~States set town test standards and several sources found Mo. to be among most rigorous
SIKESTON -- As Missouri students prepare to take the state's standardized test later this month and into next, some of their educators hope this will be the year that will move them off the state school improvement list.
However, the odds are stacked against them.
Scott, New Madrid and Mississippi counties have school districts -- and individual buildings -- that have failed to meet the state's annual progress goals in math and reading on Missouri Assessment Program test for two or more years in a row.
The federal No Child Left Behind law requires all children to be proficient in math and reading by 2014.
"It is an obstacle in meeting No Child Left Behind for our districts," said Stan Johnson, assistant commissioner for the Division of School Improvement at Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "Having said that, we do have high expectations of our kids."
Missouri children take the most difficult state reading and math tests in the nation, according to research conducted by Time Magazine. The magazine's findings, which were published in May 2007, were determined by comparing each state's test to standardized tests given nationally.
Each state selects the tests and set the standards for reading and math proficiency.
"Some states, I'm told, did lower their expectations for kids, and Missouri didn't. Yes, it does create that barrier, however, we believe the standards should be high enough," Johnson said.
States also set increasing progress goals each year, and if districts don't meet these goals, they face various sanctions.
Missouri is well aligned with National Assessment of Educational Progress in comparison to other states, Johnson said. NAEP is the national standardized test used to determine the rigor of our state exams.
"Nobody that I've ever heard has questioned the expectations of the NAEP's definition of proficient as not being rigorous. It is a high standard, and that means we in Missouri have high standards, too," Johnson said.
Before NCLB legislation, Missouri had already set its own standards for proficiency very high, Johnson said. These standards were set by teachers throughout the state, he said.
Time Magazine isn't the only source that found Missouri's test to be among the most rigorous in the state.
Missouri also ranks among the top five states in math and the top half of the nation in reading as the most rigorous test, according to the Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales research and development report released in June 2007.
In 2006-2007, 17 percent of Missouri's fourth graders scored proficient on the state reading test and 32 percent met NAEP's standards, according to the national standardized test. In math 10 percent of fourth graders scored at the proficient level on the state test while 38 percent were at the national proficient level.
But in some states, the findings are just the opposite.
For example, in Tennessee more students scored proficient on the state test than the national standardized test. Eighty-eight percent of fourth graders scored proficient on the state reading test while only 27 percent met NAEP standards. The figures were similar in math.
Other states like Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama followed the same trend. Because the federal government has left it up to each state to write their own tests and decide what test scores constitute proficiency, the difficulty level varies across the country, said Dr. Marisa Bowen, Sikeston R-6 assistant superintendent of curriculum and middle grades.
"This sends a misleading message to parents and taxpayers," Bowen said. "Because Missouri has set their standards high, it is not surprising that so many schools are in need of improvement. When, in reality, students are doing relatively well compared to students in other states who have used lower standards which gives the appearance that their students are doing well."
Charleston R-1 Superintendent Kevin Miller agreed.
"I can't fault the state of Missouri for wanting to challenge the kids, and I can't fault the premise behind No Child Left Behind -- that every child learns to their fullest potential -- but the devil is in the details," Miller said.
Because Hearnes Elementary in Charleston has failed to meet the state's annual target goals for the past four years, it's been placed in school improvement, level three, which means the school must make corrective actions. These include implementing a new curriculum, working with outside expert consultants, making staff changes or extending instructional time.
"We have a real hard-working staff, good students," Miller said. "Unfortunately, we're a high poverty school and so many of our kids who come to our school are compared in different degrees and at different levels.
He continued: "It makes it a real challenge for us to get everyone at the same level at the same time. Everyone learns the same material but not every one learns the same way and at the same time."
NCLB legislation is up for reauthorization this year. State and local education officials hope some changes are made to the way progress is measured.
"From listening to administrators and teachers statewide, we want to keep our high standards. If No Child Left Behind is reauthorized, I think school progress should be based on some type of growth model," Johnson said.
Miller said he thinks if NCLB is reauthorized, there should be a national assessment that would level the playing field for every student nationwide.
Bowen said: "I'm not saying that the federal government should not respect local control, but it seems that some kind of action should be taken to encourage states to continue to raise the bar as we have done in Missouri."
Missouri schools will administer the state's standardized test between March 31 and April 25.