Changes in Math Assessments Coming

Every now and again it's fun sharing information which, while germane to our school, emerges from the broader landscape of schooling in Oregon, nationally, and even world-wide. In this case we are preparing to experience some changes in the way math is assessed in Oregon, and then the way curriculum decisions are made nationally, first with mathematics and then with other subjects in subsequent years. The first changes will affect us this year; the second, more sweeping change, will take effect in the 2011-2012 school year.

1. Changes for 2010-2011

Three years ago Oregon adopted new content standards in math, elevating expectations for students. This is to say that what we were teaching changed, to include more content at earlier grade levels. This year, for the first time, those new content standards will be reflected in the State assessment (OAKS) itself. The result of this is that the tests will be significantly more difficult to pass, and to “exceed.”

Below is a table illustrating the “cut score” shifts:

2. Changes for 2011-2012 & beyond

For the next school year, Oregon’s State Board of Ed. has recently adopted “Common Core” content standards. 44 states have adopted the Common Core in a move toward Federalized standards. A common problem in analyzing student achievement data is that, until now, meaningful comparisons across state lines have been very difficult to achieve. In other words, once students are taught the same curriculum (and, eventually, assessed using the same tool) apples-to-apples comparisons will be far more relevant.

These new content standards (adopted for the next year -- 2011-2012) will reflect yet another “bump up” in terms of level of expectation. They will also simplify and streamline the content standards, in a positive way. Our initial analysis of the change, and the support materials provided, has been very positive. In a few years, the mathematics assessment children will take will be a national test, similar in nature, but assessing progress toward the Common Core standards.

What does this mean for us?

These changes, for us, hold meaning in that they an impetus for our continued development of program, curriculum choices, and academic expectations. I am personally approaching the changes from a standpoint of wanting to leverage this opportunity to once again examine our practices and promote individualized learning opportunities for students at all levels. In other words, this is a grand challenge, presented in stages.

Nothing is more exciting to me than meeting challenges for the sake of our children. While they may present ostensibly as challenges related to passing standardized tests, that is only partially the case -- only in that our assessments will be better and better measures of what we teach. In reality, the challenges are around elevating our expectations and our aspirations, for ourselves, our teachers, and -- most important -- our students.

In the short term, across Oregon, you will notice math scores (or the percentages of students meeting or exceeding the State test) drop significantly. My personal goal is that, looking at our scores at the end of this year, that will not be the case.