State standards low

by William Lutz/LSR

A few years ago, a Texas public school student could pass standardized tests in math and science while getting less than half the answers right. Similarly, schools could be rated acceptable even though less than 60 percent of students passed state exams.
The U.S. Department of Education may have just provided more ammunition to critics of the state’s education system who argue that passing the state’s standardized test doesn’t mean anything and that standards need to go up. The education department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a study Oct. 29 of state passing standards showing Texas’s standards do not match up with national expectations in reading. The study could touch off another debate over education standards, with conservatives on the State Board of Education and the business community calling for higher standards, and school district officials calling for lower ones.

NCES did a national correlation between the cutoff scores on the state exams and what that level of achievement would translate to, based on the state’s performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The finding: If 66 percent passed the state test, the statistical analysis could find the corresponding percentile in that state’s NAEP scores and see what that equates to. The math and statistics involved with such a calculation is elaborate, but in the end, produces a snap-shot of how difficult a state’s cutoff score is for its state exams. The analysis was part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and attempts to ensure states do not raise passing rates merely by making the tests easier to pass. The NAEP has two levels of acceptable performance: basic and the higher proficient level.

In reading, the state’s minimum passing scores for fourth and eighth grades (188 and 222, respectively) are well below the national Basic levels of 208 and 243. That means the state minimum standards are substantially easier than those recommended by the U.S. Department of Education. The Texas eighth-grade reading minimum passing score measured fourth-from-the-bottom when measured against other states, meaning Texas has the fourth easiest passing standard on its state exams. In mathematics the state looks a bit better. The state’s minimum passing score for state exams is slightly above the basic level on both. The cutoff score is near the easiest nationally for fourth grade and in the middle of states on eighth grade.

The NCES findings could prompt calls for higher standards in education. “That’s why we have conservatives on the State Board of Education,” noted State Board of Education member Terri Leo (RSpring). Leo noted that the State Board of Education recently passed new, more stringent English, Language Arts and Reading standards, and she looks forward to seeing those standards implemented in the public schools. “The conservatives took issue with our standards, and that’s why they changed,” she noted. Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond has frequently called for higher standards in education. Texas superintendents, by contrast, have frequently defended the status quo or called for lower standards in education, either directly or through trade associations and political Astroturf coalitions with clever sounding names like “The Coalition to Invest in Public Schools” or “Raise Your Hand.” The elected State Board of Education sets the passing standard for the state test, and the appointed Commissioner of Education determines the percentage of students at each school that must pass for a school to meet accreditation standards.

Texas Education Agency Communications Director Debbie Graves Ratcliffe noted that a bill passed in 2009 requires revision of the state’s elementary school test, which will make it more rigorous. Noting that 31 states had passing standards that the NCES study argues would score below basic on NAEP. Ratcliffe also noted that the state exams are aligned to the state curriculum, not the NAEP test. With the new standards adopted by the State Board of Education, Ratcliffe noted that the state is working on professional development for the new standards. “We have a lot of things in motion that ought to help improve reading performance, and hopefully, then our [students] will fare better on the NAEP reading test, even if we’re never in perfect alignment with it.”

A few years ago, a Texas public school student could pass standardized tests in math and science while getting less than half the answers right. Similarly, schools could be rated acceptable even though less than 60 percent of students passed state exams.
The U.S. Department of Education may have just provided more ammunition to critics of the state’s education system who argue that passing the state’s standardized test doesn’t mean anything and that standards need to go up. The education department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a study Oct. 29 of state passing standards showing Texas’s standards do not match up with national expectations in reading. The study could touch off another debate over education standards, with conservatives on the State Board of Education and the business community calling for higher standards, and school district officials calling for lower ones.

NCES did a national correlation between the cutoff scores on the state exams and what that level of achievement would translate to, based on the state’s performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The finding: If 66 percent passed the state test, the statistical analysis could find the corresponding percentile in that state’s NAEP scores and see what that equates to. The math and statistics involved with such a calculation is elaborate, but in the end, produces a snap-shot of how difficult a state’s cutoff score is for its state exams. The analysis was part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and attempts to ensure states do not raise passing rates merely by making the tests easier to pass. The NAEP has two levels of acceptable performance: basic and the higher proficient level.

In reading, the state’s minimum passing scores for fourth and eighth grades (188 and 222, respectively) are well below the national Basic levels of 208 and 243. That means the state minimum standards are substantially easier than those recommended by the U.S. Department of Education. The Texas eighth-grade reading minimum passing score measured fourth-from-the-bottom when measured against other states, meaning Texas has the fourth easiest passing standard on its state exams. In mathematics the state looks a bit better. The state’s minimum passing score for state exams is slightly above the basic level on both. The cutoff score is near the easiest nationally for fourth grade and in the middle of states on eighth grade.

The NCES findings could prompt calls for higher standards in education. “That’s why we have conservatives on the State Board of Education,” noted State Board of Education member Terri Leo (RSpring). Leo noted that the State Board of Education recently passed new, more stringent English, Language Arts and Reading standards, and she looks forward to seeing those standards implemented in the public schools. “The conservatives took issue with our standards, and that’s why they changed,” she noted. Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond has frequently called for higher standards in education. Texas superintendents, by contrast, have frequently defended the status quo or called for lower standards in education, either directly or through trade associations and political Astroturf coalitions with clever sounding names like “The Coalition to Invest in Public Schools” or “Raise Your Hand.” The elected State Board of Education sets the passing standard for the state test, and the appointed Commissioner of Education determines the percentage of students at each school that must pass for a school to meet accreditation standards.

Texas Education Agency Communications Director Debbie Graves Ratcliffe noted that a bill passed in 2009 requires revision of the state’s elementary school test, which will make it more rigorous. Noting that 31 states had passing standards that the NCES study argues would score below basic on NAEP. Ratcliffe also noted that the state exams are aligned to the state curriculum, not the NAEP test. With the new standards adopted by the State Board of Education, Ratcliffe noted that the state is working on professional development for the new standards. “We have a lot of things in motion that ought to help improve reading performance, and hopefully, then our [students] will fare better on the NAEP reading test, even if we’re never in perfect alignment with it.”

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February 09, 2010