Re: Figures Don't Lie - Iowa Rules!

[George Cunningham <gkc@LOUISVILLE.EDU>]

David,

I think your table is quite informative.  I wouldn't put too much faith in
the Quality Counts evaluations, though.  There are lots of ways to do
standards and they have their favorites.  For example they give Kentucky an
A and our standards are horrid.  The Fordham foundation has its own ratings
which are quite different.  Both organizations are pro-standards.

As I think Monty has pointed out, the states that do the worst, are the ones
most likely to get heavily involved in standards in hopes that they will
help them improve.

Every state except Iowa has high stakes testing although there is
variability in how high their stakes are.  About half of the states have a
high school exit exam in place or one ready to come on line in the near
future and that is high stakes.  Other states hold schools, principals, and
teachers accountable, but not students.  Tell these principals that their
state tests is not high stakes.  Even if there are not overt sanctions for
low performing schools or rewards for the successes, the jobs of principals
in under-performing schools become increasingly insecure.

George K. Cunningham
University of Louisville

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Assessment Reform Network Mailing List
> [mailto:ARN-L@LISTS.CUA.EDU]On Behalf Of David Blomstrom
> Sent: Friday, February 02, 2001 6:03 PM
> To: ARN-L@LISTS.CUA.EDU
> Subject: Figures Don't Lie - Iowa Rules!
>
>
> So, is it the general consensus that the chart I put online at
> http://www.geobop.com/Education/Curricula/Tests/Reports/ merits
> status as a
> valid piece of evidence which discredits high-stakes tests (perhaps with a
> few more footnotes), or is it too sketchy to be worth anything? I
> think one
> of the best ways to convert teachers and parents who aren't
> experts on this
> sort of stuff is to give them a simplified chart or graph that shows them
> the big picture at a glance.
>
> Another interesting strategy might be to publicize states that do not have
> high-stakes tests yet have relatively high academic records. Long known as
> the "Corn State," Iowa could also be publicized as the "Education State."
> Washington could be known as the "Edukayshun State."
>
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