Currently browsing Tests
U.S. middle-class students beaten on international test
Middle-class students are lagging far behind their peers in other countries, adding a new perspective to beliefs that low-income students are most in need of better educational opportunities, according to a new study. America Achieves, a nonprofit aimed at improving education and career opportunities for students, reviewed the 2009 science and math results on the Program for International Student Assessment, known as the PISA exam. Analysts divided students into four socio-economic levels and found that U.S. students in the second highest quarter were outperformed by students in similar income levels in 15 other countries in science and 24 countries in math. “Many assume that poverty in America is pulling down the overall U.S. scores, but when you divide each nation into socio-economic quarters, you can see that even America’s middle class students are … Read entire article »
Filed under: Common Core standards, International Comparisons, Poverty, Quick Hits, Standardized tests, Tests, Tests & Assessments, Twenty-first Century Learning, Workforce preparation
Credentialing commission head says California teachers lead way in stress levels
Against the backdrop of a national survey showing half of teachers experiencing “great stress” on the job, the head of California’s teacher credentialing commission says that stress levels among the state’s teachers are likely to be even higher. “I would think California would be at the forefront of this group (of stressed-out teachers) and teachers’ stress levels here even higher,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of Education at Stanford University’s School of Education and chair of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: College and Career Preparation, Common Core standards, Featured, Preparation, Reporting & Analysis, Standardized tests, Standards, Teachers, Tests, Tests & Assessments, Twenty-first Century Learning
More California students taking, passing AP exam
California students ranked in the top 10 nationwide for their passing rate on last year’s Advanced Placement exams. Nearly 145,000 high school seniors from the class of 2012, about 37 percent, took at least one AP test and nearly a quarter of them passed, according to the latest results released Wednesday by the College Board. AP tests are scored on a scale of one to five and students who earn a three or higher often receive college credit for class. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said the “results reflect the high value California students and families place on being ready for college — and the increasing success our students and schools are having in achieving that goal.” The increases are occurring across all income levels and racial and ethnic groups. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Quick Hits, Tests
Torlakson suggests suspending many state tests
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson is recommending at least a one-year moratorium on most state standardized tests not mandated by the federal government, starting next year. The respite would give districts and the state breathing time for more complex tests being created for the national Common Core standards. Those tests, in English language arts and math in grades three through eight and grade 11, will begin in the spring of 2015. Tests that would be suspended, with the Legislature’s permission, would include second grade math and English tests, social science and history tests, most end-of-year high school math tests except for Algebra II and the summative high school exam, and most high school science tests. Science tests for fifth, eighth and 10th grades would continue, since they’re required by the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Common Core standards, Quick Hits, Standardized tests, Tests
California 8th graders behind states and world on math, science tests
California 8th graders ranked in the middle of the pack overall but behind seven of eight states in math and science in the latest international tests. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, Quick Hits, STEM, Tests
Overusing test for special ed students inflates API scores
California’s 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) results, released today, in general show small but steady gains similar to the last four years. But a deeper look at the results shows not only inflation contributing to the gains but also a substantial policy shift toward lower expectations for special education students in California. The API trend data inflation is due to the introduction of a new test for special education students over the past five years: the California Modified Assessments, or CMAs. These tests were introduced to give selected students greater “access” to the statewide testing system, by making tests easier than the regular California Standards Tests (CSTs) given to all other students. When the CMAs were approved in 2007, the plan was that roughly 2 percent of total enrollment (or about … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Disabilities education, Featured, Special Needs, Tests, Tests & Assessments
Exit exam results show gains in closing achievement gap
African American and Latino students showed the biggest gains on California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) results for the Class of 2012, narrowing the achievement gap between them and their Asian and white counterparts, according to preliminary results reported by the California Department of Education. African Americans in the Class of 2012 gained 2.3 percentage points over the Class of 2011, with 91.9 percent passing the exam by the end of their senior year. Latino students saw a 1.4 percentage point increase over 2011, with 93.1 percent passing. Altogether, 95 percent of students in the Class of 2012 passed the CAHSEE, an increase of 0.8 of a percentage point over the previous year. White students, at 98.6 percent, had the highest passing rate, followed by Asian students at 97.8 percent – both … Read entire article »
Filed under: High School Completion, Quick Hits, Tests, Tests & Assessments
There are many dimensions to “cheating” and many ways to measure its harm
(This commentary first appeared in TOP-Ed.) I’ve read with horror – as many of us have – story after story about the cheating mess on tests in Atlanta, focusing on 2009 state tests, and in other cities and states. But then I wonder, what is “cheating”? What does that word mean? As I see it, it’s a way of pretending that a reported test score is valid and that the score actually tells us how the student performed and what that student actually knows on that test. Apparently, these cheating scandals show that scores had been tampered with in various ways and were not valid. Reported scores were too high – and did not actually show what students know and can do. Tragic. And to this mess, I would add my concerns about state and federal testing policies that allow … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Special Needs, Standardized tests, Students, Tests
Low science scores should shock state at the center of technology universe
(This commentary first appeared in TOP-Ed.) Remember the old song “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel from the ’60s? I thought about the song last week after the results of the NAEP science tests showed that California students were at or near the bottom in our nation in nearly every measure of performance in science. The lack of outrage from our leaders in Sacramento that greeted these depressing results made me “picture the sound of silence.” Back when that song was topping the charts, you could still graduate from high school with the possibility of making a living for your family. Back then the wage difference between a college graduate and a high school graduate wasn’t so extreme. Even a high school dropout had the possibility of a decent life … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, STEM, Tests
Let’s shelve the CSTs so the real work can begin
March 17th, 2013 | 19 Comments | By Merrill Vargo / commentary
I was troubled the other day to hear a colleague describe how hard it was to motivate a group of teachers to take on some aspect of the Common Core because they were “so focused on the high-stakes assessments.” I’m not blaming the teachers, but this reaction is a signal that leaders need to step up and admit that this particular emperor has no clothes. The only thing that makes the current California Standards Tests … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Common Core standards, Featured, Tests