Teachers, I am a parent and my school district wants to implement these changes in testing....

Question

We already have some schools operating on a four day week and yet others have implemented a no homework policy until high school. Now they want to make the following changes to the testing system. Is this a good thing or should I seriously consider moving to another state.

Panel proposes elimination of three types of tests:

1. Core testing (end of level CRTs) in all grades

2. Basic Skills Competency Test

3. Iowa Test of Basic Skills (nationally normed)

Panel proposes the following assessments:

1. Computer‐adaptive testing K‐12 in reading, language arts, math and science three times each year including a pretest and posttest in each subject

2. After 3rd grade, once a student has shown proficiency at or above grade level over three years, the student no longer needs ongoing reading assessments

3. Kindergarten assessment using locally developed assessment

4. EXPLORE in the 8th grade for all students to measure preparedness for high school and prescribe high school coursework

5. PLAN in 10th grade for all students to measure high school performance and prescribe further coursework for preparedness for postsecondary education and training

6. Accuplacer (college placement test) in spring of 11th grade for all students to determine their academic needs prior to graduation

7. ACT in 11th grade for all students to measure high school performance

Panel proposes to increase expectations for a high school diploma:

1. Basic diploma to be awarded to students who demonstrate proficiency on at least one of the following assessments –

Accuplacer (college placement test)

ACT score in 11th grade

PLAN score in 10th grade

Performance on the Computer‐Adaptive Assessment, beginning with 10th grade performance

Panel proposes continuation of federally‐mandated testing:

1. NAEP will be given in grades four and eight in randomly selected schools

Answer 1

Honestly, their changes seem to be more meaningful and formative in their design. Testing is largely a source of formative assessment to guide instruction for students, if they are consistently proficient, maybe testing isn't the best use of their time.

I am a bit confused, you are upset about the dropping of a norm referenced test. That is mind-boggling to me as norm referenced means half pass, half fail. So, that doesn't really tell you much. I am glad my state no longer uses any sort of norm referenced test

Answer 2

a lot of those changes really sound good...i'm a teacher, and not a fan of the tests your district is getting rid of.  so kudos to them for that!  the one thing i'm really not a fan of though is the requirement to take the ACT in 11th grade.  this is not a high school test...it's a college test.  the scores are to be used for colelge entrance, not graduation from high school.  not only that, but no one has ever been required to take it!  it's an optional test!

to ease your mind, the students will still have to prove their competencies...just not in the way most parents are used to seeing it.  there is still classwork, and there are still projects that will need to be completed.  tests are a small part of assessment.  also, tests do not tell the whole story of what a student knows if the child is a more linguistic learner.  

i really like you district's upcoming policy of not making the students prove their reading competency after they've scored at or above grade level 3 times.  that is wonderful, and a great use of district resources!  i don't know about yours, but my district has a few reading specialists to go around...we have 200 schools in the district, so resources are wearing very thin.  if they have to constantly assess students who are consistently reading above grade level, it is a waste of the specialists time, and a waste of the students time when she could be paying attention in class, not taking an assessment that the entire school knows she's going to ace!

i'm not familiar with explore, plan, or naep, so i can't really give an opinion there.  but i like a lot of the other changes i'm seeing for your district, so i can only imagine they have the students' best interest in mind.

and as for homework...i'm glad your school doesn't have any!  the problems i have seen with students trying to get their homework home in the first place is ridiculous...then they have to get it done!  there is no reason a 3rd grader has 4-5 hours of homework each night!  that 4-5 large books that need to be carried home.  it is causing back problems just getting back and forth to school.  our entire country is overweight, and i believe part of it is because students come home from a sc hool where there wasnt' enough funding for a gym teacher, and they sit to do their 5 hours worth of homework.  3 hours into it, it's time for dinner.  they finish eating by 6:30, and still has 2 more hours of homework to ccomplete.  there is no time left in the day to play outside and get any kind of excercize because it's either too dark, too dangerous by that time of night, or the kid has just sat for 6 hours straight staring at books that he just doesn't want to do anything at that point but pass out.  i'm glad that schools are starting to stand up for children, their rights, their health, and their well-being.  maybe more should tkae a lesson from your schools.