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Schools

ISAT Scoring Will Change—Fewer Geneva Students Likely to Meet, Exceed Standards

Arbitrary "cut" scores are changing to align ISAT scores with ACT and PARCC assessments. That means students' and schools' performance grades are likely to drop in the categories of English and math.

Don't be surprised if your son or daughter drops from "exceeds standards" to "meets standards" or from "meets" to "below" standards in the upcoming Illinois Standard Achievement Tests.

Geneva School District 304 Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction Patty O'Neal told the School Board earlier this week that there's going to be a new "cut line" in the ISAT scores that measure students' achievements—as well as the achievements of their schools.

Educators say they're "still trying to make sense" of the new Common Core standards and curriculum, but O'Neal says one result seems pretty clear:

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"If you apply last year’s scores for grades 3-5, you see fewer kids exceed expectations," O'Neal said.

O'Neal underlined that the cut scores are for math and reading categories only and that the previous scores were set "arbitrarily."

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The new cut scores will help align the ISAT results with those of the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE) —colloquially called the ACT test—given to 11th graders, and establish a foundation for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam set to debut in the 2014-15 school year.

It's all part of the Common Core curriculum, which will include a computer-based assessment that will yield more timely results and will be given more than once during the school year, District 304 officials said.

ISAT tests in Geneva public schools generally are taken by third- through eighth-graders during the first two weeks in March.

"Our students are still learning, it’s just that that arbitrary number has been changed," O'Neal said.

Geneva School Board members were concerned about how students might feel if they perform as well or better than they have in the past, only to see a lower level of achievement.

"I have to believe there’s a huge psychological impact," School Board Vice President Kelly Nowak said.

Board member Mary Stith agreed.

"We knew this was coming—we just didn’t know the date," she said. "It's important that the community understands there’s going to be new cuts. This is sometimes hard on kids, so it has a lot of ramifications."

“Raising expectations is never easy, and the anticipated drop in students’ scores will be significant,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch in an Illinois State Board of Education press release. “However, we must seize this opportunity to tap into our children’s full potential and better prepare them at an earlier age to compete for jobs in a global economy. I am confident that our students will rise to the challenge and show continued progress under the new performance levels.”

Richard Hill, a member of ISBE’s Technical Advisory Committee and chair of the board of trustees for the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc. said the new testing will provide more accurate data about whether a student is on track to enter college or the workforce.

"Aligning the assessments will ensure that students will receive the appropriate supports and interventions needed for success earlier in their schooling,” he said.

 

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