By Robert Rothmans (Edweek).
The results of the third year of testing aligned to the Common Core State Standards are out, and many educators are scratching their heads. Unlike in the past two years, when scores rose, this year’s results are about the same as last year. In California, 49 percent of students met standards in English language arts the same proportion as in 2016. And in the 12 other states that use the same assessment as California, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, the same thing happened: all saw ELA scores stagnant. In Vermont, scores dropped a bit.
Did the test get harder this year? Doubtful; test-makers take great pains to make sure tests are comparable from year to year so that educators and policymakers can follow trends.
So what’s the answer? Without seeing the test, it’s difficult to say for certain, but this is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it’s fairly typical: when states institute a new test, scores go up for the first few years, and then level off. In a 2011 report for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Mark Schneider called the pattern The Accountability Plateau. Read the full article
