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Schools

Deciphering Standardized Test Scores: A Primer

A look at one way to see how Greenwich schools are faring year-over-year and compared to other districts.

"How is Johnny doing in school?"

A common question one might be asked and the obvious resource to measure success would be the student's report card.  If one were to apply this same question to an individual school or District, one would naturally look at the test scores to determine "how a school is doing." There are few issues which causes as heated a debate within theSystem as the relevance and importance of the District’s annual standardized test results.

Over the last few years the discussions about the results and Greenwich’s relative rankings versus comparable districts results have received wide-spread newspaper coverage and opinion pieces decrying Greenwich’s performance versus other Districts.  At the eye of the educational storm is an alphabet soup of acronyms:  DRP, CMT, CAPT, SAT, OLSAT, AP.  What exactly are these tests in terms of measuring our children's performance?

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So, let’s start with dissecting the tests themselves: 

The Degrees of Reading Power Test (DRP) is administered to students in grades two through eight in both the fall and the spring. DRP measures how well a student understands the “surface” meaning of text. Scores are reported on continuous scale which can be used to select reading material at a level of difficulty appropriate to the learner. At each grade, student DRP scores are compared to performance standards set by the Greenwich Public Schools.

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The advanced standard is set at a level that would put a student on track to read college level texts by the end of high school. Goal describes student performance at the grade level standard set by the Connecticut State Department of Education. Students scoring at the proficient standard can read grade level textbooks without significant support or remediation. Students scoring below the proficient level require intervention to accelerate their academic progress.

The Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) is a state-mandated program that assesses and reports the achievement of students in grade three through grade eight in three areas: Mathematics, Reading and Writing. In March 2008, a Science assessment was added for students in grades five and eight.

The CMT assesses core academic competencies and serves as a key indicator of a student’s readiness to successfully access the high school curriculum. Student scores are characterized by performance level: 5-Advanced, 4-Goal, 3-Proficient, 2-Basic and 1-Below Basic. Students scoring at the advanced level are performing at the top of all students across the state. Students scoring in the goal category possess the knowledge, ability, and skill necessary to successfully perform the tasks and assignments appropriately expected of a student with minimal teacher assistance.

Students who score in the proficient category are able to successfully participate in their regular grade appropriate course work. The proficient standard is used to calculate adequate yearly progress (AYP) under No Child Left Behind (NCLB.) Students scoring below the proficient level require intervention to accelerate their academic progress. Beginning with the 2006 administration, CMT Reading and Mathematics scores were placed on a "vertical scale" that allows for the measurement of growth in academic achievement from year to year (i.e., the Vertical Scale Score.)

The Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) is a state-mandated program that assesses and reports the achievement of tenth grade students in four areas: Mathematics, Science and Reading across the Disciplines, and Writing Across the Disciplines.

Student scores are characterized by performance level: 5-Advanced, 4-Goal, 3-Proficient, 2-Basic and 1-Below Basic. Students scoring at the advanced level are performing at the top of all students across the state. Students scoring in the goal category possess the knowledge, ability, and skill necessary to successfully perform the tasks and assignments appropriately expected of a student with minimal teacher assistance.

Students who score in the proficient category are able to successfully participate in their regular grade appropriate course work. The proficient standard is used to calculate adequate yearly progress under NCLB. Scoring at the proficient level or higher on the mathematics, reading and writing subtests is required for graduation from Greenwich High School. Students scoring below the proficient level require intervention to accelerate their academic progress.

The SAT Reasoning Test (SAT) is a measure of developed verbal and mathematical skills important for success in college. Scores on three sections, Mathematics, Critical Reading and Writing, are individually reported on a scale from 200 to 800 for total scores ranging from 600-2400.  The SAT is a college entrance examination which attempts to assess a student’s readiness for college and participation in the exam is voluntary. Over the last five years, 82% to 93% of graduating seniors have taken the SAT.  The College Board, owner of the test, states that the combination of the test scores and a student’s high school GPA is a better predictor of success in college that the GPA alone.

The Otis Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) and Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) was introduced in the Greenwich Public Schools in 1970. For the next twenty years, OLSAT/SAT served as a primary District accountability measure of student achievement in the areas of language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

Traditionally administered in the fall of grades three, five and seven, OLSAT/SAT came to be used for other purposes, such as student placement in academic programs. Today the test is only given to grades three and seven.  OLSAT/SAT is a multiple choice tests that assesses the achievement of both individual and groups of students relative to a national norm group.  Scores are expressed in percentiles (or stanines) so, as an example, a student at the 50th percentile on Reading Comprehension is achieving at a level 50% higher than students in the norm group and lower than 50% of the group.  Typically, Greenwich students score in the 65th to 70th percentile group relative to the national norm.

Advanced Placement (AP) is a College Board-sponsored program administered and operated by Educational Testing Service. The AP Program gives high school students an opportunity to take college-level courses and exams, and earn credit, advanced placement, or both for college. Examinations are administered in May and scored by the Educational Testing Service. AP Examination grades are reported on a 5-point scale as follows: 5-Extremely well qualified, 4- Well qualified, 3-Qualified, 2-Possibly qualified, 1-No recommendation. Greenwich High School offers 16 Advanced Placement courses. 42% of the graduating class of 2010 sat for at least one AP exam during their high school career.

There will be a pop quiz on these test next week!

So, what do all of the results from these tests really mean to our fictional student "Johnny" as well the very real status of our District?  In an opinion piece written by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sidney Freund in December 2010, he stated that “the standardized test scores upon which so many base the success or failure of a given school are superficial at best."   Freund went on to explain that "good standardized tests, such as the Connecticut Mastery Test and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test, measure the achievement of state standards and basic skills, which every student should know and be able to demonstrate."  He was clear that the objective of the Greenwich Public Schools is to "ensure that students achieve mastery of the basic skills and state standards and, further, attain the capacities outlined in the Vision of the Graduate.” 

Freund cites that the scores on tests such as CMT reading, writing and mathematics, 92% of Greenwich students score at proficient and 43% at advanced, both within comparable 2% points of comparable districts (District Reference Group B.)  Statistically the difference is not large but in a town such as Greenwich which combines a high level of attention and support to education with a highly competitive group personality, those 2% points are the difference between success and failure, from trending to the top of the group and being below average. 

So, does that mean that Greenwich is falling behind other districts?  It depends on how you measure success.   If you look at the growth in scores from the first test to the last (what is known in the testing world as the Vertical Scale Score), Greenwich pretty matches, if not exceed, other districts at the Elementary School level, however then starts to lag at Middle School.  If you look at the final examinations done at the high school level, the average combined reading and mathematics score of Greenwich students taking the SAT, per Dr. Freund, exceed that of DRG B students by 31 points (1134 to 1103.)  Participation in Advanced Placement courses is higher in Greenwich than in DRG B and the percentage of students qualifying for college credit on AP exams is also higher, 84% as compared to 81%, with Greenwich students averaging a 3.9 on a 5.0 point scale.  These results beg the question: should the focus be on the test results along the way, or on the scores of our graduates as they are ending the educational journey in Greenwich?

Many look back nostalgically and say Greenwich has slipped in the standings since the days when they were in school.  The reality is that the student demographics have changed dramatically over the years and that shift has had a major impact on scores.  Back in the eighties, the District’s Free/Reduced Lunch population was approximately 2-3% compared to today at an all time high of approximately 13%!  The reality is that not only in Greenwich, but statewide, there is an “achievement gap” between the scores of the general population versus that of the Free/Reduced Lunch population. 

For 2009, the State of CT achievement gap, or the difference in average scores between students classified as Free/Reduced Lunch and those who are not varied by approximately 20-34 points.  While Greenwich has a similar gap, the gaps are normally narrower by 5-13 percent.  As with all test results however, the gaps can change dramatically year over year, grade by grade and by subject matter.

While there is a correlation between a family’s economic demographics and their children’s test scores, Greenwich appears to be making some progress in closing the gap, noting however that the gap is still significant and persistent over the years.  Greenwich also must have a growing population of English Language Learners which currently stands at 12%.  A National Education Association report points out “these students are expected to master content on a standardized test in a language that they cannot fluently speak or read. The pressure is put on teachers to help these students reach unrealistic goals that adversely affect their future success.”  Having to teach to students with a wide range of linguistic capabilities impacts everyone in the classroom, even in a district such as Greenwich which has one of the most effective ELL program in the state.

Has the District slipped from the “good old days?"  When one thinks about the "Flynn Effect" which tackles the issue of how the general IQ scores of a population change over time.  Since people's capacities are greater today than they were in yesteryear, it is hard to compare past results vs. those of today.  With all this data, it is not surprising that the results inevitably are interpreted differently by different users and that their importance is viewed in so many different ways.

In “Measuring Up; What Educational Testing Really Tells Us”, a book examining testing in the United States by Harvard Professor Daniel Koretz, he explains that “there are two misunderstandings of achievement testing: that scores on a single test tell us all we need to know about student achievement, and that this information tells us all we need to know about school quality.  And a third misunderstanding is that testing is simple and straightforward.”  Koretz’s book explains how while examinations are highly complex and, if well prepared, are useful they also must be analyzed and understood carefully given the numerous factors which can impact results; everything from whether a student simply had a bad day through cultural bias, the alignment of curriculum and tests and the relevance of comparisons versus other groups.

In two statements, he shows the tension that underlies the argument regarding tests.  Koretz states that “careful testing can in fact give us tremendously valuable information about student achievement that we would otherwise lack-- otherwise why would we do it? -- and it does rest on several generations of accumulated scientific research and development” but later in the book he says “a test, even a good one, is always just a test: a valuable source of information, but still only a limited and particular view of student performance.”  He highlights that the ubiquitous nature of testing in American society has made them commonplace and therefore people often view the results as “simple” despite the complexity of test design, administration and analysis.  “Test scores usually do not provide a direct and complete measure of educational achievement. They measure a subset of the goals of education and are generally very small samples of behavior that we use to make estimates of students' mastery of very large domains of knowledge and skill.”  Interesting comments from someone who has spent his professional life testing and teaching about tests.

In his piece, Freund recognizes the societal value of testing and the challenges we face in Greenwich: “this is not to say that we can’t and shouldn’t improve our standardized test results. We must continuously strive to ensure that each of our students achieve mastery of the basic knowledge and skills assessed on the CMT and the CAPT."  He points out that the District has a strategic plan for improvement that is research based and that he believes it is working. “We will continue to invest in the solid implementation of these improvement strategies rather than fall prey to a knee-jerk reaction to superficial analyses and external comparisons” states Freund.

The GPS prides itself on the wide-variety of educational experiences that its students can participate in as well as the numerous success achieved in a wide-range of state and national competitions in areas as diverse as math, science, civics, acting, music, art and sports.  In reality, there are few areas where the District’s students do not excel.  So, the “Points of Pride”, as cited by Freund, are manifold and indicative of the excellence of the educational system.

Without question, the issue of success is as complex as it is emotional. Parents want to make sure their children receive the best education possible and look to tests as proof of such.  As long as other Districts scores appear higher, there will be cries for measures to be taken to improve the scores.  Dr. Freund is confident that the right steps are being taken and that improvements will be seen.  In the meantime, the District remains realistic about the challenges ahead and determined to reach "success" no matter which definition one uses to define the abstract.

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