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Posts tagged as “assessment”

As more colleges refuse to accept test scores, a billion-dollar industry is thrown in flux

September 30, 2020

Cincinnati Business Journal |

A new study indicates dozens of campuses won’t even consider standardized test scores if they are submitted. That’s putting a billion-dollar industry on notice.

The findings come from the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, which identified 60 college campuses that as of this month have either temporarily or permanently gone “test blind” in evaluating student applicants. The organization, which operates as FairTest, said another 1,600 accredited, four-year schools have gone test-optional for the fall 2021 semester.

Colleges including the University of California system refuse to accept SAT and ACT scores
Cincinnati Business Courier

Ohio school report cards available with limited data

September 16, 2020

School report cards out have limited data

Dayton Daily News |

The report cards from the Ohio Department of Education will contain only a handful of the normal data points because spring 2020 state tests in English, math, science and social studies were canceled after mid-March coronavirus-related school closures.

“While schools have less information available than in years past, we still emphasize the importance of gauging where students are in terms of academic achievement and using available district data to (improve) instruction,” said Paolo DeMaria, Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction.

The main data categories that will be available are graduation rates and high school “prepared for success” measures, since that information is reported on a one-year lag, according to ODE.

School report cards out today will have limited data
Read more at the Dayton Daily News

Ohio releases state report cards (sort of)

Cincinnati Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch |

While much of the local data that was available was fairly comparable to 2019, there were some areas of improvement. For example, Cincinnati Public Schools improved its four-year graduation rate by 1.5 points, from 77.9% last year to 79.4% for the Class of 2019. CPS improved its five-year graduation rate by more than 5 points, from 77.9% to 83.5%. Graduation data lags a year behind on report cards.

Meanwhile, four-year graduation rates fell in North College Hill, Hamilton, Lockland, Norwood and Winton Woods.

The newly released data also lists the number of third-graders advancing to fourth grade with the literacy skills required under the state’s third-grade reading guarantee program.

Of 49 districts in Southwest Ohio, 36 advanced 100% of third-graders in 2020, compared to 22 districts in 2019. No district advanced less than 98.5%. But those figures are likely skewed because the state relaxed the program’s requirements due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ohio releases state report cards on its schools (sort of)
More at Cincinnati.com

View Ohio School Report Card Data

Concerns arise if Ohio enacts long-term freeze of school accountability

September 13, 2020

Galion Inquirer |

Without an accountability alternative, Greg Lawson, a research fellow at the Buckeye Institute, believes parents will lack critical information to make decisions about their children’s education.

“I want to be clear that we understand that holding a bunch of sanctions over the heads of schools during this situation is problematic to begin with, but that being said, assessments are a good measuring stick,” Lawson said. “They are imperfect. They are flawed, but parents have a right to understand what’s going on.

Concerns arise if Ohio enacts long-term freeze of school accountability
More at the Galion Inquirer

State lawmakers, educators fight to pause standardized tests during pandemic

September 11, 2020

WLWT |

“We need to stop the high stakes testing, so that we don’t keep losing kids, I mean they’re going to tune us out. That doesn’t help us, that doesn’t help them or our communities or our economies,” said Lakota Schools Superintendent Matt Miller.

State lawmakers, educators fight to pause standardized tests during pandemic
Ohio SB 358 could put a pause on standardized testing for all schools.

Ohio Senate Bill 358, introduced two days before DeVos’s letter, could press pause on the high stakes testing by spring. 

Part of the bill seeks a waiver for federal testing requirements, no later than Dec. 15. If there is no waiver, the state education department will determine which assessments are necessary to meet federal requirements as well as adjust the dates.

CPS: Remote Spring Semester Had Minimal Impact On CPS’ AP Test-Takers

September 8, 2020

WVXU |

Kraig Hoover, the AP district program leader for Cincinnati Public Schools, says 65% of the students passed their tests in the spring 2020 semester, compared to 66% of students passing the year prior.

Remote Spring Semester Had Minimal Impact On CPS’ AP Test-Takers
Despite the pandemic affecting school systems nationwide last semester, Cincinnati Public Schools is saying nearly the same number of students took AP

Legislators push to lift testing requirements as school resumes amid pandemic

September 8, 2020

Akron Beacon Journal |

A bipartisan bill, which received its first hearing in the Senate last week, seeks to lift state testing requirements — including elementary-school assessments and high school end-of-course exams — directing the Department of Education to seek a waiver from federal testing mandates.

Legislators push to lift testing requirements as school resumes amid pandemic
Read more at the Beacon-Journal

Will COVID-19 trigger shift from standardized assessments?

September 1, 2020

Education Dive |

“A bunch of state assessment leaders talking about ‘What are we going to do next year?’ Everybody just assumed that we would be able to test again next year, and it’s looking less and less likely,” said Scott Marion, executive director of the Center for Assessment, an organization focused on improving assessment and accountability practices. 

“But people are still saying that we’d like to have some kind of data. We try to think, ‘Well, if we can’t do a regular state test, then what kind of test can we do?'”

Fast Forward: Will COVID-19 trigger shift from standardized assessments?
The role of standardized and high-stakes exams in K-12 is being debated nationwide amid renewed focus on equity and access in light of the pandemic.

Ohio University permanently waives ACT, SAT requirements

June 19, 2020

The Columbus Dispatch |

The university had temporarily made ACT and SAT scores optional through next spring as part of its response to COVID-19 and as national tests dates were canceled across the country.

Thursday’s announcement makes the test-optional policy permanent.

Ohio University permanently waives ACT, SAT requirements
Read more at The Columbus Dispatch