Re: FairTest op ed versus grad tests in Phil Inquirer today

[aburke5054@aol.com]

What is the source for the claim that "tens of thousands of students 
are denied diplomas each year simply because they did not pass a 
standardized state test?"

Art


-----Original Message-----
From: Monty Neill <monty@fairtest.org>
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Sent: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 8:40 am
Subject: [arn-l] FairTest op ed versus grad tests in Phil Inquirer today

The following op ed appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer today:

Exit exams aren't aiding education
Monty Neill and Lisa Guisbond are with FairTest, the National Center 
for Fair &
Open Testing



 Across the nation, tens of thousands of students are denied diplomas 
each year
simply because they did not pass a standardized state test. After 12 
years of
playing by the rules, working hard, and completing all other graduation
requirements, students can find that their future hinges on just one or 
two
points.

 Misguided exit-exam mandates have increased dropout rates, especially 
among
minority groups, and have focused classroom teaching on test 
preparation rather
than 21st century skills. The full record in states like Texas and 
Massachusetts
shows that high-stakes tests are the wrong prescription for what ails 
public
education. That's why Pennsylvania civil rights and disability 
advocates,
teachers, administrators, school board members, public school parents, 
and
others have expressed serious concerns about Gov. Rendell's high-stakes 
testing
plan.

 A poll from the respected Susquehanna Institute shows they are not 
alone. By a
landslide 62 percent to 31 percent, Pennsylvanians responding to a 
recent survey
opposed denying diplomas to students if they fail a statewide test but 
have
passed all their classes.

 The problems exit exams are meant to solve are certainly real. 
Pennsylvania,
like most states, has gaps in educational access, quality and outcomes. 
But exit
exams won't cure these ills. For too many students, the cure is worse 
than the
disease. Rather than provide better education and expanded 
opportunities,
graduation tests add punishment - denial of a diploma - to those who 
most need
help.

 Proponents incorrectly claim that exit exams will narrow achievement 
gaps. The
National Assessment of Educational Progress reports no narrowing of 
achievement
gaps at the high school level among racial groups. Nor have average 
high school
scores increased.

 Real progress has been elusive because high-stakes testing, including 
No Child
Left Behind, undermines rather than improves education. Untested 
subjects are
ignored, while tested topics narrow to test-coaching programs. Test 
prep is like
holding a match to a thermostat and believing the room is warmer: 
Scores rise on
that test; real learning does not.

 The most thorough independent national research also confirms a link 
between
graduation tests and higher dropout rates. Texas introduced exit exams 
in 1992.
Fifteen years later, Texas used test results to deny diplomas to a 
record 40,200
students in the Class of 2007. In 2006, Boston's annual dropout rate 
rose
sharply, from 7.7 percent to 9.9 percent. At the same time, the city 
suffered a
wave of youth violence. Boston City Council issued a report stating, 
"Students .
. . expressed massive frustration and boredom with the endless drilling 
and
practice of the MCAS [Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, a 
statewide
standardized test] . . . and test preparation. . . . Far too many 
students
describe their school experience as an MCAS-centric environment. . . . 
[As a
result,] the incentive for students to remain in school is tenuous."

 Tests have "measurement error," which means some children will fail 
even though
they know the subject. Being able to take the test more than once 
helps, but
does not solve this problem. There is also the well-documented problem 
of test
anxiety: An accomplished student may freeze, not do well on the test, 
and be
denied a diploma.

 No one wants to see youth leave school without the skills needed for 
success.
Exam supporters say students shouldn't get meaningless diplomas if they 
can't
pass the tests. But it's a student's overall transcript that makes a 
diploma
truly meaningful. For example, high school grades are better predictors 
of
college success than the SAT. A standardized test is not a solid 
foundation for
establishing meaning.

 The individual and societal costs of denying a diploma based on a 
state test
score are high. Students without diplomas earn much less, are far less 
likely to
maintain stable families, and are far more likely to end up in prison.

 Pennsylvania must take strong action to address the problems of 
unequal schools
and inadequate outcomes, from providing funding equity among rich and 
poor towns
to stronger staff development and high-quality assessments. That means 
ensuring
all children experience a well-rounded education and avoiding the 
magic-bullet
false solution of a high-stakes graduation test.

Monty Neill is co-executive director of FairTest, and Lisa Guisbond is 
testing
reform analyst. E-mail Neill at monty@fairtest.org.



Find this article at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20071116_Exit_exams_arent_aiding_education.html 




Monty Neill, Ed.D.
Co-Executive Director
FairTest
342 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-864-4810 x 101;  fax 617-497-2224
monty@fairtest.org
http://www.fairtest.org
Donate: https://secure.entango.com/servlet/donate/MnrXjT8MQqk=






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