ATLANTA --- As parents and pupils digested the results of a dizzying week of revelations about scores on state tests, education officials and observers turned toward a question aimed at avoiding future fiascoes: What went wrong?
The tests were supposed to be the culmination of one of State Superintendent Kathy Cox's most ambitious achievements. Shortly after coming to office in 2003, she embarked on an effort to overhaul state standards for student learning by reforming the unwieldy state curriculum.
Despite controversies over whether to include the word "evolution" in the new standards and whether the Civil War was given short shrift, the new curriculum won board approval.
Then came Monday, when Ms. Cox warned school administrators and the public that 70 percent to 80 percent of sixth- and seventh-graders were likely to fail the state's social studies test and that 40 percent of eight-graders were expected to fail the math test they needed to pass to advance to high school.
By midweek, Ms. Cox was vacating the social studies scores and promising to name a panel of educators to find out what happened. At the same time, she stood by the math results, a move that could send thousands of children into summer school, potentially disrupting local systems' budgets and families' summer plans.
Even for those who were expecting some slip in the numbers as pupils tried to grasp a more rigorous curriculum and perform on the resulting tests, the scores were surprising.
"I think we know there are going to be bumps along the way," said Tim Callahan, a spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the largest teachers group in the state. "But it seems like these bumps have been far more severe than they need to have been."
Flawed test?
Many suspected that one of the reasons for that, at least with regards to the social studies test, was some sort of glitch with the test itself.
Speculation that the test company might have made an error in scoring the exams was quickly dismissed by Ms. Cox. Instead, the theory that seemed to be gaining the most traction late last week was that the test didn't line up with what pupils were taught.
The best-publicized complaints from pupils and teachers revolved around "almost inane questions that were on the test that purport to measure knowledge of social studies that sounded more like Trivial Pursuit," as Herb Garrett, the executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, put it.
That was the idea Ms. Cox endorsed in an opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"As a social studies teacher, it appears to me that in some areas, our social studies curriculum is too broad, while the questions on the test were more specific," Ms. Cox said. "This is not fair to the teachers or students."
There was a certain irony in that statement. The main reason given for moving to the new curriculum, called the Georgia Performance Standards, was that the old state checklist was far too broad. The original draft of the new social studies standards tried to fix that by removing some material, only to cause complaints about what was being left out. The draft was changed as a result.
Interest has since pivoted to whether the state knew, or should have known, that pupils were going to fare poorly on the new test. Though noting that he wasn't familiar with the specifics of what happened with the social studies test, former Department of Education official Franklin Shumake said the state doesn't just put an exam in front of the pupils.
"We do a lot of trials, usually, on test items before we use them," he said.
For example, a pupil might get 50 questions on a test -- 40 that count, and 10 that are going through a trial run.
The Department of Education did use some trial questions, officials said, in 2007. And they conceded that pupils did poorly on them.
"That might have been a red flag for them to go back and slow down a little bit and make sure they had a good match between curriculum and test," Mr. Callahan said.
But the agency points out that the pupils who were stumped by the trial questions hadn't been taught under the new curriculum, which went into effect this past school year.
"The results from those field-test items are only reflective of the strength of those items themselves and provide no indication of how students would perform," department spokesman Dana Tofig said in an e-mail.
Enough training?
Other culprits, though, were also being blamed. Teachers and administrators were pointing at state officials, saying the Department of Education didn't do enough to train teachers how to teach pupils under the new curriculum.
Oglethorpe County Superintendent Jeffery Welch said the new curriculum amounted to a "quantum shift" for teachers and pupils.
"From my perspective, we have not put in the staff-development money or time to be able to make that shift effectively," he said.
In addition to a lack of training, Mr. Callahan said, the department didn't keep teachers in the loop when it came to the new curriculum.
Math scores
Going forward, the test that is likely to have the most impact on pupils and schools is the eighth-grade math exam. Ms. Cox has made it very clear that she intends to stand by those results.
"We have full confidence in the math curriculum," Mr. Tofig said. "We have full confidence in the math assessment. ... There is no discussion about changing anything related to math."
Pupils are required to pass the test to advance to high school, meaning many will head to summer school and retake the exam in an effort to move on. The total numbers aren't known; state officials likely won't get their first look at hard figures until late May, and the numbers won't be released until at least early June. School district numbers will follow 10 business days later, and school-level figures will be released 10 business days after that.
In any case, schools are bracing for an influx of summer school pupils that they weren't expecting when budgets were written almost a year ago. And without district-level data, it's still hard to know which areas need to be the focal point at summer school.
Ms. Cox has promised to try to help districts cope with the extra budget hit and has asked the federal government to give the state some flexibility on the requirements of No Child Left Behind, which takes the math scores into account when determining which schools are meeting standards.
Reach Brandon Larrabee at (678) 977-3709 or brandon.larrabee@morris.com.
Comments
In as big a change as was attempted at one time, as this was, there are bound to be some miscalculations and some lack of coordination. Without the finger pointing and political spin, it should be easy enough to spot all adjustments that need to be made to reach the goal Ms Cox set. This wasn't a SNAFU. This was a first step. The next will be much better. Georgia is just suffering a little "shock and awe". It's not the end of the world.
If the students fail the new exams, they are not allowed to proceed to the next grade. Using that same rationale, Georgia voters need to send Ms. Cox packing in the next election. She has not met minimum acceptable standards and annual yearly progress. It's time for her to get out of the education business!
If it is so important to measure students' progress with a standardized test before passing them to the next grade, why are we doing it only in the 3rd, 5th and 8th grade. Why is it acceptable to move them along in the other grades if they are failing these all-important exams? We don't care if they are not getting the information in those grades? If the state believes these exams are so important, all students should be required to pass them EVERY year. If not, then the state needs to put them where they belong - the trash can.
What went wrong is obivious, they are not teaching jack crap anymore. The "dumbing down" is showing!!
It may be what they eat. Have you checked what foods this kids live on? Get their sugar down, their omega 3 up and B vitamins up and have a NAET expert check their vitamin and minieral absorption. You may have a genius on your hands and not know it.
When children enter Pre-K they start a building process geared towards the GPS then somewhere along the line the rules changes. The Department of Education set our children up for failure! This is not a new problem! It has been a problem since we implemented the states mandated test to measure a child’s ability. When they started the Graduation Test may children failed because they are not given enough time to prepare for the change. It was said then what was taught didn’t line up with the test and this is still a problem statewide. This is nothing new to parents, teachers and those who have a real clue on what is really happening in our schools. Learning is something that starts in Pre-K and again you build on the information you receive each year, then some nut cases come along and decides no let change gears and this is the results. I have no problem with higher standards, but I do have a problem when a child has been building on one set of standards: then told to forget everything you have learned over the last seven years. Teachers are then beaten down to teach seven years of information in one year. Why? To make a political statement “Look what I done for our children”! Nothing other than pimp our children for political gain while you leave a mess for educators and parents to deal with. The State Department of Education deserves an A+ “How to Ensure GA Students and Teacher Fail! Parents and educators think you have problem now wait until the incoming 9th graders start school if half of them complete High School it will be by the grace of God!
Understand this is a major mistake that will cost parents and school systems millions of dollars with summer schools. It is an unprecedented gaffe that will be remembered for a long time. The test was poorly designed. Ms. Cox is in charge and should accept the consequences.
One other thing, change the rules with little or no funding to implement the change! The State Dept sends down a team of Specialist to assist our schools with implementation who are brain dead and not sure what they are doing! Look and this and see if you can give me the answer? The State sends teams down t assist RC schools who are in the Needs Improvement category. The funny thing they are worse off now with the state so call assistance! Maybe the GA State Dept of Education is the problem with our schools in GA! Lack of funding, Low pay for a job that demand EXCELLANTS, lack of professional development, lack of technology I could go on and on! The best yet our governor cut what he sends downs for education and tell the folks who voted for him the local government need to raise your property taxes! Sounds strange to me! The State mandates we give our certified staff pay raises but only sends half of the money needed to give the raises. In the words of Teddy Pendergrass “Wake up everybody”! We have been a sleep while we lose our children.
Nextstep is correct when s/he says, "'Wake up everybody.' We have been asleep while we lose our children." Are we going to wake up?
This is a disgrace and when the numbers come out to show where each state is in line with education, Georgia will be at the bottom. There is too much change too fast. Responsibility lies from the top down.
Public school was not the norm for centuries and bright folks still did great things. Since public schooling has been tried and is failing why not go back to systems that worked. Church, private, home schooling etc. We spend research money trying to figure out why something is failing instead of finding out why things like home schooling is working. We do the same thing in health; we study sick people instead of healthy folks.
The Georgia Association of Educators as a body is not fond of Kathy Cox. I suspect there was an organized effort by GAE to have its members teach material other than what was in the curriculum in order to have results that would embarass Cox. GAE succeeded!
Why isn't anyone noting the fact 20% passed the social studies test and 60% passed the math test? Why isn't anyone noting the successful students and if those students could pass, why is there such a backlash against the test. It's the students and parents (again) who have failed, not the system. Make every single kid suffer the consequences of their failure. Oh I forgot, kids NEVER fail anymore, their teachers or public school failed, never the kids, never the parents. Y'all make me sick.
Shoot the messenger when you don't like the news! Look at the students who failed and you will see an overwhelming majority of parent(s) that should never been allowed to have children in the first place. (selfish lazy individuals that have no concept of loving & nurturing children & preparing them DAILY for learning) Couple that with a teacher's union that makes it impossible to weed out the incompetent. Throw in a federal government bent on ruling in a Godless manner and failure is the result. Those of us who have been around over 50 years saw this coming 40 years ago!! Why is everyone wringing their hands and acting so surprised. Children have been abused through this welfare state marxist led educational system for 2 generations now. People that speak truths like this never get elected because they step on nearly everyone's toes no matter your skin persuasion or political leanings. There is enough blame to go around. It's not hopeless. The good news is children want to learn & are capable if we are willing to love & discipline them in a Christ like manner Hold teachers and parents accountable and realize when you don't it is the children and ultimately society that will suffer.
The sad part is that a score of 800 was required to pass the math part of the test. Most students only failed by a few points.
A few points is as good as a mile, MartinezMom.
"How are we supposed to pass a test if we don't know what is going to be asked?" STUDY! Generations of our kids have been tested in school without advance knowledge of the test content. To actually let this EXCUSE be presented by the "superintendent of schools"? Recall this idiot woman. Let's get someone leading the GA school system who believes in personal accountability.
If there is a controversy as to whether to mention Evolution or Civil War in the curriculum we are in deep doodoo.
How many adults could pass the math portion of the test? Fractions, decimals, negative numbers, basic algebra. I would love for a local news agency to test a broad range group of adults on the same test and see how they do. I think it would be hysterical! It is another great example of "do as I say, not as I do."
If you want to see where the "dumbing down" started, you need to go no further back than the beginning of school integration. That great experiment didn't uplift anyone, however it did drag down a whole nation!
They ought to make every parent and and every teacher of each failed child... all, take the same test. If no group has a passing percentage then you might consider re-training everyone...Ditto tall2 on the "STUDY!" etc. If the SoS is this inept, she needs to hire her replacement, someone who is smarter than herself. Make each candidate take the same tests, only the passers get considered. I wonder how many candidates for the position will survive to be interviewed.
There is no "magic bullet" when it comes to education since the object of education is not a machine but a human being who either decided to be disciplined and diligent in their studies or not. The environment, public, private/church, or home matters not either when these kids are repeatedly told that their education is a given, something to be expected and even demanded rather than something to be pursued and diligently sought after. In the pursuit of answers to the cause of so many failings should also include a careful examination into the parents of these children and the "extra" philosophies they are teaching as well. I imagine we'll quickly find that the humanistic and naturalistic philosophies that so many have bought into are actually rather large contributing factors.
It's just like a business...and Cox has failed. Who is in charge of Social Studies and Math in Richmond and Columbia Counties? They must be held partly accountable at the very least...they all get "F's", yet they still keep their jobs and still get paid.
If almost a third of the kids in the most prosperous and enlightened county in Georgia is failing the Math portion of the test. I'm talking about the sons and daughters of doctors, lawyers, engineers and entrepreneurs, it must mean that the test is flawed and should be thrown out just like the social studies portion. The next thing to do is to follow the money trail and verify that the company that developed the test is not a politically connected firm that was not qualified. A lot of that has been going on. I am sure that this fiasco will be corrected, but good students shouldn’t have to go to summer school because of programmatic failures of the education system and the flawed “Leave No Child Behind” performance based menudo. Educators have been sounding the alarm for years and now that it has hit home in “our” back yard and poor little Suzy may have to delay her European vacation, it’s front page news. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to determine in short order whether the test is actually flawed and unqualified for use in determining who get’s to go to the next grade. Throw out the test and promote those that passed their regular curriculum. End of problem.
Fred, I humbly submit that you are wrong. The children who failed the math test need to follow the procedures already in place to get re-tested, and/or go before a lenient tribunal and get socially promoted.
Why has the 5th grade failures not been addressed? My grand daughter failed math in the damned test and now not only will miss her vacation but have to attend summer school at parents expense. Damn beurocrats!
To make a broad statement it’s the parents I think is wrong. We have many parents who are doing a good job ensuring their children receive an education. It’s not watering down education it’s the people who claim to have all the answers who are the problem. Parents play a vital role in their child’s education but now days most parents can’t help their children because the way we were taught in school no longer exists. The theory and delivery is now different. The state knew going into the new standards they had problems, instead we moved ahead at the expense of our children and teachers. It has nothing to do with a teacher ability to teach or a child ability to learn good or bad parents. It’s the TEST! It has nothing to do with integration nor does it have anything to do with rich or poor! It’s about making sure we are giving our children what they need to succeed and training our teachers on the right information so they can teach! I bet if everyone adult was given a test based on what they do on their job after training and used different guidelines you would fail as well.
The consults and designers of these tests are paid a healthy sum! I’m sure we as taxpayers have paid the bill in full. We paid for a faulty test now we get to pay them to fix the problem they created. What a way to make money and get rich! Keep in mind our children have become a money making business! There is a lot of money to be made off our children just look around and see how we use our children for the all mighty dollar!
I was told by my child's Asst. principal that even if they fail the new exam, parents can appeal the decision not to promote them. I have signed my child up for the three weeks of Study Course the offer free of charge, but I wonder now if there were problems with the first test, will they be teaching the proper material this time? I believe ultimately I am responsible for ensuring my children do their homework and give it the best they have, and I teach them that as long as they truly are trying as hard as they can that we can deal with what comes, but I am concerned that kids are not learning what they need to SURVIVE IN THE REAL WORLD!! I grew up in the Public School system and turned out fine, but I am starting to wonder if perhaps Home schooling isn't the better route.
Instead of giving the field tests for the CRCT to students, they need to make the State Dept of Education take the field tests. If they fail, which 90% of them will, then make them go to summer school for remediation at their expense and retake the tests. When they fail again, they should be fired starting with Kathy Cox! Millions of dollars of our tax money wasted! Time wasted in giving these unfair tests in the classroom! The only winners are the test making companies. Big bucks of our money for them!
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