Grand Island Independent (NE): Should testing be uniform?

I didn't realize Nebraska doesn't have a state test. It is too one-size-fits all and uniform for them. I suppose they wouldn't favor a national test.

Should testing be uniform?

By Harold Reutter
harold.reutter@theindependent.com
Publication Date: 03/05/07

Nebraska's one-of-a-kind system for assessing student achievement in its public schools would be changed under a bill proposed by Lincoln Sen. Ron Raikes, chairman of the Education Committee.

LB653 is one of two bills introduced by Raikes that would change the state's system for assessing academic achievement by Nebraska's public school students.

The other is LB615, which would do more to track individual student achievement and break those results down by poverty, race, mobility and limited English proficiency.

Nebraska's system of assessment made state and national headlines last year when it became one of only two states to have its assessment system designated as "not approved" by the U.S. Department of Education.

The U.S. Department of Education eventually reversed course and approved Nebraska's system for assessing whether students are meeting state curriculum standards.

Most of the other 49 states accomplish that task by having a single statewide test that its students must take to show their academic proficiency.

In neighboring Colorado, for example, that test is called the Colorado Student Assessment Program or CSAP for short.

The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News typically list the CSAP results for every school in the state.

Such a system has been opposed by Doug Christensen, Nebraska commissioner of education.

Christensen said having a single, statewide curriculum test creates a "high-stakes" testing environment in which teachers are tempted to teach to the test to demonstrate to the general public how well their students are performing.

He said he prefers a system in which each school district is allowed to develop its own assessments to see how well its students are doing academically.

That system is called "School-based Teacher-Led Assessment and Reporting System" or STARS.

Christensen said STARS assessments should be used by teachers to judge a student's academic strengths and weaknesses, with the results used to improve student performance, especially in weak areas.

In effect, Nebraska's assessment system should be used as a continuous improvement model for student performance.

But to some critics, Nebraska's system creates the possibility of assessments at some school districts being much harder or much easier than those of other districts.

Steve Burkholder, assistant superintendent of student learning for the Grand Island Public Schools, uses a sports analogy to explain the concerns that some people have.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers, UNK Lopers and UNO Mavericks may all use the same blocking, tackling and passing drills in practice.

But Burkholder asked whether that means the Cornhuskers are not as good if their season-end "assessment" results is a 6-5 record, compared to an 8-3 "assessment" result for the Lopers and Mavericks.

After all, the Cornhuskers' Saturday "assessments" might have been against USC, Texas and Oklahoma, while the Lopers' assessment might have come against the Colorado School of Mines, Adams State and Western State.

As a result, Burkholder said, many people would still consider the Cornhuskers to have the superior football team, even with a 6-5 record.

The Nebraska Department of Education, though, was able to document the technical quality of its assessments to the U.S. Department of Education.

The NDE proved to the federal government that school districts that follow the NDE guidelines should have high-quality assessments that accurately portray student achievement. That means differing assessments for school districts would still be comparable, even if they are not identical.

Raikes' LB653 only indirectly touches on that controversy, although it was prompted by the controversy between the U.S. Department of Education and the Nebraska Department of Education.

LB653 is rooted in a performance audit conducted by the Legislative Audit and Research Office.

That audit looked at the legislation that originally created the STARS system. It concluded that the legislation and the Nebraska Department of Education do not agree on the definition of assessment.

The audit also concluded that based on the legislative history, assessment should be defined as a "test" and that the NDE's interpretation "has reduced the potential comparability of test results among the school districts."

The audit said the NDE should choose one of two options:


Identify four model assessments or tests that could be used by school districts.

Revise the original STARS law to conform with existing practice.
Raikes' bill adopts the first approach. That would be a middle course of action. There would be no single statewide test. But having four model assessments would be a big change from having each district develop its own assessment.

Burkholder does not have a position on this and will be not be testifying on Monday. But he can argue either side.

He said many school districts will be opposed because of the time and effort they've spent on developing assessments.

Burkholder said he knows LB653 will draw lots of opposition.

However, he also noted that districts spend lots of time and money each year proving to the federal government that they have rigorous enough assessments.


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