New California Test Score Labels Seek to Convey Positivity
In a quest to help parents understand how their children are really doing in school — but not make them feel bad in the process — state officials are moving to change the way they describe student performance on standardized tests.
Testing Debates; Low Achievement
California’s Smarter Balanced test is computer-based. If students are doing well, the program sends the student harder questions. If the student is faring poorly, the program sends easier questions. The goal is to get a more precise reading of a student’s skills, but the test represents only a snapshot of a student’s performance.
Experts acknowledge that the prime goal of education is not high scores on standardized tests — which are an imperfect measure of deep and relevant learning. Still, tests provide a marker to help keep students, teachers, and schools on track toward skills students are supposed to be learning in each grade.
What Do the Labels Mean?
Both rounds of proposed changes were meant to provide clarity. There was also a goal of expressing student performance in a positive way — called an “asset-based” approach — even if the scores themselves are low.
So, rather than sending out the message of Standard Not Met, the term proposed in November was Inconsistent. One board member suggested that term, too, might be too negative. Maybe “developing” was a better choice.
An Apparent Compromise
If approved, the new categories are “the most common set of labels across the 50 states,” said Morgan Polikoff, professor of education at the USC Rossier School of Education, who was not involved in the decision.
The latest proposal is an improvement, said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University.
“I do question whether what may be a slight improvement in clarity is a distraction from the real issue: solving for the fact that California students are not mastering core subjects.”
Conclusion
The proposed changes aim to provide a more positive and transparent way of communicating student performance to parents. By adopting the new labels, California can align with other states and provide a clearer understanding of student achievement. However, the debate surrounding test scores and labels highlights the ongoing challenges in education, including low achievement levels and the need for more effective solutions.
FAQs
* What is the current system of labeling student performance in California?
The current system uses four categories: Standard Exceeded, Standard Met, Standard Nearly Met, and Standard Not Met.
* What are the proposed new labels for student performance?
The proposed new labels are Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic.
* Why are the new labels being proposed?
The new labels aim to provide a more positive and transparent way of communicating student performance to parents, while also aligning with other states’ systems.
* What is the issue with the current system?
The current system has been criticized for being too negative and not providing a clear understanding of student performance. The new labels aim to address this issue.
