Administration of ISTEP tests in Indiana have been problematic since 2011, when the state signed a new contract for computerized testing. Finally, this year, local school officials throughout the state have had their fill as they await public release of test results they don’t trust.
State officials need to listen to area school superintendents, who are much closer to the action than they are. And what the superintendents in this area are saying with unanimity is that the 2015 ISTEP testing process was flawed beyond repair and thus is a worthless measure of the achievement of students and teachers.
All the superintendents in Greene County and all the superintendents in Morgan County released letters last week to their districts’ patrons with just that message.
“We do not believe that our communities are below standard; we do not believe that one test measures our children. We do believe this process to be a flawed attempt to implement a legislative agenda,” wrote five Greene County superintendents.
The Morgan County letter said the test scores “are reflecting a false reality for our county and the entire state.”
The idea is to take the message to the people, so legislators will hear from their constituents instead of just lobbyists and other politicians.
They’re far from alone. MCCSC Superintendent Judy DeMuth called the situation a debacle earlier this year and recently said in response to legislation proposed by State Sen. Mark Stoops that would address the issue: “Given the tremendous controversy surrounding the validity and reliability of the test, let alone testing standards that were put in place just prior to the test, it is imperative that students, staff and schools not be penalized for the difficulties caused by adults. Stoops’ proposal recognizes that the outcome of the test in no way represents student ability or achievement, nor does it guide instruction,” she said.
And R-BB Superintendent Mike Wilcox said: “It’s not fair to our teachers. It’s not fair to our kids. It’s not fair to our parents.”
In short, schools received new standards late, too late for effective teaching to students; there were computer glitches with testing that have become maddeningly predictable; a new scoring standard was introduced late; school corporations have just received their preliminary scores too late to adjust for the next tests in March; and the fallout from low scores is huge through penalties for schools and evaluations of teachers.
These administrators know what they’re talking about, and state officials should heed their concerns.
It’s questionable just how fair it is to label students, teachers, schools and corporations based on standardized testing in the first place.
It would be ridiculous to label them based on a testing process that’s unfair and results that aren’t reliable.
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