The Proficiency Illusion, Empire State edition

The Fordham Institute's Mike Petrilli with some with some wise thoughts on the NYS tests:

The study didn't examine New York, but now we know that the "proficiency illusion" infected the Empire State, too. What's notable is that Commissioner David Steiner is willing to admit the problem and take action to fix it. According to the Times, he told his board last week: "The word 'proficient' should tell you something, and right now that is not the case on our state tests."

So he boosted the state's cut scores in order to ensure that a student who is deemed "proficient" is actually on track to pass the Regents' exams in high school–and succeed in college and career. Though common sense, this move is hugely courageous, as it immediately illustrated just how far many kids and schools have to go to reach that real-world standard.

…But that doesn't mean that Big Apple schools aren't making progress. Gotham Schools quoted Merryl Tisch, the chair of the state Board of Regents, thusly: "If you haven't noticed that the city school system is improving, then you're walking around with blinders." True. And the city makes a good case that, regardless of where the proficiency bar is set, its kids are making strong progress. Its average "scale scores" in math and reading have risen significantly over the past five years, both on average and for individual ethnic groups, plus the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show significant gains from 2007 to 2009 in fourth-grade reading.

As in most states, there was an achievement bubble in New York. Now there's been a correction, and we can start fresh from a more honest and accurate position. This is good news, and another illustration of how badly the country needs standards and assessments it can believe in.

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The Proficiency Illusion, Empire State edition

http://www.edexcellence.net/flypaper/index.php/2010/07/the-proficiency-illusion-empire-state-edition  

Almost three years ago, Fordham and the Northwest Evaluation Association published a landmark study, The Proficiency Illusion, which found that state "proficiency cut scores" varied tremendously, not just from state to state but also within states. Cut scores for elementary school kids were lower than for middle school kids; cut scores for math were higher than for reading; cut scores tended to drift downward over time.