Press release of July 23, 2010

Test results will reflect new state scoring benchmarks

Raising the bar on achievement could result in lower English & math proficiency rates for BH-BL students

BURNT HILLS:  BH-BL school administrators expect they will have more pupils needing extra help when classes start this September.

The change is likely because on July 19 the Board of Regents approved the State Education Department’s plan to change the definition of what constitutes “proficiency” in English and math for pupils in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades.

“What has happened is that in the weeks since our elementary and middle school students took the state tests last April and May, the State Education Department has adopted new scoring procedures that reflect a higher standard of what will now constitute proficiency on these tests,” explains assistant superintendent Rick Evans. “State Ed is raising the ‘cut score’ for each exam, which basically means students must score higher than they did last year to be considered as achieving a passing score.”

The State Education Department (SED) is releasing the new scores for all grades 3 – 8 children in the state next week – which has educators across New York waiting and wondering how the new score benchmarks will impact their students and classrooms when school starts again in September.

“We know this state change will make some parents uneasy and worried about their child’s performance,” says Evans, “but the larger picture here is that having higher benchmarks to indicate proficiency means that teachers will be working even harder to give all students better skills. The state grades 3 - 8 testing program is not about judging students, but about ensuring kids are on track to be successful in higher level math and English classes.”

Four test levels explained

Under the state’s testing system, “cut scores” are used to group students into four levels of performance. Students scoring within Level 1 are not meeting learning standards; those in Level 2 are partially meeting learning standards; pupils in Level 3 are meeting learning standards; and those in Level 4 are meeting learning standards with distinction.

Pupils need to achieve a score that falls within Level 3 or 4 to be considered proficient or “passing” the test. Students scoring in Levels 1 and 2 typically receive extra help to strengthen their skills and improve their math and English abilities. By raising the cut score for Level 3, SED has raised the level at which students are considered proficient compared to prior years.

Why raise the cut scores?

“It’s important to understand that SED is not doing this arbitrarily, but as part of a comprehensive effort to raise student achievement and ensure New York schools are truly doing the best we can at each grade to prepare children for high school and college success,” says Evans.

The Regents meeting on July 19 featured a presentation of recent research showing that the old cut scores were too low and resulted in too many supposedly proficient pupils who were not successful in math and English once they reached high school and college. (View a copy of the July 19 presentation to the Board of Regents here - pdf format)

BH-BL administrators will begin crunching the new test scores as soon as they are received next week. Explanatory letters are expected to go home to parents in August with individual children’s scores.

  View Board of Regents July 19 announcement re new cut scores

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