In response to the many concerns and issues regarding the recent implementation of state mandated testing, which includes PARCC and AIR assessments, the Superintendent and the Board of Education’s legislative liaison have written to state legislators to recommend key guidelines for revisions to the state assessment process.
The letter advocates for a more flexible and streamlined system of testing that would allow districts to choose from a pool of approved assessment tools, while still providing necessary accountability metrics.
The letter also requests that these changes be made swiftly, in order to provide districts with adequate time to prepare for any revisions prior to the start of the next school year.
The full text of their letter appears below and was sent to:
Mary Rose Oakar, Member, Ohio State Board of Education
Rep. Janine Boyd
Rep. Marcia Fudge
Sen. Shirley Smith
Sen. Peggy Lehner
Copies were sent to Damon Asbury, Director of Legislative Services of the Ohio School Boards Association, and Barbara Shaner, Associate Executive Director of Ohio Association of School Business Officials.
In light of the recent implementation of new state mandated tests such as PARRC and AIR, it is clear that the current assessment program is not effectively meeting the needs of Ohio’s students, and that revisions to the process are needed.
As the Ohio state legislature reviews the existing requirements, the Shaker Heights City School District believes it is critical to focus on the principal goals of the state assessment program while maximizing the flexibility provided to individual districts.
We understand that the primary goals of state assessments are to:
• Ensure early reading competency;
• Measure student growth for a range of student groups;
• Provide a level of district accountability for student growth and performance results;
• Provide one component of a robust and valid teacher accountability metric.
Districts, parents and educators are focused on creating an assessment system that works effectively within the educational framework of the schools, does not create an undue burden in terms of time, resources, and stress on students or teachers, and provides timely test data that can be used to further the education of students.
With these key points in mind, the Shaker Heights City School District strongly recommends that any system of statewide assessments should:
- Create a pool of state approved assessments aligned with State Standards so that districts may select the tool that works best within their educational framework, allows for valid assessment of student performance and growth, and provides valid district and teacher accountability results.
- Provide that summative testing take place at the end of the school year to gauge the effectiveness of an entire year’s academic growth, and to allow those test results to be used, where appropriate, as end of course exams.
- Provide flexibility for students with non-passing scores to retake exams at the discretion of the district.
- Limit the amount of time spent on testing and test preparation. Allowing districts to select assessments that meet their own standards and needs will promote efficiency in every district’s overall assessment system and limit unnecessary testing.
- Maintain the Common Core State Standards and current academic content standards in science and social studies to ensure our students are prepared for the 21st century challenges that await them after high school graduation.
- Continue the Third Grade Reading Guarantee to ensure that our students have the basic foundation necessary for academic success early in their educational career.
- Increase online test administration so that educators can immediately use results.
- Provide districts with resources to bring their technological capacity up to the required standards for testing and allow for continued use of technology for instruction while testing is taking place.
- Allow districts to differentiate test administration and content based on the identified differential learning needs of students to optimize the accuracy of results.
We believe the inclusion of these key elements in any revised state assessment system will address the primary goals of the system and allow districts to maximize the educational benefits of testing without creating undue burdens on students, teachers, and districts.
We also believe it is imperative that the Ohio state legislature act swiftly to ensure that changes are in place well ahead of the next school year so that districts will have adequate time to prepare for any enacted revisions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
Superintendent of Schools
Alexander Liston Dykema
Legislative Liaison, Shaker Heights Board of Education