenberg: The cloning of Massachusetts students 
      By Dan Greenberg / Guest Columnist 
      Friday, November 16, 2001


YOU'RE BREAKING THE LAW IF YOU GIVE DIPLOMA WITHOUT MCAS
z53\clip\2001\10\mcaslaw.txt
http://www.masslive.com/springfield/unionnews/index.ssf?/news/pstories/hf1020co.html
The Union-News Springfield MCAS 'the law,' school chiefs told
Saturday, October 20, 2001 By ANGELA CARBONE NORTHAMPTON — State
Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said yesterday that any
school committee that awards diplomas to students who fail the MCAS
tests is breaking the law. 

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/290/metro/MCAS_opponents_stance_weakenedP.shtml
MCAS FAILURE RATES CUT IN HALF - 75% OF 10TH GRADERS PASS
z53\clip\2001\10\mcasup.txt MCAS opponents' stance weakened By Scott
S. Greenberger, Globe Staff, 10/17/2001 nearly three-fourths of
10th-graders who took MCAS English and math passed them - with 

http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc01/articles/qc01story.cfm?slug=17test.h20
Overboard on Testing?  By Lynn Olson .. some argue that the heavy
emphasis on test results to compare schools and districts and decide
if students graduate or advance to the next grade has gone too far.
"The one solution that is not feasible, most agree, is to get rid of
tests. "

INVALID TEST: MCAS CLASSIFIES BEST STUDENTS AS FAILURES
z47\clip\2001\01\hibar.txt
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc01/articles/qc01story.cfm?slug=17bar.h20
How High the Bar?  By Debra Viadero Worsley noticed that one 8th
grader who was rated "advanced" on mathematics on the Stanford
Achievement Test-9th Edition, the nationally normed test that
Holliston students ordinarily took, fell into the "failure" category
on the math portion of the state exam.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/mcas11222000.htm
z46\clip\2000\11\mcas11222000.htm MCAS scores expose urban-suburban
gap by Ed Hayward Wednesday, November 22, 2000Payzant was adamant in
urging lawmakers not to entertain calls by MCAS opponents to re-tool
the assessment system - a list of critics that includes the
Massachusetts Teachers Assocation and the Massachusetts Association
of School Committees.


z46\doc\web\2000\11\brooklin.txt Victor Steinbok
[mailto:aardvark69@EARTHLINK.NET] November 15, 2000 Tonight an
anti-MCAS resolution passed at the Brookline Town meeting by a vote
of 175 to 10

Students who are in upper ranges on most other tests could 
fall in any fail to pass range on MCAS
http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=10634
z46\clipim\2000\11\15\mcasdraw\mcasdraw.htm What Can Student Drawings
Tell Us About High-Stakes Testing in Massachusetts?  Anne Wheelock
Independent Education Policy Writer & Researcher Author Bio | E-mail
Author "A small minority of drawings depicted students as
diligentarticle problem-solvers and thinkers. A larger percentage of
drawings portrayed students as anxious, angry, bored, pessimistic, or
withdrawn from testing. The overall patterns that emerge challenge
the belief that the high stakes associated with MCAS will enhance the
motivation and effort of students in a uniform way."

CITY REFERENDUM INITIATIVE BANS MCAS GRAD REQUIREMENT
http://www.s-t.com/daily/11-00/11-08-00/a06lo024.htm
z46\clip\2000\11\mcasref.txt 11/8/00 City voters send message against
MCAS By Joanna Massey, Standard-Times staff writer NEW BEDFORD --
Voters in two of the city's three districts yesterday approved a
non-binding ballot referendum to suspend the use of the MCAS exam as
a high school graduation requirement.

GOV LASHES OUT ON TEACHERS WALKING AWAY FROM MCAS
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/314/metro/Cellucci_blasts_teachers_on_tests+.shtml
z46\clip\2000\11\blast.txt Boston Globe Cellucci blasts teachers on
tests By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff, 11/9/2000 Reenergized by
voters' overwhelming approval of his tax cut, Governor Paul Cellucci
quickly plunged into another battle with his union opponents
yesterday, this time lashing out at teachers for ''reneging'' on
their support of student testing.

MASS SCHOOL COMMITTEES WANT TO SUSPEND MCAS UNTIL FIXED BUT NOT BAN
IT FOR GRADUATION ENTIRELY z46\doc\web\2000\11\mcassusp.txt The
Massachusetts Association of School Committees voted overwhelmingly
(137 to 30, or more than 4 to 1) to pass the Arlington resolution,
which calls for a suspension of the use of the MCAS to determine
graduation until many critical issues have been addressed.

MCAS IS NOT A BASIC SKILLS TEST, LOWER STANDARD FOR DIPLOMA?
z45\clip\2000\09\mcasre.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/250/metro/changes_eyed_for_MCAS_re_tests+.shtml
Changes eyed for MCAS re-tests Officials concerned about failure
rates By Scott S. Greenberger, Globe Staff, 9/6/2000 Few would argue
with the sentiment expressed on a protester's sign at Governor Paul
Cellucci's ''State of Education'' speech last week: ''The MCAS is not
a basic skills test!''

Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts) Opponents expected to challenge
MCAS test in courts 'High-stakes' testing remains controversial
Sunday, August 27, 2000 By Clive McFarlane Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- Of the 1,509 10th-graders enrolled in the Worcester
public schools in the 1998-99 academic year, nearly two-thirds got
failing marks on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
tests.  Nevertheless, those 905 students will receive their high
school diplomas, provided they satisfactorily complete all local
graduation requirements.

New Democracy finds that
neither CARE or Fairtest have actually taken a position against
1993 ed reform law.

\clip\99\21\mcas.txt
Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education (CARE)
From http://www.fairtest.org/arn/MCASPAR2.html
RECOMMENDATIONS
* No child should be denied a diploma or retained in grade on the basis of
one test.
* The energy, resources and time spent on preparing for and administering
the MCAS should be applied directly to improving classrooms.

EVEN FAIRTEST OK WITH A 40% FAIL RATE STANDARD!
\CLIP\99\20\mcaslow.txt
http://www.bostonherald.com/bostonherald/lonw/mcas11221999.htm State
set to decide on MCAS pass-fail tomorrow by Ed Hayward Monday,
November 22, 1999 ``Using an arbitrary score on a test to get to
whether someone should get a diploma is the wrong use for that
test,'' said Karen Hartke of the group Fairtest. ``But at a minimum,
I'd recommend they set the mark no higher than the point they are now
calling failing.''  ...a cornerstone of the $6 billion reform push.  

IT'S OK TO PASS AVERAGE STUDENTS?? WHAT A CONCEPT.
\clip\99\20\mcaslow.txt
http://www.telegram.com/news/page_one/mcas.html Officials call low
standard a starting point 'Weak' MCAS standard mulled Tuesday,
November 23, 1999 By Lee Hammel Worcester Telegram & Gazette Staff
"said students with MCAS scores that show “needs improvement” are
about in the 50th percentile of students nationally, according to
other standardized tests. “Average students should be getting a high
school diploma,” she said.  " [Yet the "needs improvement 220 score 
was still failed by 40% of 8th grade math students!]

MASS MCAS FLUNKS VOCATIONAL STUDENTS Union-Leader & Sunday News
Failing the grade Vocational schools are scoring lowest in the MCAS
tests. Are the tests geared especially for college-bound students,
leaving the rest behind? ..concerns about testing vocational students
on what amounts to about half of what they are taught. ..might
include delaying the state test until 11th grade, when vocational
students may be more synchronized with what college preparatory
students have studied. 

AGAIN, NO ONE BLAMES THE TEST FOR MASSIVE MINORITY FAILURE RATES
\clip\99\20\mcasmin.txt http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/316/
metro/MCAS_stirs_ears_that_minorities_will_drop_out-.shtml MCAS stirs
fears that minorities will drop out Failure rate high for blacks,
Latinos By Cindy Rodriguez, Globe Staff, 11/12/99 An analysis of MCAS
test results released yesterday showed 83 percent of Latinos and 80
percent of blacks failed the 10th-grade math exam last year,
providing the first glimpse of the huge disparity dividing students
among racial and ethnic lines.  

AMBIVALENT OR AFRAID TO CRITICIZE MCAS?
zip38\clip\99\20\mcasno2.txt Confused by the MCAS tests By Joan
Vennochi, Globe Columnist, 11/12/99 The entire episode provided many
lessons - most of them unintended by MCAS proponents - and one very
good reason to remain ambivalent about the statewide exams.  The MCAS
created turmoil in our home last school year. From day one of
fourth grade, the teacher talked about the upcoming tests and taught
to them almost exclusively for the rest of the year. But that wasn't
the worst part. After the class completed part one of the actual composition								   				  																											   
test, the teacher handed it back the next day, suggesting that students might								                     																											   
want to clean it up. News reports about the test results reinforce
ambivalence. The latest MCAS scores are still characterized as dismal 

MOVEMENT TO KILL MASS ED REFORM OVER TEST RESULTS
\clip\99\19\mcas.txt http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/292/editori A
BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL An unfair test of school reform Disappointing
scores from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests
are being cited as evidence that education reform has failed. Some
legislators are beginning to back away from the Commonwealth's
financial commitments even before the final installment of promised
state aid increases has been enacted.

MA PARENTS HORRIFIED AT THREAT OF EVEN MORE TESTING
\clip\99\13\moretest.txt From the Boston Herald: Education boss eyes
broader MCAS exam by Darrell S. Pressley Wednesday, July 7, 1999 The
Bay State education chief wants to expand the controversial MCAS test
to include expansive student portfolios and challenging science
experiments.  "But parents said the Massachusetts Comprehensive
Assessment System already takes away too much class time, and any
expansion would hurt children and teachers.  "

EDUCATORS ATTACK MCAS AS TOO LONG, DIFFICULT, BUREAUCRATS DEFEND
"HIGH STANDARDS"
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/175/metro/Educators_focus_on_MCAS_violence_concerns+.shtml
\clip\99\12\mcas.txt Educators focus on MCAS, violence concerns By
Hermione Malone, Boston Globe Correspondent, 06/24/99 It seemed a
little disproportionate to .. Melrose high school principal, that
fourth graders spent as much time this year taking the MCAS test as
law students taking the Massachusetts Bar Exam.  The 12-hour bar exam
is somewhat shorter than the untimed MCAS, which averages 14 to 20
hours to complete.

NO DATA TO SUPPORT VALIDITY OF MA MCAS TEST. WORKING ON IT
\doc\web\99\07\mcas.txt

From: "Gerald W. Bracey"  Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999
22:49:38 -0800 Anyone wondering about the validity of the
Massachusetts test that = flunked 55% of the candidates should get a
copy of "More Truth Than = Error?"  It's a review by Walt Haney and
associates at Boston College = and damning.

Their raw calculations of reliability coefficients (which the state
has = refused to provide) are abysmal.  Even when they toss out =
outliers--people with scores way outside most of the others, they
can't = the coefficients to reach .50.  To show your test reliable,
yYou strive = for .90 and are sorely disappointed with anything below
.80

MIT TEACHERS SAY MCAS 10TH GRADE SCIENCE QUESTIONS ARE BOGUS
\clip\98\18\mcasbad.txt LESSON PLAN State test doesn't measure up,
say 3 Boston Latin teachers By Beth Daley, Jordana Hart, Kate
Zernike, Globe Staff, 12/08/98 Did you take the MCAS test questions
published in the Globe two Sundays ago?  Well, three graduates of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology who teach science at Boston
Latin did, and were distressed after analyzing the questions used to
test 10th-graders. 

%%Pass Rate

REAL MCAS PASS RATES NOT 96%
MA Dept. of Ed "Progress Report" Inflates MCAS 'Pass Rates' for Class of
2004 (June 2004)
see
http://www.massparents.org/news/2004/passrate_2004.htm
rates that reflect the capacity of schools to help students
both pass MCAS and also progress on time to graduate with the Class of
2004 -- are as follows:

- All students:  74%, not 96%.
- White students: 80%, not 98%.
- African American students: 59%, not 88%.
- Latino students: 54%, not 85%.
- Asian students: 89%, not 95%.


\clip\2004\06\mcaspass.txt
[MASS] URBAN SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO GRAPPLE WITH [MCAS] EXIT EXAM
Associated Press -- June 7, 2004  by Ken Maguire
Of the 61,338 seniors enrolled in Massachusetts in March, 96 percent 
have passed the MCAS
Fail %, rate
2  1.00 white
5  2.50 asian
12 6.00 black
15 7.50 latino

19% STILL DON'T PASS MCAS
z62\clip\2002\11\mcaspass.txt
Education board OK's alternative to diploma
By Michele Kurtz, Boston Globe 11/27/2002 "after three chances to take
the test, about 12,000 seniors - or 19 percent - have not passed both
sections of the 10th-grade Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment
System, and could be denied diplomas" in a nod to hard-working
students who are denied diplomas for failing the 10th-grade MCAS, the
state Board of Education adopted a controversial ''certificate of
attainment'' yesterday designed to recognize their diligence.  

z56\clip\2002\07\mcaspass.txt
Schools: Many who failed MCAS quit
By Megan Tench, Globe Staff, 7/18/2002
"So far, 51 percent of the Class of 2003 in Boston have yet to pass the exam."
Boston school officials announced findings yesterday that a
significant number of the students in the Class of 2003 who failed the
high-stakes MCAS exam in the spring of 2001 and who did not take the
retest in December of 2001 have dropped out of high school.  

%%Race

MINORITY MCAS GAINS, BUT GAP REMAINS, RAISES SUSPICION
z53\priv\2001\10\mcasrac.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/298/
metro/Mixed_signals_from_latest_MCAS_scores+.shtml
Mixed signals from latest MCAS scores
"60 percent of African-American 10th-graders
passed English on the 2001 test, up from 40 percent in 2000. In math,
the passing rate went from 23 percent to 48 percent.  Hispanic
students also made gains, from 34 percent to 52 percent in English
and 21 percent to 42 percent in math.  But because white students
made roughly the same gains between 2000 and 2001, minority students
didn't make up much ground. The roughly parallel improvement across
all groups preserved the gap - and aroused suspicion in some
quarters."

%%Sample

Example of failing responses
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/student/2000/g10lowmath.html
z46\clipim\2000\11\07\g10lowmath\g10lowmath.htm
- 13 1. if height of cone is doubled, what is volume?  2. if radius
of cone is doubled, what is volume?  what is the height of the cone
in terms of radius in order to have cone and sphere with same volue?

Arthur Hu review 11/17/98 - 4th grade test is not as hard as WASL, but requires:
(The following either do not appear in the MA framework, or appear at 
higher grade levels in other standards or curriculum)
NA/G4 count 5-group hash marks 
NA/G3 manual adding 3 column with carry 
NA/G5 add list of 12 2 digit numbers, 
NA/G3 add 3+3 digits (with calculator?) 
NA/G3 sub 3+3 digits 
NA/G4 mult 2x2 digit 
NA/G3 divide 3 by 1 digits 
NA/G5 adding 6 sums 
NA/G7 divide 4 hours by six, result in minutes NA
NA/G6 add time beyond even hour NA 
NA/G7 read chart between tic marks 
NA/G5 estimate integer as fraction of 3 digit integer
NA/G6 apply same operation to both sides of equation
NA/G5 test all answers
NA/G5 compute probability as a fraction
NA/G5 multiplication of integer by n/m fraction
NA/G6 reducing fractions
NA/G5 draw fraction of circle 1/2 1/3 1/6
NA/G6 compare fractions with uncommon denominator
NA/G6 divisibility by 5
NA/G8 combinations (how many ways to arrange 3 items)
NA/G6 drawing figures with parallel and perpendicular and intersecting lines
NA/G7 draw outline from coordinate list
NA/G7 construct 4 closed figures with fixed unit perimeter
NA/NA memorizing acute, "regroup" and obtuse
NA/G6 convert fraction to decimal and compare
NA/NA devise a number game with one solution
15% of problems are patterns,
15% of problems are drawing.

Not present:
frequency histogram
scale drawing reading
sorting

Spreadsheet shows that 
70% of problems either cover material not mentioned in the
frameworks, or covered at a higher grade level

XX/YY
XX= not specified in MA standards
YY= should not be assessed without definition, best 
    estimate of grade level placement from rigorous CA or Japan
    standards.

Suspicions About the Statewide Tests 
By Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe Columnist, May 7, 1998 I was going to
write a column expressing my reservations about the MCAS, a
15-hour-long series of tests now being administered to fourth-,
eighth-, and 10th-graders in every Massachusetts public school. I was
going to point out that for all the ink and air time being devoted to
the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, as it's formally
called, little is actually known about it.

MASS TEST IS TOO HARD FOR AVERAGE 10TH GRADER 2/26/98 A recent
graduate's opinion: Unfair By Globe Staff, 02/26/98
\clip\98\05\newscl08.txt ''Basically, I feel the test is unfair. The
majority of 10th-graders will probably have great difficulty passing
the test [contains questions found on college level advanced
placement test]

MASS TEST IS TOO HARD FOR AVERAGE 10TH GRADER 2/26/98 A recent
graduate's opinion: Unfair By Globe Staff, 02/26/98
\clip\98\05\newscl08.txt ''Basically, I feel the test is unfair. The
majority of 10th-graders will probably have great difficulty passing
the test [contains questions found on college level advanced
placement test]

TESTS ARE SETTING UP SOME SCHOOLS FOR FAILURE
\clip\98\05\newscl03.txt 2/18/98 Daily Hampshire Gazette (MA Area
educators fret over testing By MARY CAREY, Staff Writer (FEB. 17) -
Area educators are worried about how students will fare on
standardized tests to be given to all 4th-, 8th- and 10th-graders in
May.  Poor results, they contend, could be used to bolster arguments
favoring increased public funding of educational alternatives like
charter schools.  The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
tests, a part of the 1992 educational reform package, will test
students on math, science and English facts and concepts... "The
tests, he said, are setting up some of the public schools for
failure." 10th grade test will be required to graduate.

%%For

Boston Phoenix
MCAS malaise
Sure, improvements should be made. But critics are wrong to disparage the
need for standards and accountability.

%%news
ONLY REICH 1 OF 4 AGAINST TYING DIPLOMA TO MCAS SCORE
z57\clip\2002\08\mcasgov.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/224/editorials/The_tests_that_count+.shtml
A BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL
The tests that count
CAMPAIGN MATTERS: EDUCATION

8/12/2002


AP DOE study declares MCAS tests
reliable By JEAN McMILLAN BOSTON (AP) -- The controversial MCAS tests,
closely watched by parents, teachers and elected officials, are
reliable and valid, state education officials said Monday, citing new
studies. 

\clip\99\07\edclip02.txt Committee seeks methods to copy 3 schools
share secrets of success By Beth Daley, Globe Staff, 02/25/99 three
of the highest-scoring elementary schools in Boston on the state MCAS
exams Lyndon, O'Hearn and Quincy schools What they seem to have most
in common was not just their relatively high test scores, but a
determination to get away from traditional grill and drill teaching. 

\clip\98\18\edclip09.txt
Parents eager to see schools' rank
Cautions not to compare exam numbers go unheard
By Beth Daley, Globe Staff, 12/10/98

\clip\98\18\mastest.txt Boston Globe Boston students do poorly on
state exam [urban poor flunk, rich do well] By Beth Daley, Globe
Staff, 12/09/98 More than half of Boston's public school
fourth-graders failed math on tough new statewide MCAS tests, with
less than 3 percent showing expertise in the subject, according to a
source.  Students in urban areas of Massachusetts did the poorest on
the tests, with the worst scores in higher grades. A majority of
Boston 10th-graders scored in the ''failing'' or ''needs
improvement'' category in English, math, and science.

Christian Science Monitor TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1998 LEARNING, K-12
ACHIEVEMENT TESTS States to public: Improvement will take time

Gail Russell Chaddock (chaddockg@csps.com) Staff writer of The
Christian Science Monitor "But the Bay State took a cue from states
that had already weathered dismal first-round assessments, such as
Texas, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado."  "When 50 percent of
Massachusetts 10th-graders failed the state's tough new math test,
state officials hailed the results as a historic turning point. At
every level except eighth-grade English, most fourth-, eighth-, and
10th-graders failed to reach proficient levels in the Massachusetts
Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), in results announced last
week."
by 2003, seniors in Massachusetts will have to pass the 10th-grade
MCAS test to graduate.

\clip\98\17\techmcas.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe/globehtml/329/Educators_split_on_making_MCAS_a_su.shtml
Educators split on making MCAS a subject in class By Jordana Hart,
Boston Globe Staff, 11/25/98 Although Massachusetts teachers are
divided on whether to ''teach to the test'' to boost scores on the
statewide exams for fourth-, eighth-, and 10th-graders, many
educators say the test is so broad that teaching to it could benefit
many classrooms.  

\clip\98\17\edclip04.txt ANALYSIS Tests result prove education law is
a work in progress By Scot Lehigh, Globe Staff, 11/24/98 Five years
after the passage of Massachusetts' landmark education reform law,
the message from yesterday's student test results was not how far the
state has come but rather how far it has to go.  Since the law passed
in 1993, Massachusetts has spent an extra $5 billion to phase in a
doubling, to $2.8 billion a year, of its yearly baseline spending on
education.  

\clip\98\17\mcas.txt This story ran on page B02 of the Boston Globe
on 11/17/98.  Some educators give MCAS questions a 'C' - for
challenging By Beth Daley, Jordana Hart, and Kate Zernike, Globe
Staff, 11/17/98 ''It was on the hard side but not too hard,'' said
Jorge Lach, a Lexington parent of a fourth-grader who reviewed
questions from that grade level. ''The math questions were pretty
good; [they] emphasized mostly critical thinking rather than
repetition or pure calculations.  

\clip\98\16\matest.txt Last spring's public school test questions
headed for Internet By Jordana Hart, Globe Staff, 11/13/98
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe/globehtml/317/Last_spring_s_public_school_test_qu.shtml
state officials plan to make public on Monday all the test questions
students were asked last spring, and to post them on the Internet. 

MCAS TO TEST ONLY FROM FRAMEWORKS?
http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-17/30mass.h17 \clip\98\18\newtest.txt
New Tests Send Bay State Schools Scrambling By Kerry A. White 
the test questions are culled "100 percent" from the learning
standards contained in the state's new curriculum frameworks.  MCAS
will offer a mixture of multiple-choice and essay questions designed
by the state education department and the Dover, N.H.-based Advanced
Systems

\clip\98\05\newscl08.txt 2/26/98 Boston Globe State tests worry
parents, teachers Schools rush to prepare students By Beth Daley and
Jordana Hart, Globe Staff, 02/26/98 Parents and educators across the
state, even those in top school districts, are panicking over
predictions that their children could receive poor scores on state
tests being administered for the first time this spring.

MCAS USED TO SET BASELINE FOR CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT
\clip\98\15\edclip03.txt Teachers fear they'll be scored by student
test results By Beth Daley, Globe Staff, 10/23/98 Most school
officials and teachers interviewed know the Department of Education's
mantra: that the tests are being used only as a baseline for schools
to use as they seek to improve scores in coming years, and should not
be used to judge schools this year. 

%%Sample

COLLEGE LEVEL CHEMISTRY PROBLEM - DOUBLE DISPLACEMENT REACTION

z42\doc\web\2000\05\whymcas.txt
Hamptom Gazette Northampton, MA 
http://forums.gazettenet.com/webx/cgi-bin/WebX?13@@.ee6b991

sample test
http://www.gazettenet.com/05132000/schools/mcas.html
z42\clipim\2000\05\15\mcassamp\mcassamp.htm
The science questions are absurdly difficult
Which of the following is a double displacement reaction
A) CI2 + 2KBR -> 2KCL + BR2
B) PBCL2 + LI2SO4 -> 2LICL + PBSO4 
C) PB(OH)2 -> PBO+H2O
D) 2H2+O2 ->2H2O
ANSWER IS B (2 reactants)

\clipim\98\11\mcas1998.pdf  4Mbyte pdf file of test booklet

http://www.doe.mass.edu/testing/mcasamp1197.html
G4 Sample Question

Use the Map Below to Complete this question

----------------------

   Main Street

----------------------

A. Draw Broadway Street PARALLEL to Main Street. Write Broadway on this street.
B. Draw Birch Street PERPENDICULAR to Main Street. Write BIRCH on this street.                                                                                                        
C. Draw Walnut Street so that it INTERSECTS Main Street, but is NOT perpendicular to                                                                                                  Main Street.
Write Walnut on this street.                                                                                                                                                          
D. Mark one OBTUSE angle on your drawing with an O.                                                                                                                                   
E. Mark one ACUTE angle on your drawing with an A.                                                                                                                                    



Comment - 
1. nobody learns what ACUTE or OBTUSE is and it doesn't matter Talk about
   memorizing useless facts. They should at least give a definition
   Most states do _not_ specify acute or obtuse in 4th grade, most texts
   do not cover this.
2. constructing this drawing with these complex instructions is much, much
   more difficult than the typical "which of these streets is parallel?" 
3. intersection is not a common 4th grade item either.

 
@@Michigan

%%Failing

z49\clip\2001\04\michfail.txt 1 IN 5 MICHIGAN SCHOOLS FAIL NEW
STANDARDS Mark Hornbeck "State flunks 600 schools" Detroit News,
April 11, 2001 (http://www.detnews.com) The number of unaccredited
schools in Michigan is expected to increase from 8 to more than 600,
reflecting a controversial tightening of state standards.  The state
Department of Education later this month will disclose the names of
individual local schools that flunked the new standards. 

%%MEAP

Performance based test for Michigan, criticized as meaningless by some
parents who want to focus on SAT, not state guarantee of literacy.
Scoring was changed from passing only top scoring category
"proficient" to 4 levels passing top 3 from "basic endorsement" up to
"exceeded standards". Some problems are challenging even for adults.
Not a high stakes test (yet)

October 21, 2003 
MEAP could fall to new test
Granholm open to alternative student exam
Advocates say the tests are more advanced than those in other states,
By Stacey Range
Lansing State Journal
The state spends about $30 million a year to develop and administer
the MEAP. Other states spend between $5 million and $10 million "We
really have to question why we are putting our resources into
something that has such widespread dissent."

ONE THIRD OF ADULTS GET RIGHT ANSWER ON MAEP MATH
z60\clip\2002\11\meapad.txt
MEAP is tough, even for adults 
Student test questions stumped lots of parents 
November 12, 2002
BY LORI HIGGINS
Detroit FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
They were told each box of Colonel Crisp contains one of six prizes
and asked: "If two boxes of cereal are purchased, what is the
probability that the prizes will be different?" 
Adults taking an abridged version of the MEAP test Monday at Oakland
Schools in Waterford were stumped. 
Fewer than a third chose the right answer. Thirty-five percent thought
the answer was 1/6, while 31 percent answered correctly: 5/6. 

MICHIGAN STUDENTS IGNORE THE MAEP WHEN THEY DON'T NEED IT FOR COLLEGE
http://www.detnews.com/1998/classrooms/9811/03/11030073.htm Tuesday,
November 3, 1998 Wayne County: Fewer students taking state test "The
decline in scores and participation can be attributed to many things.
But one reason we heard by a great number of parents is that they
didn't see the validity of the test -- especially when their children
are being accepted into the colleges of their choice."  In the
Dearborn Public Schools, less than half of the 979 juniors sat for
the tests and less than 50 percent achieved the two highest levels of
the state standards in math, reading, science and writing. 

\clip\98\16\maeptest.txt On MEAP, 36% don't make grade Caution is
urged in evaluating test scores November 2, 1998 BY MARIO G. ORTIZ
Detroit Free Press Education Writer More than a third, or 36 percent,
of Wayne County 11th-graders who took a proficiency test failed to
earn an endorsement on it, despite changes in this year's version
designed to help more students gain the state's seal of approval. 

MICH TEST DUMPS ENDORSING ONLY TOP, NOW FLUNKS ONLY BOTTOM CATEGORY
\clip\98\16\michtest.txt
http://www.freep.com/news/education/qmeap30.htm Endorsed diplomas
rise with new exam October 30, 1998 BY TRACY VAN MOORLEHEM AND TAMARA
AUDI Detroit Free Press Education Writers
Previously, students were deemed proficient, novice or not yet
novice, and only those in the top category received an endorsement.
The majority of students did not.  This year's test is graded in four
categories, three of which receive endorsements. The categories are
exceeded standards, met standards, basic endorsement and not
endorsed.  [WASL has 4 categories, only meets and exceed standards
would meet CIM endorsement]

MAEP PASSES 75% INSTEAD OF 30%, BUT MANY STILL THINK IT'S A WASTE
\clip\98\14\meap.txt Endorsements rise with test change October 16,
1998 BY PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI AND MARIO G. ORTIZ Free Press Education
Writers [about 3/4 passed revamped test] On the previous test, taken
in fall 1996, slightly more than half of the 11th-graders who took it
earned endorsements in math.  Roughly 40 percent of students who took
the old High School Proficiency Test were endorsed in science and
reading and less than 30 percent were endorsed in writing.

\clip\98\05\newscl08.txt 2/29/98 Detroit Free Press Social studies
MEAP unveiled New test goes beyond 'mindless recall' February 26,
1998 BY TRACY VAN MOORLEHEM AND PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI Free Press
Education Writers "These are questions that require higher-order
thinking, not mindless recall of information," said David Harris, a
social studies education consultant

1/21/98 \clip\98\02\edclip3.txt Teachers, janitors and bus drivers
help boost scores BY HEATHER NEWMAN Free Press Staff Writer

1/21/98 \clip\98\02\edclip3.txt 2 states add context to raw scores BY
TRACY VAN MOORLEHEM Free Press Education Writer Before 1992, no one
in Tennessee needed to see annual state test results to know how
their schools ranked.  The poorest schools and districts scored at
the bottom while the most affluent ones shone at the top.

That's how it is in most states that give standardized tests,
including Michigan. In last year's fourth-grade math Michigan
Educational Assessment Program scores, for example, eight of the 10
top-scoring districts in metro Detroit were also among the 10 most
affluent.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Testing MEAP scores Comparing raw results
has some pitfalls BY TRACY VAN MOORLEHEM AND HEATHER NEWMAN Free
Press Staff Writers Home sales, custody fights hinge on exam BY TRACY
VAN MOORLEHEM

MICH STATE EXAM FLUNKS HONOR STUDENT WHO ACED ACT In Michigan,
suburban parents started a boycott of the state proficiency test when
an honor student -- a boy who graduated first in a class of 286
students -- flunked the exam.  "We were flabbergasted," said Luanne
Salz, the mother of Jonathan Salz, who enrolled at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology after getting a perfect score on his ACT
test. "We never could find out why he did poorly [on the state test].
. . . We questioned the validity of the test."
"In fact, if Minneapolis second-graders stay on their current
academic track, less than half of them ultimately will pass the
eighth-grade tests, according to a district analysis."

source: \clip\98\02\gettuff.txt
http://webserv1.startribune.com/cgi-bin/stOnLine/article?thisSlug=SKUL18
Minneapolis Star Tribune January 18, 1998 Morris Park overhaul a sign
of get-tough movement Rob Hotakainen / Star Tribune

%%Sample

Sample MEAP questions can be found on the Department of Treasury Web site,
www.treasury.state.mi.us 
z40\clipim\2000\04\06\maepmath.pdf high school math test
http://www.mde.state.mi.us/off/meap/info.shtml

standset.pdf standard setting - How standards committee sets
cut scores

@@Milwaukee

Complaint MPS to switch 
to value added norm-referenced testing.

@@Mininum Competency Testing

\clip\99\05\timss\timss.txt
Kappan Professional Journal
September 1998
URL: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbra9809.htm
Tinkering with TIMSS By Gerald W. Bracey
"Forgione was director of testing for the state of Connecticut for a
number of years. During his tenure, the minimum-competency-testing
madness swept the country, culminating, in one sense, with the 1978
ruling in Debra P. v. Turlington.  In that decision, the court held
that for a test to be used to qualify students for high school
graduation, the state had to prove that the test had instructional
validity. That is, the state had to show that students had had an
opportunity to learn the material tested...  ..issues were discussed
at considerable length in The Courts, Validity, and Minimum
Competency Testing, edited by George Madaus of Boston College they
stated, "If tests without instructional validity are being used for
certification, the students who fail such tests are being penalized
for the failures of the schools and teachers -- and not for their own
inadequacies. The rational basis for judging student performance in
school is undermined."



@@Minnesota
@@Profiles of Learning

Minnesota has standards so weak that the only multiplication that is
specified is single digits times 10, but not 2x2=4. Activists worked
to elect a new governor and legislators who replaced them with new
standards in 2003. Unfortunately, it is still "standards" based.

-------------------------------------------------------

Test examples and specifications
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/testspecs.htm

Complete copies of the Minnesota High Standards are available on the CFL Web
Site. The entire rule is at http://children.state.mn.us/grad/rule3501.htm.
An easier to read format of the standards is located at
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/highstandards.htm.

The Basic Standards can be found at
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/rules.htm.

Statewide standard in mathematics. To meet the basic requirement in
mathematics, a student shall demonstrate the ability to solve
mathematical problems derived from situations commonly encountered in
adult life. Among common situations is the estimation of distance
traveled when the elapsed time and average rate are known

The state minimum for passing Basic Standards tests in reading and
mathematics is 75%. Because the Basic Standards tests are new to
schools and students, the first two groups of students affected by
the rule are permitted to pass at a lower level.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.edwatch.org
Press Statement
May 23, 2003 Profile of Learning: Rest in Peace "Overturning the
Profile required electing a new governor and new legislators.  It
required that parents, teachers and citizens come back year after
year."  Doyle dramatized the burial of the Profile with a ceremonial
shredding of the now dead Profile standards and performance
assessments.



NEW STANDARDS SIMILAR TO REJECTED "PROFILE OF LEARNING"
z67\clip\2003\05\minnprof.txt
Policy Brief on S.F. 639
by Katherine A. Kersten
Distinguished Senior Fellow for Cultural Studies
Center of the American Experiment
Minneapolis
studying non-academic subjects S.F. 639 includes approximately 33
required standards for K-8 students in the area of dance. ..
choreographic principles like repetition, pattern, or unity.. 
weak in vital areas like high school algebra .. division of fractions
is not mentioned explicitly, though addition, subtraction and
multiplication of fractions are addressed. Conversion between
measurement systems only appears in optional high school standards....
not include standards for topics that are essential prerequisites ...
trigonometry
Students must perform many vocationally oriented... Middle school must
work in teams to produce a product or service.  Among other tasks,
they must conduct a market survey, test their product´s
cost-effectiveness


z47\doc\web\2000\12\proflear.txt
THE ACHIEVE REPORT: MARKETING A BAD IDEA By Michael J. Chapman
ACHIEVE, Inc.'s evaluation of the Profile of Learning has finally
been released.  Its criticism of the Profile vindicates what many
have been saying for years. Their recommendations contradict their
criticism, revealing their true agenda.  For example, Achieve
suggests the state keep "moving forward," and "strengthening the
Profile of Learning," and "continue to build and sustain public
support...while staying the course."


z46\doc\web\2000\11\minnobe.txt
Achieve knocks Minnesota Profiles of Learning - It promotes OBE, but
too many "core" areas, not enough content.

\doc\web\98\10\mintest.txt asking why test has normal curve in 4th 
grade but standards don't even specify 2 x 2 = 4.
Cathy.Wagner@state.mn.us

\clip\98\15\qa.tm
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/Grade35/qa.html
explains I-IV levels, I-II expected to meet graduation
standards, III and IV expected to meet high standards. Modifies
outcome based education by specifying minimal and advanced
standards instead of just one standard

MINNESOTA = ALL STUDENTS CAN ACHIEVE AT TWO LEVELS, NOT JUST ONE
Notable is that they give out TWO levels of achiement standards. I
and II who would be = to "below standard" are encouraged to aim for
"graduation" standard, III and IV which are "meet / exceed" standard
are slated for the "high standard". This is a significant departure
of Tucker's notion that ALL must achieve at the highest international
levels which would effectively eliminate the bell curve once and for
all.  (and if you believe that I've got a social program to sell
you...)


Test results
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/results.htm
State:       Minnesota
                        Date of Test: February 1998
                
            1998 Grade 3 Score Information
            1998 Grade 3 Achievement Level Information
                        Percent of ....ReadingMathematics
                        Level I        23%    18%
                        Level II       42%    47%
                        Level III      30%    29%
                        Level IV        5%     6%

Only 35% pass math
Only 35% pass reading

IV: students at this level demonstrate evidence of 
advanced academic performance, knowledge and skills that 
exceed the level neccesary for satisfactory work in the 
High Standards in the elementary grades

III: Students at this level demonstrate evidence of 
solid academic performance and competence in the knowledge and
skills neccesary for satisfactory work in the ...

II: .. partial knowledge and skills...

I: .. limited ...

III or IV would "meet standards" to pass CIM


\clip\98\15\mngr5.pdf sample grade 5 test
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/Grade35/ specifications
\clip\98\18\math5_ps.pdf specs for grade 5 mult by single digit 10 multiples
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/Grade35/Pdf/MN_Gr_5_Math_Test.pdf

Sample test - problems seem to be 1-step straightforward application
of grade-level skills. Much easier than Washington tests.

5: perimeter
5: differnce in clock time with hands
5: missing information for multiplication problem

38. You are helping to prepare and serve beverages at a neighborhood picnic. 

a. A coffeepot holds 12 cups of coffee. If you want to serve 50 cups
of coffee, how many pots of coffee will you need to make? Explain
your answer and show your work. 

b. A pitcher holds 10 cups of lemonade. The glasses you are using
only hold 1/2 of a cup. If you make 12 pitchers of lemonade, how many
glasses will you be able to fill? Show or explain all of your work. 

See the item specific scoring rubric for this question. 

http://cfl2.state.mn.us/gradrule/gradmain.htm
Each area of learning contains high standards that 
define expectations for teachers and students.

http://cfl2.state.mn.us/servlet/OldGradPckList?HT
"Performance Packages"

High Standards: Benchmarks
http://children.state.mn.us/grad/highstandards2.htm

K-G3 No math??
3.solving problems and justifying thinking by selecting appropriate
numbers and representations; using operations, patterns, and
estimation; generating multiple solutions; organizing data using
pictures and charts; and using concrete objects, diagrams, or maps to
solve simple problems involving counting, arrangements, or routes.

http://children.state.mn.us/grad/highstds/IL-M.htm
G4-5
1.demonstrate understanding of concepts of place value, variables,
and equations; when and how to use number operations; when and how to
use a variety of estimation strategies; addition, subtraction, and
multiplication of single-digit multiples of powers of ten; and the
reasonableness of calculator results; 

MICH STATE EXAM FLUNKS HONOR STUDENT WHO ACED ACT In Michigan,
suburban parents started a boycott of the state proficiency test when
an honor student -- a boy who graduated first in a class of 286
students -- flunked the exam.  "We were flabbergasted," said Luanne
Salz, the mother of Jonathan Salz, who enrolled at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology after getting a perfect score on his ACT
test. "We never could find out why he did poorly [on the state test].
. . . We questioned the validity of the test."
"In fact, if Minneapolis second-graders stay on their current
academic track, less than half of them ultimately will pass the
eighth-grade tests, according to a district analysis."

source: \clip\98\02\gettuff.txt
http://webserv1.startribune.com/cgi-bin/stOnLine/article?thisSlug=SKUL18
Minneapolis Star Tribune January 18, 1998 Morris Park overhaul a sign
of get-tough movement Rob Hotakainen / Star Tribune


1-19-98  Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Kentucky's Accountability Plan Turns Heads"
[what will Minnesota learn from how Kentucky's
approach affects Brown Middle School in Louisville?]
http://webserv1.startribune.com/cgi-bin/stOnLine/article?thisSlug=KENT18&date=18-Jan-98&word=middle school

\clip\98\02\adtest.txt 1-18-98 Minneapolis Star Tribune "Adults Take
Crack at Basic-Skills Test" 
http://webserv1.startribune.com/cgi-bin/stOnLine/article?thisSlug=FOR18
[most adults can pass the test, most material is elementary school] "
On the math test, 14 of 17 passed, which meant getting more than 75
percent right. Nine of the 17 got 90 to 100 percent right. On
reading, 15 of the 17 passed. Twelve got 90 to 100.  "


@@Minority Impact

The promise of Performance Based tests is that they will be more fair
to minorities because they are multicultural and not based on a
curve. Yet actual scores are just as disparate as SAT and IQ tests,
far worse than other basic skills tests.  Where the penalty for not
getting a high SAT score is settling for State U instead University of 
State, the penalty for not getting a high "competency" test score is being
held back a year or not getting a diploma when they used to be promoted
and get diplomas at the same rate as whites

It is not a coincidence that states are _NOT_ reporting performance
by race, only WA/WASL'97 and CA/CLAS appear to have published these
numbers, which indicate a difference in minority scores on the order
of a standard deviation, the same gap observed on IQ and SAT tests.
This ommision appears to be deliberate to keep support of the
minority community.

Grading schools by absolute performance also penalizes students and
teachers who happen to come from disadvantaged or work in such
communities.

This table shows how the pass ratio grows in size with
the level of difficulty for the college level SAT.

White / Black Pass Ratios for College SAT 1995
        % Scoring in ran% Passing cut
Score   White   Black     White   Black Ratio
750-800    1.41%   0.11%    1.4%    0.1%   13.22
700 -740   4.42%   0.51%    5.8%    0.6%    9.48
650 -690   7.61%   1.43%   13.4%    2.0%    6.56
600 -640  10.34%   2.70%   23.8%    4.7%    5.01
550 -590  11.50%   3.97%   35.3%    8.7%    4.04
500 -540  14.30%   7.10%   49.6%   15.8%    3.13
450-490   14.30%  10.54%   63.9%   26.4%    2.42
400-440   14.15%  15.65%   78.0%   42.0%    1.86
350 -390  11.13%  19.65%   89.2%   61.7%    1.45
300 -340   7.80%  24.77%   97.0%   86.4%    1.12
250 - 29   2.57%  13.57%   99.5%  100.0%    1.00
200-240    0.47%   0.00%  100.0%  100.0%    1.00

Differential Pass Rates for State Assessments -

Despite the promise that new tests will erase the race gap, every
state test shows just as large a race gap at every level as the
"racist" SAT

If the white pass rate is 14%, then the black pass (SAT equiv) rate
is 2% on the SAT, it is only 3% on the Arizona AIMS test, so the race
differential is the same size.

BLACK WHITE TEST PASS RATIO SPECTRUM - 
TEST GAPS AS A RATIO TEND TO BE CONSTANT FOR ANY TEST
------------------------------------
Percent Pass    SAT        SD
Black   White   Equiv      State
       3      14       2=  0.79  1999 Arizona AIMS math
       3      15       2=  0.79  1994 California CLAS G8
       5      20       5=  0.90  1997 Washington WASL math G4
       2      29       9-  1.50  1998 Boston Stanford 9 G11 "Proficient"
      10      30       9=  0.76  1998 Washington WASL math G4
      11      40      12=  0.97  1995 1st TAAS Algebra 1994
      16      44      16=  0.83  1998 Maryland MSAP Baltimore 
      21      49      16=  0.78  1998 Nevada 11th Grade
      12      54      16+        1998 Boston Stanford 9 G7 "Proficient"
      12      54                 2002 Seattle 4th Grade WASL Pass
      23      56      20=  0.88  1999 Colorado G7 Math
      21      57                 2002 Michigan MEAP Science 5th
      35      64      26+  0.74  1998 Florida FCAT expected
      35      75      42+  0.69  1998 Mass MCAS sci technology
      48      81      45=  0.93  1997 Texas TAAS G10
      89      98      90=  0.81  1998 Florida HSCT G12

= equal to SAT gap
- less than SAT gap
+ greater than SAT gap

In California, only 3% of blacks passed vs. 15% of whites. On the
SAT, where 15% of whites pass, it is about 2%.

In Washington, only 5% of blacks passed vs 20% of whites. On the
SAT it works out to an identical 5 percent.

In Nevada, for white 49% , only 21% of blacks passed, vs about
16% on the SAT

See “Standardized Tests: The Interpretation of Racial and Ethnic Gaps”
at: 

http://members.xoom.com/griffedulion/testing.htm
This shows how to measure the "true" difference between races
measured in standard deviation, not just the arithmetic 
difference between scores. On low-g tests such as TAAS, minorities can 
narrow the difference slightly, but on very difficult tests
they may be limited by IQ.

Does the state list scores for minorities?
CA CLAS - YES, no publicity
NV Yes
WA'97 - YES

KY KIRIS - NO
MA MCAS - NO
CO - NO
FL - NO
WA'98 - NO
MD - NO
OR - NO
VT - NO

------


%%California

EVALUATION OF CA HS TEST SAYS WATCH FOR MINORITIES
http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/hsee/hsee.html
z44\clipim\2000\07\17\HumRRO_YR1_Report.PDF
In the late 1970s, for example, when minimum competency tests gained
popularity, 20% of African American students, compared with 2% of
White students, failed Florida's graduation tests and were denied
high school diplomas (Debra P. v. Turlington, 1979). Similarly, 1998
data from the Texas graduation tests show cumulative failure rates of
17.6% for African American students and 17.4% for Hispanic students,
compared with 6.7% for White students (Natriello & Pallas, 1999). For
students with disabilities, most of whom now participate in
large-scale state assessments, recent data from 14 states
consistently show failure rates that are 35–40 percentage points
higher than those for nondisabled students (Ysseldyke et al., 1998).
Moreover, states increasingly are raising the standards on their
graduation tests to “world-class” levels, such as those embodied in
the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Based on 1996
NAEP data, 40% of all students would fail tests that reflect
world-class" standards, at least initially, and failure rates for
minority students would be about 80%. These predictions are
consistent with recent data from Massachusetts and New York, where
students have begun taking state tests that reflect world-class
standards.

%%Colorado

TEACHERS FLEE LOW SCORING SCHOOLS - STATE GRADES
http://www.denverpost.com/news/carman0429.htm
\clip\2000\05\gradfail.txt diane carman Grades also fail teachers By
Diane Carman Denver Post Columnist No matter how hard the teachers
work, how well they teach, Manual will be an "F" school next year
under the state's program to grade schools based on student
performance on standardized tests.

%%Discrimination

z45\doc\web\2000\09\pureocr.txt Press Advisory: October 3, 2000
Contact: Julie Woestehoff 312/461-1994 (day) 773/973-5548 (eve)
Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE) will announce the
success of its October, 1999, discrimination complaint in forcing
major changes to the Chicago Public Schools’ student promotion
policy. The drop out rate of twice-retained eighth graders is 29%.
African-American and Latino students in Chicago have suffered the
most under this terrible policy. By working with the Office for Civil
Rights, PURE has brought about the beginning of the end of this
illegal and educationally-unsound assessment policy.

%%General

NO EVIDENCE HIGH STAKES TESTING IMPROVES LEARNING, JUST SCORES
HIGH STAKES KEEPING THE LOWLY LOWER, JUST LIKE FIRST TESTS DID
web: http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v10n18/
z55\clip\2002\04\highstak.txt z55\clipim\2002\04\23\highstak\highstak.htm
Education Policy Analysis Archives 
Volume 10 Number 18 March 28, 2002 ISSN 1068-2341 
* The authors wish to thank the Rockefeller Foundation for support of
the research reported here. 
* Analyses of these data reveal that if the intended goal of
high-stakes testing policy is to increase student learning, then that
policy is not working. While a state's high-stakes test may show
increased scores, there is little support in these data that such
increases are anything but the result of test preparation and/or the
exclusion of students from the testing process.
* If student learning is not affected, the validity of a state's test
is in question. 
* High school graduation exams affect students from racial minority
backgrounds in greater proportions than they do white students.
* High stakes are not new. Standardized test scores were used to
confirm the superiority or inferiority of various races, ethnic
groups, and social classes. Used in this way, the consequences of
standardized tests insured maintenance of the status quo along those
racial, ethnic and class lines. So, for about a century, significant
consequences have been attached to scores on standardized tests.
* [beliefs of testocrats] that these statements are true only some of
the time, or for only a modest percent of the individuals who were
studied. The research suggests, therefore, that all of these
statements are likely to be false a good deal of the time. And in
fact, some research studies show exactly the opposite of the effects
anticipated by supporters of high-stakes testing
* too often the testing programs become thinly disquised methods to
maintain the status quo and insure that funds stay in the hands of
those who need them least.
* Ninety-seven percent of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native
Americans failed the math section of the AIMS. Due to the high
failure rates for different groups of students, as well as various
psychometric problems, this test had to be postponed.
* a major cause of these gaps is that high-stakes standardized tests
may be testing poor students on material they have not had a
sufficient opportunity to learn.
* after TAAS practice materials, the middle school teachers in more
than one district reported students were unable to read a
novel even two years below grade level.
* A second report in this series inquires if there have been negative
side-effects of high-stakes testing for economically disadvantaged
and ethnic minority students 
* journalist Peter Schrag noted that "...the unimpressive scores on
other tests raise unavoidable questions about what the numbers really
mean [on the high-stakes tests] and about the cost of their
achievement." (Note 86) 
* On the ACT Six states displayed overall positive effects, while
twelve states displayed overall negative effects. 

%%Illinois

In October, 1999, PURE filed a
complaint with the U. S. Department of Education's Office of Civil
Rights. We charged that the CPS testing policy has had a
discriminatory impact on African-American students, who are nearly
five times as likely to be held back as white students, and on Latino
students, who are more than twice as likely to be retained. The
Office of Civil Rights is currently investigating the Chicago Public
Schools testing and retention policies. 

PURE's original OCR complaint is on our web site and can be used as a
model- http://www.pureparents.org/OCRletterPURE.htm

%%Massachusetts 

z55\CLIP\2002\04\mcasmin.txt
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/mcas04262002.htm
[Half of] Blacks, Hispanics failing MCAS 
by Ed Hayward 
Friday, April 26, 2002
``I think they would be irresponsible if they don't insist that MCAS
exams be discontinued,'' said Leonard Alkins, president of the Boston
branch of the NAACP.
In Boston, half of the students who failed both the spring and
December MCAS exams had 15 or more unexcused absences.


MCAS FLUNKS INNER CITY KIDS ADMITTED TO COLLEGE
 z49\clip\2001\05\bostest.txt CNN.com - Critics
fear state test taking will take its toll - May 25, 2001 Despite
the high rate of college admissions, a large number of Fenway seniors
failed the Massachusetts state proficiency exam, known as the MCAS,
when they took it in the 10th grade. 

BLACKS 2X, ASIANS 1.5X HIGHER FAIL RATE ON MCAS
z46\clip\2000\11\mcasrace.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/319/metro/Racial_gap_remains_wide_on_MCAS_scores+.shtml
Racial gap remains wide on MCAS scores By Sandy Coleman and Anand
Vaishnav, Globe Staff, 11/14/2000 
According to the 2000 MCAS results, 60 percent of African-American
10th-graders failed the English portion of the exam, along with 66
percent of Hispanics, and 65 percent of Native Americans - compared
with 27 percent of white students and 34 percent of Asian-Pacific
Islanders.  
[Note Asians have 50% higher fail rate in math than whites] in Grade
4 In math, 43 percent of African-Americans, 47 percent of Hispanics,
and 34 percent of Native Americans failed.  That's compared with 15
percent of Asian-Pacific Islanders and 11 percent of whites.  

%%NAACP

These NAACP chapters have made statments against high stakes testing:

* Arizona (AIMS) gave president's award
* Boston, Mass (MCAS)
* Cleveland, Ohio (OPT)
* Seattle (WASL) No official statment, but lots of complaints

z70\clip\2003\08\naacp.txt 8/28/2003
NAACP files against Florida education department
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The NAACP filed a federal complaint against
Florida's education department Thursday, seeking to stop use of
statewide assessment tests until the achievement gap between minority
and white students is eliminated.

z55\CLIP\2002\04\mcasmin.txt
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/mcas04262002.htm
[Half of] Blacks, Hispanics failing MCAS 
by Ed Hayward 
Friday, April 26, 2002
``I think they would be irresponsible if they don't insist that MCAS
exams be discontinued,'' said Leonard Alkins, president of the Boston
branch of the NAACP.

NAACP GIVES PRESIDENT'S AWARD TO ARIZONA TEST RESISTERS
\doc\web\2001\06\naacpi.txt
Substance (Chicago) June 2001 p. 45 NAACP presents AZ Standards with
President's Award
On April 28, the East Valley NAACP recognized AZ Standards with an 
award for leadership and dedication in the fight against high stakes
testing. The President's Award was presented to AZ Standards at the
Western Regional NAACP conference held in Mesa, Arizona.

z41\clip\2000\05\testcraz.txt Oakland Tribune Sunday, April 16, 2000
2:10 PM MST Value of school testing open to question THIS is the year
U.S. schools went test-crazy.  In Cleveland, the NAACP charged the
Ohio test with racial bias after not one student in five poor schools
passed all sections.

%%Washington

RIMMER IN SEATTLE VOWS TO END WASL SCORE GAP IN 3 YEARS
z50\priv\06\0607\racegp.txt
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/26363_race07.shtml
Schools set sights on ending race gap in testing scores 
Thursday, June 7, 2001
By REBEKAH DENN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER



DAWN MASON, GENEVA GAY QUESTION WASL FOR BLACKS
Z40\clip\2000\04\testgap.txt
http://archives.seattletimes.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=afam&date=19971026&query=dawn+mason+test
The Seattle Times Company October 26, 1997 Conference targets blacks'
'academic gap' by Jolayne Houtz Seattle Times staff reporter
A new set of test scores released last month gives new urgency to the
struggle: About 5 percent of Washington's African-American and Latino
fourth-graders met the standard on the state's tough new
performance-based test given for the first time last spring.
Rep. Dawn Mason, D-Seattle, questioned the value of a test that
penalizes students for their creativity and has asked Bergeson's
office to do a deeper analysis of what the test scores show.
Another test isn't the answer, and in fact this test should be thrown
out completely, said Geneva Gay, a University of Washington education
professor. 

z40\clip\2000\03\cotest.txt
http://insidedenver.com/news/0306math2.shtml Rocky Mountain News
Timing hurt math scores?  Experts indicate skills erode over summer
By Brian Weber Denver Rocky Mountain News Education Writer 
Advanced or proficient pass rate
56 white
53 asian
23 black hispanic
difference = 0.88 SD


zip39\clip\2000\01\taasback.txt Newspaper feedback - most feel it's
ok to flunk minorities with a tough or even "easy" graduation test.

%%Texas

JUDGE UPHOLDS ATTACHING TAAS TEST TO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
\clip\2000\01\nixtest.txt 7 Jan 2000
Judge Nixes Minority
Claim on Tests By KELLEY SHANNON Associated Press Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A federal judge upheld Texas' high school graduation
test Friday, rejecting a claim by minority plaintiffs that the exam
discriminates against blacks and Hispanics.

\clip\99\21\taasb.txt Student testing is unfair to minorities, study
says Texas education officials defend TAAS, say primary authors of
report are biased 01/07/2000 By Terrence Stutz / The Dallas Morning
News AUSTIN - Texas' student testing program is hurting the education
of minority children and has deepened inequities between whites and
minorities, a new study concludes. The study, commissioned by the
Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, criticized the
high-stakes Texas Assessment of Academic Skills as a "ticket to
nowhere" for many minority students.

TAAS RACE GAP SUBJECT OF LAWSUIT \clip\99\21\taasc.txt Jan. 6, 2000
at 23:06 CST Judge plans to announce TAAS suit decision today By
Michelle Melendez Star-Telegram Staff Writer "The state pointed to a
jump in the passing rate of minorities taking the graduation test in
the 10th grade in recent years -- from 30 percent in 1994 to 65
percent in 1999. Gaps remain between minority and Anglo students, but
they have narrowed. Anglos had passing rates of 67 percent in 1994
and 89 percent in 1999.

Note - Even if TAAS is simpler than WASL, races are still off by 
bell-curve 1 standard deviation according to worksheet by 
La Griffe du Lion. When 1999 pass rate for minorities is the same
as white pass rate in 1994, this is, like WASL also either a 5 year
closing of the race gap, or a total scam.
1994: SD diff = 0.97 SD
1999: SD diff = 0.84 SD
Send comments to mmelendez@star-telegram.com

%%Massachusetts

FEWER BLACKS, HISPANICS TAKE POST ALGEBRA TRIG ON MCAS TEST
\clip\99\21\mcasmath.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/346/metro/A_closer_look_at_MCAS_math_test_problem+.shtml
A closer look at MCAS math-test problem By Cindy Rodriguez, Globe
Staff, 12/12/99 [Tough tests are great for sorting out the top, but
murder for the kids on the bottom which is why diplomas should have
NO performance floor for those who try and learn whatever they learn]
                                ''Education reform never took into
consideration the dual educational systems that existed as it relates
to children of color,'' said Leonard C. Alkins, president of the
Boston branch of the NAACP. 
''It's not good testing policy, not good school policy,'' said Mike
Cohen, assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education at
the US Department of Education, which is analyzing MCAS data to see
if there is potential discrimination.
mentions NAACP

%%Washington

LATINOS COMPLAIN WASL IS UNFAIR TO LATINO MIGRANT CHILDREN
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=leap18m&date000618&query=wasl
z43\clip\2000\07\latwasl.txt Seattle Times Company June 18, 2000 Test
aid sought for Latino students by Ray Rivera The point isn't subtle,
and neither is the message from Latino leaders who say the craze of
high-stakes testing sweeping the country is setting their children up
for failure. 

%%Arizona
Arizona Education            ----------              11/17/99
  "Non-Asian minorities fared worst on exam."
"Students' AIMS test scores were generally dismal across
the state, but minority families have the most to worry about,
new state data show."
"Only 3 percent of blacks, Hispanics and American Indians
did well enough to pass the mathematics portion of the new
state test, compared with 14 percent of Anglos and 18 per-
cent of Asians, according to results released this week."....
....But Raul Gonzalez, an education policy analyst with the
National Council of La Raza, said yesterday that minority
students are ``being set up to fail'' in high-stakes tests in
Arizona and across the country.".
http://www.azstarnet.com/public/dnews/1117N06.html

z38\clip\99\20\aims3.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/news/1117marks.shtml Marks fuel concern
about minorities, bias By Kelly Pearce and Jennifer Barrett The
Arizona Republic Nov. 17, 1999 A breakdown of AIMS scores by race or
ethnic group released Tuesday is likely to fuel criticism that the
state's graduation test is biased against some minority students.
"According to the ethnic breakdown, 97 percent of Blacks, Hispanics
and Native Americans approached or fell far below the math standards.
For Anglos, it was 86 percent.  "

New Bedford Standard Times
zip38\clip\99\20\mcasmin.txt
http://www.s-t.com/daily/11-99/11-12-99/a01lo007.htm Racial divide
Failure rates high for blacks, Hispanics on 1998 MCAS By Monica
Allen, Standard-Times staff writer NEW BEDFORD -- Hispanic and black
students in Massachusetts flunked the 1998 MCAS test in startling
numbers -- and at rates nearly double their white counterparts,
according to state Department of Education figures.  Deputy Education
Commissioner Alan Safran said the minority scores are alarming, but
...  "It's not meaningful to draw conclusions [from first year
results]," he said.  The state is well aware of the gaps in
performance.. The education system was overhauled in 1993 in large
part to address the overwhelming gulfs between the wealthy suburban
districts and their poorer urban counterparts. [yet the test
exacerbates, not fixes the differences!]
[includes tables showing high failure rates in various towns]

\clip\99\20\mcasmin.txt
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/316/
metro/MCAS_stirs_ears_that_minorities_will_drop_out-.shtml
MCAS stirs fears that minorities will drop out 
Failure rate high for blacks, Latinos																                    																									  
By Cindy Rodriguez, Globe Staff, 11/12/99 														  	                  																									  
An analysis of MCAS test results released yesterday showed 83 percent of							                    																									  
Latinos and 80 percent of blacks failed the 10th-grade math exam last year,						  	                  																									  
providing the first glimpse of the huge disparity dividing students among							                    																									  
racial and ethnic lines.																			                    																									  
On all three test grade levels, Latinos and blacks failed at a rate twice that of					                    																									  
whites, sparking fears that students who do not pass the exam - required in						  	                  																									  
2003 to graduate - will become frustrated and drop out.											  	                  																									  

study by Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public
Policy at UMass/Boston

Math exam failure rates MCAS
97% 10th grade Chicopee Latino
94% 10th grade Springfield Latino
91% 10th grade Springfield Black
88% 10th grade Boston Black
86% 10th grade Boston Latino
82% 10th grade Boston Black
83% 10th grade Latino
80% 10th grade Black

Statewide science technology 10th grade failure
70% Latino
65% Black
33% Asian
25% Whites

Poverty Rates
47% Latino
26% Black
19% Asian
 6% White

Predicted drop out rates
29% Latino
22% Black
13% Asian
10% White


Date sent:      	Sat, 13 Nov 1999 14:33:16 -0800 (PST)
From:           	La Griffe du Lion 
Subject:        	Re: [Upstream] MCAS minority scores draw outrage, but not at clueless officials who gave it!
To:             	arthurhu @ hufamily.com (no space)

Arthur,

There is not much new here for blacks, the most predictable of groups.
I excerpted three quotes from the Globe article and analyzed that data
using the algorithms I developed in "Women and Minorities in Science."
http://members.xoom.com/griffedulion/women_and_minorities_in_science.htm

Below the data for each case you will find the mean differences (in SD
units) between whites and the other ethnic/racial groups .

---------------------
"Statewide, 83 percent of Hispanic students and 80 percent of black
students flunked the math test in 1998. That's nearly double the
percentage of white students -- 43 percent -- who failed."

Blacks = 1.02,  Latinos = 1.13
------------------------------

"Statewide science technology 10th grade failure
70% Latino
65% Black
33% Asian
25% Whites"

Blacks = 1.06,   Latinos = 1.20,   Asians = 0.23
------------------------------------------------   
"The eighth-grade scores were the worst for Latinos and blacks. In
math, failures were: 79 percent for Latinos; 75 percent for blacks;
and 34 percent for whites."

Blacks = 1.09,   Latinos = 1.22
--------------------------------

La Griffe du Lion
http://members.xoom.com/griffedulion/index.html


TOUGH WISCONSIN TESTS ABOUT BARREL MAKING LEAVE MINORITIES COLD Tests
[reform] gauge mastery of long passages Third-graders' exams are
becoming more difficult, experts say By Alan J. Borsuk From the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel December 29, 1997 Which job were people
more likely to have in the past?  A.  barrel maker B. computer expert
C. astronaut

RAISING THE BAR MEANS MORE MINORITIES
MUST FAIL "The statement or reform initiative that we must raise the
academic standard or raise the academic bar because too many students
are passing the exams is a racist statement and leads to
institutional racist practices of denying poverty class children of
color a diploma.  The statemaent that too many students are passing
the graduation standards is the same as saying that more students,
read more black students, must fail these standardized test year
after year or the test is no good.  " Leon Todd

75% OF BLACKS VS 33% ASIANS FLUNK SOL ALGEBRA TEST
\CLIP\99\10\sol.txt The Washington Post 5/13/99 About 75 percent of
black high school students failed in at least one subject on last
spring's Standards of Learning (SOL) about 41 percent for whites, 33
percent for Asian Americans and 53 percent for Hispanics.  Last year,
25 percent of black students passed the geometry test, compared with
59 percent of whites, 67 percent of Asian Americans and 47 percent of
Hispanics.  The passing rates in algebra were lower for all groups.
There were similar gaps in scores within each Northern Virginia
school system.  On the high school Algebra II exam, for example, 41
percent of whites and 14 percent of blacks passed in Alexandria, and
52 percent of whites and 26 percent of blacks passed in Fairfax
County.

            Subject White Black Asian Hispanic
            Algebra I 46% 20% 61% 33%
            Algebra II 34% 13% 50% 26%
            Biology 81% 50% 79% 61%
            Chemistry 60% 31% 62% 41%
            Earth Science 69% 31% 68% 51%
            English* 77% 55% 78% 64%
            Geometry 59% 25% 67% 47%
            U.S. History 36% 12% 39% 19%
            World History
            from 1000 A.D. 49% 17% 62% 33%
            World History
            to 1000 A.D. 68% 38% 77% 52%

            *Reading/literature and research

            SOURCE: Virginia Department of Education

IF NOT RACIST, PERFORMANCE BASED TESTS ARE CERTAINLY MORE HARMFUL
TO MINORITIES
High School Exit Exams Are Racist
http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/COMMENT/t000019064.html By GARY
DELGADO OPINION "We have entered an era in which catchy punitive
sound bites have replaced thoughtful public policy efforts to solve
social problems. Gov. Gray Davis' proposal to subject high school
students to an exit exam before they can claim their diplomas is a
prime example of this trend. The proposal sends a clear message to
students: We haven't fixed the schools, but we are going to make that
your failure, not ours."

KIRIS DOES NOT PLUG RACE GAP
\clip\99\03\kirrace.txt Lexington Kentucky Published Friday, January
22, 1999, in the Herald-Leader Race gap lingers on statewide test
scores But grades up overall in 6-year KIRIS span By Linda B.
Blackford HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

Winburn teachers think these are reasons their school -- which is 40
percent black -- bucks a national and statewide trend: At Winburn,
black and white students achieve at the same levels,

gap between Kentucky's black and white students on the statewide test
in 1992 has not significantly narrowed in 1998.

gap between the races scoring in the highest category of the KIRIS
test is 16 percentage points in math and 12 percentage points in
reading.



\clip\98\19\edclip03.txt December 12, 1998 Difficult exam, higher
standards too tough for juniors LAS VEGAS SUN

Fewer than half of the 18,752 students tested - or 49.1 percent -
were able to earn passing scores on the math test, which they took
for the first time in October.  Students will have four more
opportunities to pass the test, which is required to earn a full
diploma in Nevada.  Black and Hispanic students performed dismally on
the math test, with only 21.4 percent of blacks and 26.5 percent of
Hispanics making the grade.

Rabinowitz said the next step is to do an impact study addressing
many of the concerns raised - problem areas for minority groups...


MSAP PRINCE GEORGE AND BALTIMORE SCORE AT BOTTOM 
ONLY 44% PASS
\clip\98\18\msap.txt
Maryland Students Boost Test Scores But Less Than Half Rated
'Satisfactory' On Spring Exams By Amy Argetsinger
argetsinge@washpost.com
Washington Post
Staff Writer Wednesday, December 9, 1998; Page B01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/md/testscores98/scores120998.htm
Maryland Students Boost Test Scores 
"Many parents and some local school officials continue to criticize
the exam as too difficult. School board members in Prince George's
have questioned whether the exam is "culturally biased" in a way that
puts African American students at a disadvantage.  "


BLACKS FAIL AT 6X RATE OF WHITES ON FLORIDA EXAM
HIGHER DROPOUT RATE DUE TO TOUGHER EXIT EXAM newscl04.txt 2/19/98
Miami Herald The High
School Competency Test ensures graduates have at least ninth-grade
skills. 
Fail rate on Florida HSCT is 6 times higher for blacks
white  2.0
hisp   7.3
black 11.4

65% OF FLORIDA MINORITY VS 36% OVEALL EXPECTED TO FAIL MATH TEST
http://www.sptimes.com/State/112598/Florida_raises_passin.html
\clip\98\17\highmin.txt Florida raises passing grade on state tests
The tougher standards approved by the governor and Cabinet could hit
minority students the hardest.  By STEPHEN HEGARTY © St. Petersburg
Times, published November 25, 1998 As many as 36 percent of the
state's fifth-graders could fail the math portion of the new Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test administered in January and February.
Minority students could be the hardest hit. As many as 65 percent of
Florida's African-American fifth-graders are expected to fail the
math test.

\clip\98\17\edclip03.txt New standards may give schools a jolt
Catherine Hinman of The Sentinel Staff Published in The Orlando
Sentinel, Nov 23 1998.  Under a tough grading scale proposed for a
new high-stakes state test, Florida's schools and its students are in
for a cold bath. Minorities fared far worse as a group. 

Saxon: Proposed Math -Testing
Standards Damaging to Minorities "Too often, tests designed for
other purposes have been used unintentionally as filters that deny
underrepresented groups access to the further study of mathematics.
Today the mathematical development of each child in a diverse
multicultural society must be valued. Assessment procedures must no
longer be used to deny students the opportunities to learn important
mathematics.  " [tests motivated by minority impact, yet impact is
even greater on actual scores]

PERFORMANCE BASED TESTS SLAMMED, BAD FOR MINORITIES
\clip\98\03\testback.txt 1/24/98 Antelope Valley Press National
testing fails pop quiz By FRAN PAOLINELLI Valley Press Staff Writer
"Petteway, citing historical data, claimed that minorities would be
at a disadvantage when taking performance-based tests." [Thank god,
I'm not the only one who noticed how badly minorities fare at these
tests!]

GRANADA HILLS - Question: How will one more test improve
education and help children who have already been told a
thousand times they are not doing well in school?

MICH STATE EXAM FLUNKS HONOR STUDENT WHO ACED ACT In Michigan,
suburban parents started a boycott of the state proficiency test when
an honor student -- a boy who graduated first in a class of 286
students -- flunked the exam.  "We were flabbergasted," said Luanne
Salz, the mother of Jonathan Salz, who enrolled at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology after getting a perfect score on his ACT
test. "We never could find out why he did poorly [on the state test].
. . . We questioned the validity of the test."
source: \clip\98\02\gettuff.txt
http://webserv1.startribune.com/cgi-bin/stOnLine/article?thisSlug=SKUL18
Minneapolis Star Tribune January 18, 1998 Morris Park overhaul a sign
of get-tough movement Rob Hotakainen / Star Tribune


@@Missouri

Missouri Mastery and Achievement Tests, or MMAT

Spring 1998 Missouri will begin requiring all public school students
in selected grades to take a new test, the Missouri Assessment
Program, or MAP. 

\clip\99\02\motest.txt 1999 Post-Dispatch Archives -- St. Louis,
Missouri Monday, January 4, 1999 EDITORIAL FORGET SELF-ESTEEM; SET
HIGH EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS By J. Martin Rochester And David Rose 
...the unlimited amount of time students are now being given to complete
the new statewide Missouri Assessment Project tests


PERFORMANCE BASED TEST QUESTIONS HARD TO GET RIGHT
\clip\98\03\edclip2.txt 1/28/98 St. Louis Post Dispatch Teachers look
for new ways to measure learning By Dale Singer Of The Post-Dispatch
" Even though they knew elementary division, few students used
precision to give each child 3 3/4 cookies. Most used more creative
solutions, like giving Joe extra cookies because he was the guest of
honor; or letting Joe's mother share the feast, giving each person
three cookies; or baking more cookies so that the bigger batch would
let everyone share equally.  Such answers may be resourceful, but the
teachers had to determine whether they really responded to the
question. They also had to determine what grade to give each
response, based on a four-point scale, with each level responding to
certain criteria.  "

\clip\97\30\stlo2.txt 12-15-97 St. Louis Post-Dispatch *Report Cards
on Area Schools are In; In City, Test Scores Reveal Bright Spot, Many
Failures** [7th graders at one school perform lowest in the state]
Missouri Mastery and Achievement Tests, or MMAT, for 1996 and 1997.
http://web3.stlnet.com/archives/pdarc97.nsf/ce5cb66cf17fd8b686256363005212c4/32f65bb623365c3f8625656e00528b39?OpenDocument


@@Motivation

Standards based testing: if you motivate them, then you can get all
students to meet any arbitrary goal.

HIGH STAKES MOTIVATES SOME, BUT NOT ALL UNDERACHIEVERS TO PASS TESTS
z74\clip\2003\09\motivate.txt
ASCD
September 16, 2003 | Volume 1 Number 19 
High-stakes Testing and the Motivation of Low-achieving Students
"The Bottom Line Low–performing students may be motivated by external
high–stakes tests; however, there appears to be a core group of
low-achieving students that are not supported by such policies.
Students performed better when they received support from teachers and
felt a sense of collective responsibility for learning.  "
http://www.ascd.org/cms/objectlib/ascdframeset/index.cfm?publication=http://www.ascd.org/publications/researchbrief/volume1/v1n19.html


@@NAACP

Massachusetts and Texas NAACP have attacked state testing attached
to high school graduation

A CLOSER LOOK AT MCAS MATH-TEST PROBLEM Published on 12/12/1999.
Boston SOURCE: By Cindy Rodriguez, GLOBE STAFF As state educators
pore over the most recent MCAS test results, they are under
increasing pressure to pinpoint why Latino and black 10th-graders
have failed math at twice the rate of whites.

@@Nader, Ralph

2000 candidate for president has made statements against standardized
and high stakes testing.

 2000 campaign website statement


@@National Coverage

TESTING FROM DIAGNOSIS TO TREATMENT TO DISEASE?
\clip\99\08\edclip03.txt From diagnosis then to treatment now /
Standardized tests alter, act as catalyst Sunday, March 7, 1999 BY
RHEA BORJA Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff Writer Standardized testing
has become the 800-pound gorilla of the education world.  "Content
should guide testing, not the other way around, said Gerald W.
Bracey, a nationally recognized education consultant and the director
of research, evaluation and testing for the Virginia Department of
Education from 1977 to 1986.  Also, teaching should match the content
that students should learn. "

\clipim\99\05\test\p01.tif, p02.tif The Test of Their Lives Time Feb
15, 1999 p. 56 As state grade school exams spread, some ask: Are the 
stakes too high? 
North Carolina teachers spend up to 80% of year on teaching to tests.
Harvard lecturer s. Paul reville. We were having difficulty reaching
lower standards. and now we've raised the bar by a factor of 25% to
30%. Massachusetts tests took 16 hours over several weeks. Bush "when
you raise the bar, people rise to the challenge" Standards of Learning
test was not geared to school curriculums. In the past two years, 20
states have unveiled custom-made exams intended to hold students to 
higher educational standards, more include subjective "performance
questions" to craft essays and explain math problems. Teacher bonus,
diploma, grade promotion, school accreditation hinges on tests. Virginia
test: Trivial pursuit. 98% of schools fell short. Achieve to unify
tests.



@@NAEP National Assessment of Educational Progress

See test.htm

NAEP achievement levels are useless
Sample problems are grade-inappropriate, appear to correspond to
innappropriate WA state proficiency levels 20% pass rate at 4th grade.

Sample in KIRIS review
- write everything different about these 2 figures
- write how to create 4 equal lengths out one string
- what is probability of red ball in machine with x red y green z blue balls

 Mathematical
Content Areas and Assessment Strands Tells what should and should
not be assessed

\clip\97\28\assess.txt http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-11/08assess.h11
Education Week October 23, 1991 National Standards/Assessments:
Students [Comprehensive listing of major high school to work
assesmment efforts in 1991, including Bush tests, NAEP, Tucker, ACT
Work Keys, SCANS]
   
@@National Education Goals Panel

10/25/98 Forwarded from KidsCampaign:
The National Education Goals Panel has released its state by state findings
on student achievement in math and science.  Go online to find your own
state at http://www.negp.gov/reports/goal3_98.htm.  Students in 14 states
achieved "world class" levels in science, and math scores improved in 28
states.  COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, INDIANA, NORTH CAROLINA, TEXAS, and WEST
VIRGINIA earned the most gold stars for student improvement in math and
science.

                                                                      
@@National VoluntarY Tests

Lots of 1997 controversy over national tests. They would have cost
$27 million each year.

Official web page
http://www.ed.gov/nationaltests/

CLINTON'S NATIONAL TEST SUNK IN 1997 z45\clip\2000\10\natlfite.txt A
Tempest Over National Testing The public likes a White House plan to
test grade-schoolers, but it's taking fire. Here's why By Romesh
Ratnesar
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/09/15/time/ed.testing.std.html
...a higher price tag. The department estimates the tests will cost
$12 per child--the Iowa exam costs less than half that--and $27
million overall.

http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/test/ \clip\98\14\natl.htm
Description of basic-advanced criterion for national test by National
Academy of Sciences Letter Report on Voluntary National Tests
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL COMMISSION ON BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL
SCIENCES AND EDUCATION

http://ericae.net/ft/nattest/21a6.html
z43\clipim\2000\07\06\natvoltest\natvoltest.htm
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
+ + + + +
BOARD ON TESTING AND ASSESSMENT
+ + + + +
VOLUNTARY NATIONAL TESTS OF
READING AND MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT
REGULATORY AND LICENSING ISSUES
+ + + + +
THURSDAY,
JUNE 12, 1997
WASHINGTON, D.C.
June 13, 1997 Proceedings



\clip\98\14\natltest.txt
http://www.teachermagazine.org/ew/vol-17/13test.h17 November 19, 1997
Education Week on the Web Test Proposal To Be Tested by Experts By
Millicent Lawton [Image] Washington [Image]

Ashcroft opposes tests, says they
will force a defective politically motivated national curriculum.
Mandatory testing takes a toll on school time and resources,
consuming about 20 million school days and somewhere between $700
million and $900 million in expenditures each year. According to
Boston College's Center for the Study of Testing, children are
already overtested, taking between three and nine standardized tests
a year. 

 Public Schools As Nurse And Nanny
Speech by Pennsylvania Rep. Sam Rohrer, Eagle Forum Leadership
Conference, Sept. 27, 1997. Clinton test official says unfair to ask
kids to multiply 2 times 24. Senator John Ashcroft (R-MO) says "There
is no way, academically, ethically or legally, that children can be
given a valid test without first teaching them the subject matter to
be tested. "

@@NEA

neatest.txt
B-57 (2003) on testing of students
"The 
Association opposes the use of standardized tests and/or assessments 
when--" The new lines are:
...
m. Test preparation impedes or discourages learning, constrains the 
curriculum in ways that threaten the quality of teaching and learning for 
students, or limits and/or curtails future educational opportunities of 
learners
n. Scores are used to track students.



@@Nebraska

http://www.EducationNews.org for article links
Education Week April 18, 2000 
Nebraska OKs Its First Statewide Test, 
While Making Standards Mandatory 
Nebraska's enactment last week of a new plan of statewide academic
standards and assessments leaves Iowa as the nation's lone holdout in the
movement to embrace at least some variety of uniform state testing. 


@@Nevada

NEVADA LEGS LOWER THE MATH BAR, VOWS TO RAISE THEM BY 2007
z68\clip\2003\06\nvscore.txt
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-ed/2003/jun/27/515273991.html
June 27, 2003 
State sets new scores for math exam
"Harcourt was fined $475,000 by the state for mistakes made with
the spring 2002 version of the test.... The board was required to set
the new passing grades after the state Legislature lowered the passing
score to 290 for 2003 graduates because thousands of students scored
below 304, which was the minimum to pass."
Minimum to pass to be raised over next four years By Dan Kulin
LAS VEGAS SUN

23% OF BLACK HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS DON'T PASS PROF EXAM
z48\clip\2001\02\nevtest2.txt Sunday, February 18, 2001 Copyright ©
Las Vegas Review-Journal Poor minority scores on test raise questions
"It's really highlighting an achievement gap that already exists.
Would we rather not know that?"  " Various reasons cited for
disproportionate failure rate By LISA KIM BACH REVIEW-JOURNAL Last
year, 23 percent of Clark County's black high school seniors failed
to earn a diploma because they couldn't pass the state's proficiency
exam.  

z45\clip\2000\10\vegchea.txt Oct 25, 2000 Number of high school
graduates in Clark County drops Associated Press LAS VEGAS - Only
three of every four seniors in the Clark County School District's
Class of 2000 earned the right to graduate.  ...Pat finally went to
the Clark County School District and asked for a formal investigation
into allegations of widespread cheating on the Nevada High School
Proficiency Examination (HSPE). 

Murphy on problems with Nevada 
test

Murphy posts pass rates
In math:
67.3% of Limited English Proficiency students failed (these are word
problems, mostly!)
71.6% of IEP/504 students failed.
42.1% of "regular student" failed.

http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Mar-19-Sun-2000/news/13199869.html
Sunday, March 19, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Nevada scores don't add up As many as 4,376 seniors may not graduate
because they have not yet passed a state math test.  By Ed Vogel
Donrey Capital Bureau
      RENO -- One of every four Nevada high school seniors is in
danger of not receiving a diploma in June because of failure to pass
a required math test.
[Actually, that's one of the most generous pass rates on any 
state proficiency test, but it's still going to have huge effects on 
blacks who otherwise graduate a rates comparable to whites in most
states]

http://www.edreform.com/letter/99june.htm Standards in Nevada. The
State Board of Education might need some help defining the term
"standards."  It seems that calculators may soon be permitted on the
state's 11th grade proficiency test, which is actually pegged to 8th
grade skills. Even the standards for passing are low, requiring only
64 percent. Employers think it should be at least 80 percent for
non-skilled workers.

\clip\98\19\edclip03.txt December 12, 1998 Difficult exam, higher
standards too tough for juniors LAS VEGAS SUN

Fewer than half of the 18,752 students tested - or 49.1 percent -
were able to earn passing scores on the math test, which they took
for the first time in October.  Students will have four more
opportunities to pass the test, which is required to earn a full
diploma in Nevada.  Black and Hispanic students performed dismally on
the math test, with only 21.4 percent of blacks and 26.5 percent of
Hispanics making the grade.

Rabinowitz said the next step is to do an impact study addressing
many of the concerns raised - problem areas for minority groups...


@@New Democracy

Socialist leaning organization has taken a strong stand against 
MCAS and other high stakes test, joined fight in Seattle.

www.newdemocracyworld.org

 The task that confronts people
everywhere is to break the grip of capitalism and create human
society on a new and truly democratic basis.


@@New Hampshire

\clip\98\04\newscl10.txt 2/16/98 Concord NH Monitor Editorial
Kentucky's grades The centerpiece of the Kentucky reform is a
statewide assessment test, similar to New Hampshire's, that rates
performance according to four categories. [performance has been
improving every year]


@@New Jersey


z54\clip\2002\01\njtest.txt
Saturday, January 12, 2002  
N.J. students' test scores show gap among races
http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2002/01/12/front_page/jgap12.htm
By Melanie Burney, Wendy Ginsberg and Kaitlin Gurney 
INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS 
For the first time, New Jersey yesterday released school test results by race 
and the differences were staggering.
Statewide, 78 percent of all white students were proficient or higher. The 
same category for blacks was 35 percent, 85 percent for Asians, and 48 
percent for Hispanics.
Students not scoring at least proficient - in this case, 65 percent of black 
fourth graders in the stat'e - fall below the state minimum and may be most in 
need of instructional support, according to the state.

La Griffe du Lion [mailto:il_leone_uno@yahoo.com]
computes differences in standard deviation:
Statewide:
white-black difference = 1.2 SD,
white-Hispanic difference = 0.82 SD, and 
white-Asian difference = -0.26 SD
Controlling for income:
white-black difference = 1.0 SD,
white-Hispanic difference = 0.60 SD, and 
white-Asian difference = -0.21 SD

NJ CHANGES SCHEDULES, ELECTIVE TO MEET STATE TESTS NY Jersey Times
Schools struggle as tests loom 03/08/99 By NICK MANETTO Staff Writer
The new standardized exams will test students in seven academic areas
and five areas related to workplace skills.  Three new tests will be
the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA) test for
fourth-graders; the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment, which
replaces the Early Warning Test and will be administered beginning
tomorrow, and the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), which
will replace the High School Proficiency Test. 
"the framework is not specific.".. "the framework from the state is
too general and too much time is needed to prepare students and
administer tests."
"TEACHERS have complained about the many new things they must learn
to properly prepare students to meet the math standards. Some of the
concepts -- never before offered at the elementary level -- are said
to be a bit too difficult to tie down in the amount of time they
have.  "



@@New Standards Reference Examination
@@America's Choice Performance Standards (renamed)

http://www.ncee.org/ac/acdesc.html

Marc Tucker's (NCEE) New Standards project comes with an assement
that does not give percentile rankings. It claims to judge students
against "higher standards" than traditional, using fuzzy math
directions, but critics point out that that there is no way to
compare these results with national norms, and it can hide declines
in basic skills.

Like the WA and CA tests, very low percentage of students pass the
most difficult math areas - less than 20% at the 4th grade level
where norm referenced tests would probably tag them as about
"average".

The product was renamed to "America's Choice Performance Standards"
in 1998

Vt and RI of course are the two states using the New Standards
Reference Exams 

Product sheet
http://www.ncee.org/OurProducts/refExam.html

Tests renamed


See sample problems

In the recent past, someone was looking for states in which the New
Standards Project was working?  Here is an address that will help
you: http://www.naschools.org/schools_p_nare.html


VERMONT ANON COMPLAINS NEW STANDARDS READING TEST SHOCKINGLY DIFFICULT EVEN
FOR BEST STUDENTS
\doc\web\99\05\nsre.txt
"The questions were so high level that even my stellar 
writers and readers looked at me with a blank face.  I felt betrayed as 
 a teacher!!  "

NSP has not been validated against
other norm-referenced tests.

Only 2 states participated in New
Standards Wow!...well...well...well ......look how many takers of
the New Standards Assessments of the New Standards Project (NSP)
participated....Only 2 states, both in the NE Regional Resource
Center area..at Brown University...(figures) and the list of cities
cited.  After all these years with dues paying states that "allowed"
the NSP to experiment on the children of that state in developing
their "new" curriculum, "new" basic skills, for the upcoming "new"
"national assessments", only 2 states followed through with Marc
Tucker and Lauren Resnick???!!!  (Vermont paid the NSP $l00,000 per
year just to carry the NSP membership card . More populated states
paid $500.000 a year for their cards...)

%%Adoption

NYC ADOPTS "NEW STANDARDS" 25 BOOKS PER YEAR, SODA BOTTLE FROM HELL
AND PROFESSIONAL CARPENTER PROJECT \clip\98\03\newstand.txt 1/24/98
New York Times New Standards Finding Way Into NYC Schools By JACQUES
STEINBERG

Comment - this is Marc Tucker's final series where 2 4th graders are
expected to work with a professional carpenter to come up with 4-view
plans with a parts list that includes "counter sink drill bit" and
"nail gun", 4th and 8th graders have to read 25 books per year, and
10th graders have to solve the soda bottle from hell by breaking it
up into 1/3 sphere and a truncated cone frustrum. God help these kids.


 RUBRICS SET FOR "B", EVERYONE MUST GET
A B. NO "A"s, OREGON SETS, TESTS "NEW STANDARD" Oregon evidently
set the standards for everybody, and they're really messed up.

Only Vermont so far has standardized on these tests, every other
state has devised their own (Ore, WA, Ky, NY)

A Report on the Work Toward National Standards, Assessments and
Certificates Prepared for the Ohio State Board of Education
Researched and compiled by Diana M. Fessler December 10, 1996
http://www2.southwind.net/~educate/fessler.html To assess how well
students meet the Performance Standards, New Standards developed
Reference Examinations . . . and a Portfolio SystemE that complements
the Reference Examination.62 "Taking into account international
standards, New Standards is developing two sets of assessments."63
One set is for use toward the end of elementary and middle school and
the other for use at the high school level.64 "It is this last set of
assessments that will be available as the basis for awarding the
CIM."65 New Standards Reference Examinations are available only
through Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement as part of a system of
examinations and portfolios based on New Standards standards.66F The
exams, available in English and Spanish for fourth, eighth, and tenth
grades, include essay, extended open-ended responses, short-answer
responses, and some multiple-choice items.

NEW STANDARDS RESULTS IN LOW MATH
CAT PERCENTILES IN VERMONT

Sixth grade test CAT California Achievement Test scores:                                 
Median National Percentile (MDNP)
                             1990  1996
Math Computation:            71.6  48.6
Math Concepts and Appl.      89.5  87.4
Total Math:                  86.0  70.3

ONLY 22% OF 4TH GRADERS PASSED PROBLEM SOLVING, 18% MATH CONCEPTS
CRIT-REF = POOR, NORM-REFERENCE = GOOD (AGAIN!)
\clip\97\28\vtmath.txt  23Nov96
EducationNews State Releases Science and Math Student Performance
Results

FAIRTEST LIKES VERMONT
http://fairtest.org/states/vt.htm
clip\97\28\vermont.htm

ONLY ABOUT HALF OF VERMONT STUDENTS MEET "STANDARD" MANDATORY FOR '98
http://www.cit.state.vt.us/educ/082897a.htm 11/25/97
\clip\97\28\verm8.htm
Vermont eighth-graders score well on national English language tests
Associated Press, 08/28/97 01:02 MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A national
test shows that nearly 60 percent of Vermont eighth-graders met or
exceeded state standards in English last year, while about half the
state's fourth-graders did.  

http://www.vetc.vsc.edu/ems/emsinfo/letter.htm
Essex Middle School Essex VT. http://www.edwebs.org/ems/
Evidence of this came to us recently when the New Standards Reference
Exam results were released. The results indicated that 90% of our
96/97 8th grade class either met or nearly met high national
standards in basic reading and writing skills. 

\clip\97\28\langtest.txt http://www.cit.state.vt.us/educ/083097e.htm
Vermont Dept Education Education Matters Language arts assessment
results released WCAX-TV News, August 30, 1997 State education
officials say Vermont students faired well on an exam taken last
spring.  

Harcourt Brace (publishes the examinations)
http://www.hbem.com/trophy/perfermn/newstan.htm
\clip\97\28\newstand.htm
The examinations are professionally scored at the Performance
Assessment Scoring Center of Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement
by individuals trained and experienced in the holistic evaluation of
student-constructed responses, according to New Standards guidelines.

The standards are set at levels of performance expected at the end of
fourth, eighth, and tenth grades. It is expected that some students
might achieve these levels earlier and others later than at the end
of these grades (set by whom?)

Many tasks are derived from real-life situations, so that in
constructing responses students can see connections between the
skills they are learning and the world outside school.

New Standards, founded in 1990, is a collaboration of the Learning
Research and Development Center of the University of Pittsburgh, and
the National Center on Education and the Economy, in partnership with
states, urban school districts, and several private foundations. The
New Standards Performance Standards are derived from the national
content standards developed by professional organizations, such as
the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the AAAS Project
2061, as well as input from educators across the nation.

Essex Town School District 
http://www.vetc.vsc.edu/etsd/profil97/nsre-m.html
\clip\97\28\newmath.htm
Sample 8th Grade Assessment Task - The Sports Bag
Most standardized tests produce a score that tells how the student
did compared to other students. The new reference examinations
produce reports that tell how a child did solely against a set of
standards that are higher than many schools have traditionally
demanded. Many of the test items may have been more challenging than
students are used to.

L 
     Little Evidence of Achievement means that the student's performances demonstrate little or none of the
     knowledge and skill expected in the standards. 
B 
     Below the Standard means that the student's performances clearly do not meet the standards. 
N 
     Nearly Achieved the Standard means that the student's performances almost but do not quite meet the
     standards. 
S 
     Achieved the Standard means that the student's performances meet the standards as set out in the New
     Standards Performance Standards. 
H 
     Achieved the Standard with Honors means that in addition to meeting the standards, a number of the
     student's responses exceed the basic criteria for meeting the standard or display features characteristic
     of advanced knowledge and skill. 


%%National Ranking

NEW STANDARDS TO BE LINKED TO STANFORD 9 TEST
\doc\web\98\06\newstan.txt




See nclb.htm
@@NCLB


@@Norms

SUBURBAN AND PRIVATE SCHOOL NORMS.
Date sent:      	Tue, 09 Mar 1999 14:14:55 -0800
From:           	Wayne Bishop 
A good lesson on reality here is the three separate national norms that
the Educational Records Bureau provides for its Comprehensive Testing
Program (also out of Princeton, so think ETS);  the ERB CTP III.   I'm
operating by memory here so don't hold me to the detail but it's roughly
as follows, an 80 National Percentile Ranking on their all-student norm is
a 60 on the suburban NPR and is a 40 on the independent school NPR.  Maybe
it's as bad as 80, 55, 30.  There is a difference between the student
performance of private versus public schools but not always a desire to
see one.
Wayne.



@@Norm-Referenced Tests (vs. Criterion)

There is a big battle between traditional norm-referenced tests,
which measure students against average, where ever that is, and
criterion based tests, which don't accept the concept that average is
good enough and claim to set absolute standards.

Anti:

Grading on a curve forces half to be grade above average no matter
how poorly they did, always grades half as "failure" instead of
allowing all to succeed. Most cities claimed to be "above average".
Favored by most liberal ed reformers and some conservatives. NAEP and
new "performance-based" tests are examples.

Pro:

Nobody knows that kids can be expected to know - using the actual
spread of student performance eliminates the common crit-ref test
problem that 80% of students are deemed "below grade level" when 50%
normally is the realistic definition of grade level. The moment every
student can perform at the "highest level", that will be average
again. The best kids always score very high, the worst, very low on
the curve. SAT is a good example.

%%Against

* Only test for low-level skills
* By definition no more than 50% can "succeed" vs. "all"
* Unfair to low-performing minorities.
* Multiple choice is unfair to low performers.

Dr. John Cannell found that all
the standardized achievement tests (Iowa, SRA, etc.) have been
corrupted so that every state gets norms that show its students to be
above the national average!!??  

ROTHSTEIN SAYS NORM REFERENCE IS BETTER THAN DEMOS WHO WANT CRITERION
z56\clip\2002\05\critref.txt
23 May 2002 
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/22/education/22LESS.html
Testing Reaches a Fork in the Road
By RICHARD ROTHSTEIN
New York Times
"...  because judgments as to proficiency are arbitrary. But if the
40th percentile on a norm-referenced test corresponds to minimum
proficiency on the criteria-referenced test, then the
criteria-referenced report will say the first student failed and the
second passed."
"Sometimes the outcome on state criteria-referenced exams defies common
sense: when, for example, "proficient" scores are achieved by 40 percent of
third and fifth graders alike but by only 30 percent of fourth graders. If
the criteria were valid, such results would suggest (implausibly) that
fourth-grade teachers were awful but fifth-grade teachers terrific."

CUNNINGHAM ON NORM-BASED TESTING
\doc\web\98\06\norm.txt

CRAWFORD PREFERS STANDARDS/CRITERION REFERENCED TESTS
\doc\web\98\06\critnorm.txt

EDUCATION WEEK PREFERS CRITERION REFERENCED
Education Week "Quality Counts" 1998 Standards and Assessments
http://www.edweek.org/qc/indicators/sta-n.htm "But six states still
rely on norm-referenced tests that compare how well their students
perform relative to other students and not against some set standard
of performance. These off-the-shelf tests rarely coincide with a
state's own content standards. And many of them stress low-level
skills rather than the more ambitious goals that states are now
setting for students. They also conflict with the premise that all
children can achieve at high levels. Such tests distribute students
along a bell curve, based on their performance relative to each
other. Under that scenario, 50 percent of children can never meet the
standard. " (Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, Idaho, Nevada, Rhode Island,
Arizona, South Dakota, Alaska Arkansas are NRT)

table: \clip\98\01\test\test.htm
http://www.edweek.org/qc/indicators/tables/sta-t1.htm#wa

In scoring this column, we gave an A, or 100%, to states that
developed their own criterion-referenced assessments aligned with
their standards, as well as performance assessments that present a
more multifaceted picture of students' work. We gave a B+, or 88%, to
states that developed their own criterion-referenced tests and use a
writing assessment. We gave a B, or 85%, to states that have
developed a criterion-referenced test only. We gave a C+, or 78%, to
states that use a writing assessment and a commercially produced
criterion-referenced test that may be only partially aligned with
their standards. We gave a C, or 75%, to states that only use an
off-the-shelf criterion-referenced test. We gave a D+, or 68%, to
states that use a norm-referenced, standardized test and a writing
assessment. We gave a D, or 65%, to states that use only a
norm-referenced test. We gave an F, or 50%, to three states that have
no state assessment system--Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming. 

%%For

* Nobody fails
* There is no such thing as an absolute measure of performance, it
can only be measured against other students.
* Can be compared to national and other states.
* Criterion based tests can flunk everyone (too hard) or pass
everyone (too easy)
* Difference of 1 point can make difference between passing or
failing
* Easier for low achievers
* Always one correct answer
* 100% accuracy vs. subjective grading


@@New York

New York has a new 4th grade reading test that most are likely to
fail. They also have tied their Regents examination so that instead
of only being for the best, all students will have to pass all the
tests to get a diploma.

%%Math


NEW YORK TESTING FIASCO
z74\clip\2003\10\fiasco.txt
Steven Hoda at Princeton Review, which had initially ranked the
Regents 1st among state testing programs: "We're going to have to come
up with a fiasco index for a state like New York that messes up a lot
of people's lives for no reason," he said.
Trail of Clues Preceded Regents Fiasco
October 15, 2003
By MICHAEL WINERIP 
In June, it all came crashing down when the scores
on the state Math A exam required for graduation were
released. Two-thirds of students had failed and the outcry
was so great that Dr. Mills had to dump the results and
rescale the test. Then came news that a record 47 percent
had failed the June 2003 physics test and that test too has
to be rescaled. 

z68\clip\2003\07\buffmath.txt clipim\2003\07\buffmath\buffmath.htm
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030629/1038463.asp
July 8, 2003 
How the Math A exam went so wrong 
The ill-fated Regents examination had so many problems that the
education commissioner threw out the results. In the first of two
parts, a look at what might have led to the fiasco.
One problem - length of straw diagonal in a box - 3D distance
problem.

REVIEW OF FLAWED MATH EXAM
http://www.math.nyu.edu/mfdd/braams/links/regents-0306.html He still
thinks that a "fixed" test will be valid.  Notes that "mode" and "box
and whisker plot" isn't even common for mathematicians even though
mode shows up on the WASL test.

MATH COURSE GRADE WILL REPLACE FLAWED REGENTS MATH EXAM
z68\clip\2003\06\maththro.txt
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wabc_062303_regents.html
Regents Math Test Thrown Out
(New York-WABC, June 24, 2003) — The state has decided to throw out the 
Regents Math 'A' exam, and not require students to retake it
They said that the Math A Regents test was unfair, and now the state
agrees with them.  ..  will give the district the lattitude to use the
local course grade in place of that exam score.
...decided to allow two of four answers for one question 
deemed unclear to count as correct.

Rochester paper, the Democrat and Chronicle,
that includes a picture of the demonstration
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/0625story2_news.shtml
Math A Regents and soring guide.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/pdf/062403exam.pdf
z68\clip\2003\06\062403exam.pdf


NY REGENTS PHYSICS HARDER TO GET "A" THAN AP PHYSICS, BOGUS SCORE SETTING0
z63\doc\web\2003\01\regphy.txt
William Cala
Below is the text of the investigation I have been doing on the June
2002 Regents Physics fiasco.  
Bill
December 12, 2002
In Fairport, we compared AP and Regents Physics ...in 2002.  Nine
students scored a "5" on the AP Physics exam, while scoring a combined
average of only 90.6 (B+) on the Regents exam. Thirteen students
scored a "4" on the AP test with a combined average of 85.5 (a low B)
on the Regents. Eighteen students scored a "3" on the AP and an
average of 80.7 on the Regents.  Three students scored a "2" on the AP
with a Regents average of 78.6.  Is it not curious that our very best
Physics students, as judged by national college standards and
receiving college credit for their accomplishments, could not score an
"A" average on the New York State Physics exam? 

%%General

NY REGENTS EXAMS MANDATORY, BUT DUMBED DOWN
z46\clip\2000\11\nyreg.txt November 2000 The American Spectator The
Knowledge Deficit ~ by Diane Ravitch ..the Regents' tests have become
easier. A remarkable 96 percent of the state's high school seniors
passed the English Regents' exam last January (compared to 65 percent
in 1997).  One social studies teacher said of the global history exam
that, "students who did no work all semester, who failed tests all
year, passed this exam handily." An English teacher complained that
teachers were required to give credit for essays that were "barely
comprehensible."

z42\clip\2000\06\regny.txt June 2000 Observer Dispatch Utica
http://www.uticaod.com/statenews/statenews.htm Higher standards led
to tougher Regents tests By ANNY KUO The Associated Press The
department is phasing in the passage of one new Regents exam each
year as a requirement for graduation.  Seniors who entered high
school in 1996 are the first subjected to the new mandates: They must
pass the English Regents examination with at least a score of 55
percent to receive their diplomas this month.  ...will have to pass
five separate exams - in English, math, global history and geography,
U.S.  history and a science - to graduate in 2003.  And by 2005, the
two-tiered diploma system - a local diploma for a score higher than
55 and a Regents diploma for a score higher than 65 - will be
eliminated. 

ONLY 33% OF NY CITY, 48% OF STATE PASS NY READING TEST
http://www.edweek.org/
search: standards assessments
\clip\99\12\nytest.txt Poor Districts Fare Worst On N.Y. Assessment
By Caroline Hendrie Taken as a whole, 48 percent of roughly 210,000
test-takers met the state's competency standards on the reading and
writing exam.  In New York City, which enrolls more than a third of
the state's public school students, just 33 percent of the roughly
75,000 test-takers there met the standards. That compares with 72
percent in the group of relatively wealthy districts that the state
classifies as "low needs." 

FAMILIARITY WITH TEST RESULTS IN SCORE INFLATION, RICH BACKLASH
\clip\99\02\nytest2.txt New York Times January 18, 1999 New Reading
Test Emerges Battered, but Triumphant By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS Some
state officials, along with outside testing experts, came to believe
that this familiarity with the test accounted for some of the steady
improvement in scores. In 1997, 94 percent of all students outside
New York City passed the old test. Reading passages and questions on
the new test, Kadamus said, would be changed every year, and never
repeated.  The backlash against the new test began not with failing
inner-city schools, but with some of the state's best schools -- in
the affluent Westchester County suburb of Larchmont, for instance,
and in middle-class neighborhoods like Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and
Bayside, Queens. More than 80 and often more than 90 percent of their
students passed the old test

\clip\99\02\nycheat.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/regional/011399edu-exam-cheat.html
New York Times January 13, 1999 For Much Heralded Test, Delays and
Talk of Cheating By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS The stakes are particularly
high for New York City, which has 97 of the state's 101 failing
schools, and where 35 percent of students failed a state test taken
in the spring of 1998, compared with just 6 percent of students
statewide.

\clip\99\02\edclip03.txt New York Times January 11, 1999 New State
Test Sets Schools to Cramming By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS " Schools have
virtually suspended their normal curriculums to administer practice
tests and help pupils brush up on concepts like "the main idea,"
"topic sentences" and "supporting details."  " ... The test is part
of a long-term state plan to shake up and transform the education
system by returning to the basics, he said

\clip\99\02\edclip02.txt New York Times January 9, 1999 New York's
4th Graders Prepare to Take 'the Test' By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD NEW
YORK -- Linda LoPresti paid a price for her anxiety: $120.  "requires
students to take notes on passages and write critiques and essays
based on what they heard. Spelling, grammar and punctuation all
count. "

NY TEST: ALL ARE LIKELY TO FAIL \clip\98\17\edclip12.txt New York
Times November 30, 1998 New Test for 4th Graders Sows Alarm Across
State By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS A new reading and writing test will be
given to fourth graders across New York State early next year, and it
is so different from traditional tests that teachers and parents can
barely contain their panic.  [note taking, write essays and literary
criticism, officials say old tests were too easy, but teachers say
new tests may fail everyone] "This is not really meant to reflect the
work of the fourth grade," she said.  Some teachers contend that not
all 9-year-olds are ready for a test that requires so much abstract
thinking and writing.  "If everybody fails, which is a possibility,
everybody will be judged accordingly," 

%%Physics

z68\clip\2003\07\phytest.txt 
OUTCRY OVER REGENTS PHYSICS TEST, BUT
ALBANY WON'T BUDGE New York Times -- July 18, 2003 by Sam Dillon

Leonard Morochnick was so upset after 43 percent of his physics students 
at the New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies failed the 
Regents physics exam last month that he sat down at his computer and 
banged out a lengthy analysis of the test, which on one question 
required students to "calculate the de Broglie wavelength of a helium 
nucleus."
"This is one of the most esoteric topics in all of physics at any level, 
let alone a first-year physics course," Mr. Morochnick wrote. 


@@North Carolina

North Carolina appears to be running a system aligned with phonics and
real math, and realistic performance levels, but there are still some
grumbles. One teacher got into trouble for revealing some bad test
items. It was cited by a legislative fact finding mission as a model
for Washington state, but one teacher says that the tests are
"absurdly easy".

Training manual for prompt: integrity
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/accountability/testing/writing/trainingmanual2004.pdf

NORTH CAROLINA HYPE ABOUT IMPROVEMENT IS BS
North Carolina test "absurdly
easy" I am an elementary teacher who moved to North Carolina from Colorado
last year, having been totally persuaded by the state's hype about
radical improvement.  I'll cut to the chase and tell you the NC tests
are absurdly easy compared to those in CO.  
...not 1/4 would have cut it in Colorado.

NC HELD AS MODEL BY WA STATE LEGISLATORS
Washington Legislature cites North
Carolina as model, goal of "first in nation", do we have the guts to
do the same?

This American Life NPR Among
those interviewed is ARN subscriber Teresa Glenn, a middle school
English teacher, who was suspended for five days in October after she
expressed her concerns (last spring) about NC's end-of-grade tests
and paraphrased two bad tests items on an email list maintained by
the Dept. of Education.

Our struggle is more difficult than most
because our system is not so obviously screwed up.  For example,
Virginia and Washington have such ridiculous tests that it is easier
to generate opposition, and Texas is hyped up beyond belief.

WE WON'T BACK DOWN FROM HIGH STANDARDS
z44\clip\2000\08\nctest.txt Point of View: We're making gains with
N.C.'s testing By PHILLIP J. KIRK JR.  RALEIGH -- I want to assure
those who are concerned about "high-stakes" testing in our schools
that the State Board of Education, the Department of Public
Instruction, the Compliance Commission for Accountability and others
involved in testing and accountability policy-making do not have our
heads in the sand about the benefits and limitations of testing.
Public support is increasing for our schools, partly because of the
high standards we have set. We risk losing support for public schools
if we back away from high standards now, and we will not do that.

NC STANDARDS PROMTE DI, NOT PROGRESSIVISM FOR FAILING SCHOOLS
\doc\web\99\14\ncdi.txt Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 12:46:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: Martin Kozloff  comment - looks like NC
has "good" standards and accountability as compared with
OBE/STW/Tucker inspired self-inflating tests and tasks beyond all
instead of basics that can be mastered by all.
 
The rest placed solidly in the Direct Instruction
remedial reading program called "Corrective Reading." In less than one
month, you can see unbelievable changes in the children (skills, enjoyment,
high involvement), teachers (far more skill, almost ALL time on
instruction, smiling, energy), and in the school at large (pride and high
expectations).

The state looks at every kid's end-of grade test scores in
every class in every school, and then says, "You can do better. Raise the
percentage who pass from 50% to 60% by next year." If this mandated
objective is not met, the school is designated "low performing" and
receives an assistance team and money to buy new curricula, such as DI, or
Success for All, or Saxon Math. 

If they do meet the objectives, they get cash and a
designation "Exemplary" or "School of Distinction." [See
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/
1. Reading Mastery. http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adiep/rdgtxt.htm
2. Corrective Reading http://www.sra4kids.com/teacher/reading/default.html#prod

\clip\98\06\moretest.txt From: LYTK73A@prodigy.com (MRS COLEEN C ARY)
Date sent: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 21:03:39, -0500 RALEIGH NEWS AND OBSERVER,
3/5/98 STUDENTS FACE MORE TESTING o Cures sought for science, math
ills Educators target N.C. high schools By TIM SIMMONS, Staff Writer


@@NCTM 

z47\clip\2000\12\nctmtest.txt
http://www.edweek.org/ew/ew_printstory.cfm?slug=14tandl.h20 December
6, 2000 Education Week One Test Is Not Enough, Math Educators Say
School officials should not rely on scores on a single high-stakes
test to make promotion, graduation, or tracking decisions, according
to the nation's largest professional organization of mathematics
educators.


@@Officials Accountable

Keegan of Arizona took her test, but barely passed.

 Cellucci in defending imposing MCAS
on Mass. school kids but not himself being willing to take the test,
notes that he is accountable to a far higher form of
accountability--an election every four years.  


@@Ohio HIGH STAKES TEST RIP 2001

Ohio has a criterion based test that passes only about 60% of the 9th
grade population, 9th grade test is required to graduate high school.
All 4th graders are required to pass to continue on to 5th grade.


%%Against

6/14/01 Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio)(2 articles)
Proficiency tests eliminated; new school standards adopted
Gov. Bob Taft on Tuesday signed into law a bill that eliminates the
state's proficiency tests and makes several changes to its system of
academic standards. Under the law, the state will:

Ohio changes testing focus
Sweeping changes in the way Ohio schools test students will trade
high-stakes exams for achievement testing to identify ways teachers and
parents can help children succeed.


OHIO PARENTS WANT PROFICIENCY TESTING KILLED IN ELEMENTARY GRADES
z46\clip\2000\11\ohpoll.txt November 15, 2000 United Services for
Effective Parenting-OHIO Releases Results of Parenting Survey A
recent statewide survey commissioned by United Services for Effective
Parenting-Ohio (USEP-OHIO)..  Ohioans strongly supported proficiency
tests in high school and in order to graduate from high school, 51
percent of Ohioans opposed proficiency tests for elementary school
students compared to 44 percent who favored such testing. 54 percent
of Ohioans want proficiency testing to be restricted or eliminated
compared to 43 percent who favor the present or expanded use of
proficiency tests.

http://enquirer.com/editions/2000/11/15/loc_lower_passing_grade.html
z46\clip\2000\11\ohpass.txt Nov. 15, 2000 Wednesday, November 15,
2000 Lower passing grade urged Bill would ease proficiency test By
Debra Jasper Columbus Enquirer Bureau "Mary O'Brien, Ohio coordinator
for Fairtest, a nonprofit national organization which wants to end
the practice of failing children who score low on proficiency tests,
said the subcommittee's plan actually steps up testing instead of
devaluing it.  "

"http://www.stopopts.org/"
Stop Ohio Proficiency Tests
NO! this centralized method of
testing for proficiency is a quick, one-dimensional, overly
simplistic, one-size-fits-all attempt to solve a very complex problem.

z45\doc\web\2000\09\ohio.txt
"SCIENCE FALSELY SO CALLED" By Stephen Rea INTRODUCTION In 1998 I won
a landmark education case, State ex rel. Stephen Rea v. Ohio
Department of Education (Case No. 96-1997, in Mandamus). Relying on
the U.S. Freedom of Information Act and the State of Ohio
Availability of Public Records Law, I requested copies of assessment
testing materials used on my daughter at West Branch High School,
Beloit, Ohio. I specifically wanted copies of my daughter's OPT --
Ohio Proficiency Test -- which is a "high stakes" test based on the
outrageous outcomes of OBE

\doc\web\99\01\ohtest.txt DESIGN OF MATH TEST ISN'T ADDING UP by
Betty Raskoff Kazmin (Forum/Opinion piece) The Columbus Dispatch, Jan
23,'99 *I did see the enormous collection of written public comments
on the math exam; they were overwhelmingly negative, and included: "I
am horrified by what this committee has deemed critical to survival
and productivity. 

What is Wrong with the OPT & OCAP?
  (Ohio Proficiency Test & Ohio Competency Analysis Profile)
          by Anita B. Hoge

%%General

\clip\99\02\edclip04.txt
9th-graders see jump in state test scores
Cleveland Plain Dealer Wednesday, January 13, 1999
By SCOTT STEPHENS PLAIN DEALER REPORTER
In all, 80 percent of Cleveland's ninth-graders passed the writing portion
of the test, 67 percent reading, 28 percent math, 44 percent citizenship
and 32 percent science. 
Ninth-graders statewide reached the highest overall pass rate to date,
with about 58 percent passing all required tests, compared with 54 percent
the year before, the education department said.
"Fourth Grade Guarantee," which will require all Ohio fourth-graders
to pass the reading portion of their test to advance to fifth grade,
said Michael Charney, education issues director of the Cleveland
Teachers Union.  The initiative begins in the 2001-2002 school year.


\clip\98\14\ohtest.txt 11,000 did not pass graduation test, denied
decent living because of high stakes test.

\clip\98\03\ohiotst.txt Cincinnati Enquirer City schools improve test
scores But results still behind suburb rate [Ohio Ninth-Grade
Proficiency Test] Ninth grade test is required to graduate high
school.

" Statewide, about 54 percent of today's ninth-graders - the Class of
2001 - passed all five sections of the test. " Some suburbs up to 90%
passing.


@@Old Tests

1921 Exam

Under the heading "Dumbing Down," New York Magazine reprinted Regents High 
School Examination questions #1 from the Regents (history/algebra) of 1921-2 
and 1993-4.

1921: "The achieving of democracy is a long, necessarily slow process and 
each generation has contributed towards making the ideal a reality. State a 
contribution towards the achieving of democracy made by each of two of the 
following colonies: Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, the Massachusetts 
Bay Colony. Explain how one of these colonies aided in this achievement. 

1993: Which feature of the United States system of government is the most 
essential aspect of democracy?
1. judicial supremacy
2. a bicameral legislature
3. a powerful executive
4. a freedom of choice

1921: 1b. Find the prime factors of four of the following:
a^2 -2a - 48 
100x^4 - 49y^6
36m^2 + 60mn + 25n^2
12c^2 + 7c - 12
3y^2a - 6ya

1994: 1. Solve for 3x -5 = x + 7


@@Open Response

The most significant feature of the new assessments is open response
as opposed to multiple choice, but scoring is expensive, subjective,
and unreliable.

IGAP MOVES TOWARDS OPEN RESPONSE TEST, CITES CA PROBLEMS
\clip\97\27\schotest.txt
http://www.suntimes.com:80/output/news1/test181.htm School test plan
has more writing, less multiple choice 11-18-97 Chicago Sun-Times BY
ROSALIND ROSSI EDUCATION REPORTER [test would cost twice as much,
movment gaining since early 90s, 23 states now use them, CA test
resulted in 26 lawsuits, scoring difficult, expensive. "``[Critics]
felt it was fuzzy and difficult to score,'' said Ronald Dietel,
communications director of the National Center for Research on
Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing in Los Angeles. ``States
such as Illinois will be ahead of the game having held off [on such
testing].''" Illinois officials said the second scorer agrees with
the first one 90 percent of the time on IGAP writing tests--the only
IGAP subject currently requiring written answers.


@@Opinion
@@POLL

Some surveys say that the public in general likes the idea of high
stakes test, but they are not specific about particular bungled tests
like SOL and WASL.

MOST OF ALL RACES LIKE TESTING IN ALL GRADES
ftp://etsis1.ets.org/pub/corp/2001_executive_report.pdf
ETS poll on Bush testing plan:
A Measured Response: Americans Speak on Education Reform -- Full Report 
In favor of requiring state testing of all grades
all        77 21
whites     76 21
hispanic   82 15
black      82 18

national testing
all        78 18
whites     78 18
black      83 16
hispanic   78 22

No mention of bungled tests


JUST OVER HALF SUPPORT STANDARDIZED TESTS IN CO
z50\clip\2001\08\coltest.txt
Rocky Mountain News
URL: http://www.rockymountainnews.com
/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_800496,00.html
School testing gains support
Poll shows 54% back assessment program
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, News Staff Writer
Asked if they think the CSAP test is a "good idea or a bad idea," 54 percent
of respondents said they favored the tests and 36 percent opposed them.
Another 10 percent gave another answer or had no opinion.


CNN POLL 86% SAY TOO MUCH TIME SPENT ON TESTING

CNN High Stakes Test article and Quickvote "Are teachers spending too
much time preparing students for standardized tests?"  Since yesterday
when the article appeared (April 17), one day later the poll is
currently:

Yes:  85.7482%
No:   14.2518%
http://fyi.cnn.com/2001/fyi/teachers.ednews/04/17/test.preparation.ap/index.html?s=8


NEARLY HALF OF VOTERS OPPOSE MCAS REQUIREMENT
z47\clip\2000\12\mcaspoll.txt Poll: Public souring on MCAS
requirement by Cosmo Macero Jr.  Thursday, December 21, 2000 "48
percent are against making passage of the MCAS a requirement for
graduation " ``There is no turning back,'' Cellucci said after this
year's MCAS results were released.  

BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE, PUBLIC AGENDA POLLS SLAMMED
z46\clip\2000\11\poll.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/15/national/15LESS.html?printpage=yes
November 15, 2000 Polls Only Confuse Education Policy By RICHARD
ROTHSTEIN the Business Roundtable showed the "strength of support"
for ending social promotion. "Fully three- quarters supports
requiring children to pass a reading and math test for promotion,"
the association announced.  The Roundtable could just as well have
said "nearly all Americans reject tests as the main basis for
promotion." 

SURVEYS SHOW PUBLIC WANTS TO TEST KIDS TO DEATH
z45\clip\2000\09\survtest.txt http://www.brtable.org/press.cfm/453
business roundtable New Survey Challenges Extent of Public Backlash
Against State Testing Release Date: 09/13/2000 Overwhelming
Majorities Support Raising Academic Standards and Linking Tests to
High School Graduation and Elementary School Promotion Over-samples
in Illinois, New York and Virginia Mirror National Findings
(WASHINGTON DC) - Contrary to media reports of a widespread backlash
to state standards and testing, a new survey shows that the American
public favors setting rigorous academic standards for students and
backing them up with statewide tests linked to high school graduation
and grade promotion.

Eighty-six percent of parents of public school students and 80
percent of the general public agree that some children perform poorly
on tests even if they know the material.  Seventy-one percent of both
parents and the general public say statewide tests cannot measure
many important skills children should learn.  Sixty-four percent of
parents and 65 percent of the general public say when states hold
teachers accountable for test results, teachers begin to teach what
is on the tests and drop other important ideas and curriculum.


PARENTS LIKE STANDARDS BUT NOT HIGH STAKES
http://www.publicagenda.org/aboutpa/standardsbacklash.htm Recent news
reports have suggested a growing backlash by parents in many
communities against tougher school standards and standardized tests.
....  Nevertheless, most parents would draw a line if important
decisions about a child's future rested solely on a single test.
Almost 8 in ten (78 percent) agree that "it's wrong to use the
results of just one test to decide whether a student gets promoted or
graduates."

Findings from additional interviews in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los
Angeles and New York - five cities with highly visible efforts to raise
standards - virtually mirror the national results.

Funding for this survey was provided by the Thomas B. Fordham, George Gund,
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur, and John M. Olin Foundations.


PARENTS LIKE GOF STANDARDIZED, NOT HIGH STAKES PERFORMANCE TESTS
z45\clip\2000\08\fortest.txt " the public does not have concerns
about standardized testing in general, but does have concerns about
make-or-break, high-stakes assessments."  July 19, 2000 For Immediate
Release Survey Finds Strong Parental Support for Testing; Parents
Cite Importance of Educational Assessment National survey released
today by the Association of American Publishers 

MOBILE AL POLL SAYS MOST SUPPORT GRADUATION TEST
z42\clip\2000\06\polltest.txt Poll: Let students earn the privilege
to walk 05/28/2000 By CASANDRA ANDREWS Staff Reporter Mobile (AL)
Register An overwhelming majority of respondents - 78 percent -
approved of requiring students to pass a test before they can
graduate from 12th grade.

"It is fraudulent to raise the bar for all students to a level that
is currently being reached by only a relative few, without giving
them the help they need to make the grade" National Education
Association president Bob Chase wrote in a commentary last April


@@Oregon CIM Assessment

Oregon passed legislation in early 90s mandating exams that lead to a
10th grade Certificate of Initial Mastery and a 12th grade
Certificate of Final Mastery, a variation of Marc Tucker's plan which
did not have 12th grade certificate. Flunk rates were still 2/3 as of
2001, and Rob Kremer raised $175,000 by april largely on the issue of
CIM.

http://www.ode.state.or.us/asmt/resource/math/index.htm
pdf math samples

Milestones
May 2002 Rob Kremer raises over $200,000 in SPI campaign but loses
Aug 2002 Legislature cuts tests in every grade but 10, keeps CIM/CAM
Mar 2005 GOP proposes throwing out CIM and CAM

GOP plan would eliminate CIM and CAM
Report urges cutting state tests to shore up funds for instruction TARA MCLAIN Statesman Journal
March 16, 2005
Oregon students would be relieved of certain mandated exams under a plan 
released by House Republicans on Tuesday.
Opponents of the Certificate of Initial Mastery are warming up for a second 
attempt to toss the optional high school diploma program. This time, they want 
to include a large portion of the state-run testing system.
The House Audits Committee, led by Rep. Jerry Krummel, R-Wilsonville, issued 
a report Tuesday that recommends throwing out the Certificate of Initial 
Mastery and Certificate of Advanced Mastery programs. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050316/NEWS/50316
0333&template=printart


z55\clip\2002\04\oregrade.txt
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/41527_report05.shtml Oregon
schools given a passing grade Friday, October 5, 2001 By CHARLES E.
BEGGS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Our schools are among the best in the country, and we continue to
improve," Bunn said.
HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE TEST PASS RATE
2001 33%
2000 27%
1996 13% 

%%General

ORE CANCELS OBE TESTS EXCEPT FOR 10TH GRADE
z57\clip\2002\08\orecan.txt
State suspends student tests 
08/09/02
STEVEN CARTER 
[Note Republicans want to return to standardized ITBS testing]
The Oregon Board of Education voted reluctantly Thursday to kill
student tests next year in writing, math and science because of cuts
in the state budget. [saving 2.6M per year]

%%Backlash

6/21/200 Seattle Times Oregon Senate defeats bill to derail school
reform effort AP. Bill would have made CIM and CAM strictly optional

z48\clip\2001\03\oretest.txt
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/single_article.cfm?i=21071 2001
Legislature - March 7, 2001 Senators urge end to state school tests 
Some want to scrap Oregon’s methods for ones favored by President
Bush.  

DOE ADMITS TESTS WERE NOT DESIGNED TO MATCH STANDARDS
linkHere in Oregon we haven't put
such barrier exams in place yet, although it was the intent of Vera
Katz and her people to make the CIM just that, except that the
legislature (breathe a sign of relief) wouldn't go along.  It was
admitted by the DOE that the original versions of the Oregon state
tests were developed without regard to the state standards (different
committees, who didn't talk to each other, drew them up).  That
bureaucratic atrocity has been partially rectified by test changes
more compatible with our dumbed down standards 

CIM - EXCELLENCE FOR ALL OR JUST THE TOP 25%?
\clip\99\20\orecim.txt
Doesn't this defeat the whole idea of high standards for all if only
the top few can meet it?
http://www.registerguard.com/news/19991109/1b.cr.cim.1109.html
[Oregon] CIM still eludes many sophomores By ANNE WILLIAMS The
Register-Guard Christine Sather and 30 of her Willamette High School
classmates will be among the first students in Oregon to clutch in
their hands a hard-earned, bona fide CIM.  but for most sophomores
across the state . Just 20 percent - passed all four CIM exams, and
only 31 of those also successfully completed the necessary work
samples.  Statewide, approximately 26 percent passed the exams; in
1997, the first year the state administered tests with the CIM
benchmarks in place, just 15 percent of 10th-graders passed all four. 
"even if a CIM isn't yet required to graduate, and even if
universities don't yet and may never require a CIM, Christine
believes it will make a difference for her.  "When employers or
colleges see that you have that, and that you were one of the 31 in
your class," she said, "that's going to say something about you." 

Tennison: students realize the CIM
is worthless scam

75% FLUNK OREGON 10TH GRADE CIM, BUT STUDENTS PRAISED FOR "GAINS"
\clip\99\17\cimgain.txt Students praised for CIM gains By ANNE
WILLIAMS The Register-Guard (Oregon) 9/4/99 It was the Year of the
CIM - the first school year in which Oregon 10th-graders could earn a
Certificate of Initial Mastery, a document that will prove a student
has a keen grasp of the basics at graduation.  "But still,
three-fourths of the students didn't pass. I just hope that parents
and noneducational people don't look at that and want to trash the
whole thing. It's a work in progress." 

High-schoolers in Oregon wonder why test matters.  Seattle Times
April 12, 1999 p. b8. This is the first year sophomores will have
chance to earn CIM adopted in 1996. Initially meant to have dire
consequences for job, college and graduation, only one high school
will require it for diploma, and most kids don't see it as important,
though Intel and others are trying to get employers to look at it
(comment- see we've been,trying to tell you these cim tests are
bogus)

Update on Ore assessment.

\doc\web\98\08\testprep.txt
This should be interesting since the Oregon tests are poorly
constructed and have questions the read more like an IQ test.  How
does one prep for that?  How about the ones with no right answer
(best guesses accepted)? 

Oregon Test does not have a valid
construction process, Kentucky similar problems

Paper on why
Oregon Test does not pass construction requirements.

Written explanation, not right answer
needed Oregon Statewide Math Assessment: the correct answer
wasn't necessary as long as the student could tell the teacher in
writing how she got to the answer she gave. Oregon's tests are 9
hours long, are given over several days and replaces the Standford
Achievement

\doc\web\98\09\oretest.txt
% OF OREGON STUDENTS WHO MEET OR EXCEED THE STANDARD AT 10TH GRADE --
'97-'98 Reading/Literature:	48% Writing:		65% Mathematics:		32%

 RUBRICS SET FOR "B", EVERYONE MUST GET
A B. NO "A"s, OREGON SETS, TESTS "NEW STANDARD"

2 STATES ADD CONTEXT TO RAW SCORES January 21, 1998 BY TRACY VAN
MOORLEHEM Free Press Education Writer Another state that strives to
place test scores in context is Oregon.  The state ranks every school
district in terms of its socioeconomic status, then compares each
district's performance against similar districts.

NO RANKING
http://167.128.52.66/stulearn/cim/Cimans.htm#05
For individual student results, the state won't publish rank
orderings or national percentiles. A state percentile is calculated
for the multiple choice tests. However, the purpose of the CIM
assessment system is not to compare students to one another. Instead
the results provide detailed information about how a student's work
compares to the standards for performance that have been set by
teachers, parents and community members. 

%%Errors

ORE ADMITS MATH TESTS WERE TOO HARD
Wed, 21 Apr 1999 08:38:01 -0700 From: cassidy@pacifier.com To:
Oregon Math Tests will be Recalibrated Passing score requires 10th
graders to "connect to calculus, the function, the slope of the line
and the derivative -- certainly evidence of more than thoroughly
developed." There is a story in today's Oregonian about the most
recent math problem-solving performance test that was given to Oregon
students in grades 5, 8, and 10 in February.  The state is now saying
that the tests were too difficult and the scores were up to 20% below
last year's levels in some schools.

ORE ADMITS MATH TEST QUESTIONS ARE TOO HARD 
\clip\99\09\killtest.txt Oregonian State will recalculate scores for
killer math tests A problem-solving part of the exam given to fifth-
and eighth-graders was harder than it should have been, the state
admits Wednesday April 21, 1999 By Lisa Daniels of The Oregonian
staff 


@@Orlich, Donald

Washington State University Professor, longtime critic of standards
based reform movement since late 1980s, and lately Washington State's
high stakes WASL test.

SCIENCE WASL EXPECTS 5TH GRADERS TO DESIGN EXPERIMENT
7TH MATH IS REALLY HIGH SCHOOL
report

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=090803&ID=s1407413
z70\doc\web\2003\09\waslflun.txt Monday, September 8, 2003 Spokane
WASL examinations flunk on many levels Guest column Donald C. Orlich
Special to The Spokesman-Review School reform in Washington and 49
other states has been reduced to a single high-stakes test.

z54\clip\2001\11\dunce.txt The Spokesman-Review.com - A dunce cap for
our bogus crisis in education
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=110501&ID=s1049572&cat=section.commentary
Monday, November 5, 2001 How would the state of Washington's
13-year-olds do in mathematics in world competition? Twelve countries
would be ahead of Washington's eighth graders. A sampling from that
group would include France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Slovenia,
Switzerland and 13th place would go to Washington state. Our children
would tie 19 nations and beat 10 others.You want world-class
standards? Well, we have them!


Science WASL A SUMMARY OF "A
COGNITIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON'S
SCIENCE ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC LEARNING REQUIREMENTS" by Donald C.
Orlich shows benchmarks are beyond known ab