After years of increases, students’ average test scores go flat

testing testing

July 28, 2010

After years of increases, students’ average test scores go flat

by Anna Phillips, at 3:37 pm

Even if New York State education officials had not decided to raise the scores needed to pass the state exams, today would not have been a particularly good news day for the city.

That’s because in addition to having the state call fewer students proficient, both the city and state saw students’ average raw scores stagnate.

For years, state and city students average scores on the math and reading exams have risen. But from 2009 to 2010, the city students’ average reading exam scores held steady at 662. This trend continued on the math test, which also saw no significant increases or decreases in students’ average scale scores.

When the scores were separated out according to students’ ethnicities, they showed the same result: a flat line.

Speaking at Tweed Courthouse today, Mayor Bloomberg said the steady scores were a sign of progress. “The numbers that really matter are the actual scores,” he told reporters, adding that the state had made the tests more difficult this year.

This is true for the math exam. In an effort to cut down on the math tests’s now-predictable nature, state officials said they broadened the subjects it covered by 30 percent. Officials said they did not do the same for the reading exam because it was already a harder test than the math exam.

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein offered another possible explanation for the scores: the tests were given later in the year, allowing for more material to be covered. In past years, the math and ELA exams were given in January and March.

“There are so many different things that could be going on,” said Harvard University testing expert Daniel Koretz, who has been pushing the state to create harder tests. “The test was at a later day; it had broader content. It could be that the effects of coaching are petering out.”

http://incongressional.com Esteban Rodriguez

Let the spin begin.
Jeff S

You heard the spin…..only the actual scores count…..you know from the same people who brag about graduation rates….Mr. Mayor and Mr. Chancellor, you brag about the graduation rates based on, among other thing, an Integrated Algebra regents where the passing score is 30 out of 87, 34.45%……should we just look at the actual scores and see what your high school graduation results mean?
Michael Fiorillo

Actually, today is potentially a very good day for the city: it’s always a good thing when liars are exposed.
http://incongressional.com Esteban Rodriguez

It is definitely a good day, Michael. Exposing this fraud will give us a chance to put some policies in place that actually helps students.
http://incongressional.com Esteban Rodriguez

woops

“help” students.
Smith

I’ll go with the last sentence of the post. I’ve always figured that intensive test prep would provide an initial bump and then scores would flatten. Educating low-income students is a lot more difficult than the lawyers, hedge funders, and newspaper editors realize.
Dr. Neverbetter

The spin is to be feared indeed.

The public does not understand the high-level nature of this top-down political fraud.

There is still a strong tendency for the public to blame teachers, in this case for manipulating or gaming the scores.

I have read articles that blame teachers seeking merit-pay for this deception.

The state says that it will create tougher exams.

Tougher exams will be used to accelerate the closure of public schools, fire more teachers, and throw more needy kids out of the system.

This may very well FUEL the privatization movement, not hinder it.
http://www.classsizematters.org Leonie Haimson

what? the scores are flat because the exam was taken later in the year? If they are supposed to reflect real learning, wouldn’t that help them go up more?
http://incongressional.com Esteban Rodriguez

Leonie,

They apparently think the public will once again fall for their nonsense.
Pudding Proof

How about the fact that everyone is so sick and tired of the lies, deception, and corruption which are the fabric of the DOE. Camouflage here, camouflage there, stroke the parents, stoke the kids, stroke the inept principals. WTF is going on in this world? Blame the teacher for this, blame the teacher for that, quality review this, quality review that, inquiry team this, inquiry team that. For crying out loud, already! Let the teachers run the schools. And differentiate my arse.
http://nyceducator.com NYC Educator

I’m glad Leonie also saw that. I thought I was misunderstanding something. They are usually much better at spin than that.
http://www.queensteacher2.blogspot.com Queens Teacher

Unfortunately Dr Neverbetter may be right. These opportunists may use this to their advantage and tell the public we are in dire need, more than before.
DS

From Dr. Neverbetter’s post:
“Tougher exams will be used to accelerate the closure of public schools, fire more teachers, and throw more needy kids out of the system.”

What are “they” going to do with these kids? I understand that “they” can guestimate and build new jaols based on dropout rates, etc., but what about the little ones?

I work in a school that is bursting at the seams with children that have been thrown out of charter schools and children that would never get into a charter.

There is no substitute for some good old fashioned involved parenting. It makes all the difference. Sadly, the majority of the children I work with DO NOT have involved parents. Their parents are downright neglectful of intellectual development. Not necessarily abusive- many kids are fed and clothed. However, the parents allow excessive TV watching. There are no books in the home, nothing of intellectual value.

As teachers, what can we do to help the children that are being squeezed out of the system? I ask this because obviously parents will not be held accountable for much. You can’t force a parent to take their child to the library, turn off the TV, or have a conversation with their kid!
Fred Smith

Folks, you know what they say: Fool me eight times shame on you….
Bronx Teacher

New York is now River City and Klein is Harold Hill. Let’s hope he skips town as well.
http://themortonschool.blogspot.com Miss Eyre

Let’s keep in mind, folks, that although (theoretically at least) Mayor Bloomberg and Joel Klein have seen my students’ test scores, I HAVE NOT.

Yes, the 70 million dollar ARIS system does not have my students’ scores available as of 5 minutes ago.

HELPFUL. THANKS.
District 13 parent

ARIS is supposed to have student test scores the second week in August, per Inside Schools.
http://themortonschool.blogspot.com Miss Eyre

That may be true, but why are they not available to me–and to parents–now?
David K. Patterson

It must be a conspiracy that everything didn’t pop up instantly on ARIS. And probably against you. Only.
http://themortonschool.blogspot.com Miss Eyre

I never attribute to a conspiracy what can be explained by good old-fashioned incompetence, Mr. Patterson.
Bran

“what? the scores are flat because the exam was taken later in the year? If they are supposed to reflect real learning, wouldn’t that help them go up more?”

I think they are saying that as a result of the changed test dates, they have made the tests more difficult.
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July 28, 2010

After years of increases, students’ average test scores go flat

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