Across the state, students are drawing on a year’s worth of learning, as they work their way through End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) exams. Here’s a short primer to guide you through the testing maze.
Based on their performance on state tests, North Carolina students are grouped into four “proficiency” levels, providing parents with a barometer of student achievement at each grade:
•Level I: Insufficient mastery − a student is unprepared for the next grade.
•Level II: Inconsistent mastery − a student is minimally prepared for the next grade.
•Level III: Consistent mastery − a student is well prepared for the next grade.
•Level IV: Superior mastery − a student’s performance greatly exceeds grade level proficiency.
Not only are students classified by proficiency levels, but their scores enable a school to determine whether it meets federal performance guidelines. Since the passage of the federal education legislation, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools are evaluated by whether they make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) each year. To meet AYP guidelines, schools must have a certain percentage of students performing at grade level. Performance is measured for a variety of subgroups (such as the entire school, minorities, low-income kids, students with disabilities), and all groups must meet this percentage for the school to make AYP. No distinction is made between schools that miss AYP by an inch or those that miss it by a mile.
This year, the pressure is on. For the first time since AYP has been assessed, the percentage of students in grades 3-8 required to show proficiency will increase by roughly 8 points in reading (from 68.9% to 76.7%) and 6 points in math (from 74.6% to 81%). Last year, almost 71% of North Carolina schools made AYP, but that number is likely to decrease this year under the stricter guidelines. Title 1 schools failing to meet AYP will experience repercussions: while no penalties are levied the first year a school misses AYP, schools failing a second year must offer public school choice to students and implement an improvement plan. For each subsequent year a school misses AYP, sanctions stiffen.
As a result, both parents and educators will anxiously await the release of 2004-05 test results. But interpreting the next round of test scores could be a tricky enterprise. Last year (2003-04), 84% of North Carolina students in grades 3-8 were proficient readers on EOG tests. Yet, according to 2003 scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 33% of North Carolina fourth-graders and 29% of eighth-graders were considered proficient in reading. While these are not exact comparisons, these numbers beg the question: what gives?
State educators argue that NAEP standards are set extremely high for the average student. But North Carolina testing standards are obviously set at minimal levels. How to reconcile the two? The establishment indicates that test questions on both state and national tests are well aligned, so it follows that proficiency standards are set way too low on state tests. While indicators of strong student achievement are heartening, tests are most useful when they provide an accurate snapshot of student performance. What will the 2004-2005 tests show? Stay tuned.
To learn more about state testing, as well as the latest education news, visit the Alliance online at www.nceducationalliance.org. Check out the “Headlines” section of our home page, updated daily with articles from every major newspaper in the state. At the Alliance, we are committed to keeping you informed and empowered as we join together to improve education for the children of North Carolina.