To demand that no schools can be disestablished based on test results alone is I think a subset of the efforts to prevent all those sanctions in the law from being imposed solely based on test results, as NCLB does. Not sure we should focus on the one aspect, tho if we are not winning on a broader front, that could be a useful amendment.
The requirement to meet the Standards is good, but they are written in such a way as to fairly easily avoid them. What would be needed is an independent auditing agency, structured so as to best avoid capture by the industry (very hard since that who employs most psychometricians). George Madaus is among those who have long promoted that. That could be included in an NCLB reauth effort, tho again I would subordinate that to efforts to ensure the stakes attached to the tests are dramatically lowered while the feds promote/support use of real multiple measures.
We could try to add a requirement that any test being used to met ESEA/NCLB requirements must be publicly released within X [90] days of its use. States will howl because it will really jack up the costs in most states, tho some now do release most of the items (MA for example keeps a set secret, ones they use to enable linking this year with last year etc). NY truth in testing requires it of most administrations of SAT. The other piece of that would be to do what NY truth in testing also does, which is to enable testtakers to get back their test, their answers plus the wanted answers. (I believe ETS for example withholds the tryout question section, tho I am not sure on that.)
Monty Quoting Harold Berlak <hberlak@yahoo.com>:
We need to add that no schools may be disestablished or restructured based on rankings on standardized tests. It is this threatened sanction that' s so corrosive and undermining. We need examples of good schools that were shut down based on standardized test score results.. I bet that Debby Meier , George Wood, Susan Harman, Susan Ohanian and others have some graphic examples. I would like to see a student and parent right to opt out of any test that was not in the best interest of the student's education and learning with no sanctions to the student or school for exercising their right I would like to see a provision that requires that standardized tests meet independent professional standards. (APA, AERA, NCME, National Forum ) As I recall the original Wellstone legislation included a prohibition on the use of tests for purposes they were never constucted to fullfil. There should be a right to know: full public disclosure on what's in the test, how its scored, and validated. H B ------------------------------------------------ Direct list questions to listmom@interversity.net