Even as CPS opens more new schools, children with special needs have a tougher time finding options. Placements in private therapeutic schools are scarce, and some charters are reluctant to enroll them.
Recent Notebook Entries
Right Now On Notebook
By:
By:
By:
By:
Other Blogs
catalyst-chicago.org feeds
Current Issue
Daley acknowledges that state test may be too easy
By: Sarah Karp / July 08, 2009
Today Mayor Richard M. Daley joined with CPS head honchos to boast about another year of modest gains on elementary school standardized tests. But, perhaps humbled by a recent report that called into question the validity of gains and the claims of progress, Daley suggested that the state test needs to be re-evaluated.
Today Mayor Richard M. Daley joined with CPS head honchos to boast about another year of modest gains on elementary school standardized tests. But, perhaps humbled by a recent report that called into question the validity of gains and the claims of progress, Daley suggested that the state test needs to be re-evaluated.
Catalyst didn’t receive word about the press conference and therefore didn’t attend. Let’s just call it a technical glitch that we are working on remedying.
But in the press release, Daley said that he is “increasingly concerned that the state tests that are required to be taken by every student are easier to pass and less strict in their standards than they used to be.” He went on to say “I believe there needs to be a full discussion about implementing new state tests to assure that we have confidence in them and that their results better reflect how a student might succeed in the real world,” according to the press release.
Daley’s hesitancy to wantonly celebrate the test scores comes on the heels of a report released last week by the Civic Committee that called CPS’ claims of improvement under Daley and CEO Arne Duncan a fallacy. The report’s authors noted that the biggest gains came in 2006—the year the ISAT was changed and perhaps made easier.
The report’s claim is nothing new. Catalyst and analysts from the Consortium on Chicago School Research have for years repeatedly pointed out that test revisions led to a dramatic increase in test scores. However, we have also noted that, adjusting for the revisions, there have been improvements, though to a lesser extent than declared by Duncan and Daley.
Still, even as Daley acknowledged the possibility that gains are inflated, he started by noting that the trend upward is in the right direction. This past year, the overall composite score is up two points from last year and now nearly 70 percent of students met or exceeded standards. The biggest gain is in math where scores are up 4 percentage points to 73.5 percent.
Daley acknowledges that state test may be too easy
Exactly what do they want to have tested? Skill or content? I teach at a school that is very into testing, and the worst part is that the students are great at a skill (What is the main idea?) but have NO IDEA what the main idea means. They can identify that Karl Marx was a socialist thinker, but they have no idea who Karl Marx is, when he lived, or what socialism is (let alone what it meant to his time period).
Quit telling teachers to train skills -- the kids need to LEARN something. Our students are busy learning very specific skills that will appear on a meaningless test, so busy that there is no content being taught. Children can't identify if a noun is a person, place, or thing if they don't know what Big Ben is.
Daley acknowledges that state test may be too easy
Gee, did he just figure this out? However, how do the students compare when it comes to SAT 10? You'd think with the focus on testing that they could pass the multiple choice part.
Daley acknowledges that state test may be too easy
Dear "confused,"
In 2001, the Consortium on Chicago School Research released research showing you can have your test-score cake and eat it, too.
In a nutshell, the researchers found that if teachers presented more challenging intellectual work, students scored higher on standardized tests. Specifically, they looked at Chicago teachers' assignments in mathematics and writing in grades three, six, and eight.
Here is an excerpt from the executive summary. "Contrary to some expectations, the authors find that high quality assignments were found in some very disadvantaged Chicago classrooms and that all students in these classes benefited from exposure to such instruction.
Continuing: "The results suggest that if teachers, administrators, policymakers, and the public-at-large place more emphasis on authentic intellectual work in classrooms, yearly gains on standardized tests in Chicago could surpass national norms.
My questions to "confused" and other teachers is: Why doesn't this happen more often? And what should be done about it?
The title of the report is "Authentic Intellectual Work and Standardized Tests: Conflict or Coexistence?" You can find it here:
http://tinyurl.com/lse7jo
Add your comment