Hoosier Students and Teachers Deserve Consistency
How many hours have been spent recently debating which standardized assessment system would be best for Hoosier students, teachers, and families? The high school system, in particular, has experienced several changes in the last few years, and it’s difficult to see how a disregard for consistency — regardless of the rationale — benefits students.
Not so long ago, the Graduation Qualifying Exam was phased out in favor of the English 10 End-of-Course Assessment and Algebra I End-of-Course Assessment. Students also had to take the Biology End-of-Course Assessment, but passing this exam was not a requirement for graduation. Schools diligently adjusted to these new expectations by aligning their curriculum and formative assessments.
Once the Common Core State Standards were adopted in Indiana, it was clear that the End-of-Course Assessments would not sufficiently measure whether students were college and career ready. So Indiana joined the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) as a governing state, meaning that Indiana policymakers had an important role in the discussion regarding the design and deployment of the next generation of standardized assessments.
But for mostly political reasons, Indiana backed out of the Common Core and relinquished its role in PARCC and swiftly adopted new Indiana Academic Standards. Logically, the implementation of new standards required a new assessment, so high school educators and students were told that they would have Grade 10 ISTEP+ exams for science, mathematics, and English language arts.
As a result, last year’s sophomores took not only the End-of-Course Assessments, which counted for their graduation, but also the ISTEP+ exams, which counted for school accountability. Another article could be written about the rationale behind administering two tests in the same year.
Again politics intervened and the state decided to scrap the ISTEP+ system. A 23-member panel of stakeholders, some appointed by Governor Pence and others appointed by Superintendent Ritz, is currently debating which assessments should be given in 2017–2018 and beyond.
During my conversations with educators, it’s clear that consistency is preferred more than ideological perfection. In other words, teachers are less concerned about whether the exams are adaptive or fixed. What educators truly crave on behalf of their students, and admittedly for their own professional success, is consistency.
A great teacher establishes clear, rigorous expectations for all students and draws on a vast set of pedagogical tools to help individuals realize their potential. How would we describe a teacher who routinely changes the definitions for what it means to be proficient or ready for the next grade level? Surely this would lead to profound confusion and frustration for students and families.
As the 2017–2018 school year rapidly approaches, let us hope that our state commits to an assessment system with a design worthy of Hoosier students and a special focus on longevity and consistency, which would honor the work of our tireless educators.
