Monday, November 9, 2015

8th Grade Math PSSA Score vs. Algebra 1 Keystone Exam Score

With the data provided by the PDE website, this shows the comparison of 8th grade students statewide who took the Spring 2015 Algebra 1 Keystone Exam versus the Math PSSA.

Algebra 1 Keystone Exam  (8th grade)
Number Tested: 38,659

Below Basic        Basic           Proficient      Advanced
3.1%                   22.7%          39.0%           35.2%    

Math PSSA (8th grade)
Number Tested:  128,859

Below Basic        Basic           Proficient      Advanced
37.7%                  32.6%         21.8%           8.0% 


Fast Facts

30% of 8th graders who took the PSSA also took the Algebra 1 Keystone Exam

8% scored Advanced on the PSSA while 35.2% scored Advanced on the Keystone Exam 

21.8% scored Proficient on the PSSA while 39% scored Proficient on the Keystone Exam

32.6% scored Basic on the PSSA while 22.7% scored Basic on the Keystone Exam

37.7% scored Below Basic on the PSSA while 3.1% scored Below Basic on the Keystone Exam


Thursday, October 15, 2015

Tests and Promotion

Parents can opt out of state assessments such as the PSSA's and Keystone exams.  Parents can also opt out of specific instruction.  One of the push backs parents are getting from teachers and administrators about opting out of test prep such as CDT's and Study Island is that students are graded on these.  There are a variety of ways students are assessed throughout the school year that does not include test prep.

Here is what Chapter 4 says about how students are assessed:

 (c)  The local assessment system shall be designed to include a variety of assessment strategies which may include the following:

   (1)  Written work by students.
   (2)  Scientific experiments conducted by students.
   (3)  Works of art or musical, theatrical or dance performances by students.
   (4)  Other demonstrations, performances, products or projects by students related to specific academic standards.
   (5)  Examinations developed by teachers to assess specific academic standards.
   (6)  Nationally-available achievement tests.
   (7)  Diagnostic assessments.
   (8)  Evaluations of portfolios of student work related to achievement of academic standards.
   (9)  Other measures as appropriate, which may include standardized tests.

Source:  § 4.52. Local assessment system.

PSAT

For any of you who have Twitter, you might find this interesting. Students tweet about the PSAT 2015:  https://twitter.com/psatof2015

Here are some things I’ve seen about it from different people.

1) One school board member said her daughter took the old SAT’s last week and felt comfortable with them. Took the new PSAT’s and is really concerned. Very strange and difficult (or wrong) Q&A’s. 

The English used poor English for example a choice to replace the word 'temporary' was "flash in a pan" or "no changes" but she selected no changes because she would never speak like that. The religion question was same last year she marked other because it had every denomination of Christian but not just Christian. It sounds like it was a poorly written psychobabble test to me.she said lots of Twitter jokes about it from the kidsNot sure if “no changes” is really the right answer, but ‘flash in the pan’?  Is this the kind of thing we are teaching for important English knowledge?
2) My daughter and her classmates took the new PSAT yesterday. The ones I've heard from think it was harder than last year's PSAT (which they took as sophomores). Has anyone else heard anything about it?

The practice test on Khan Academy has some weirdly hard problems - some, like this, are hard because of the numbers they picked:


Question 25
Janice puts a fence around her rectangular garden. The garden has a
length that is 9 feet less than 3 times its width. What is the perimeter of
Janice’s fence if the area of her garden is 5,670 square feet?
A) 342 feet
B) 318 feet
C) 300 feet
D) 270 feet
A few were weirdly hard because they are topics my daughter recently did in AP Physics so they were ok for her, but I would imagine not ok for most:


Questions 30 and 31 refer to the following information.
(I can't copy/paste the physics equations for some reason)
An arrow is launched upward with an initial speed of 100 meters per second (m/s). The
equations above describe the constant- acceleration motion of the arrow, where v0 is the initial speed of the arrow, v is the speed of the arrow as it is moving up in the air, h is the height of the arrow above the ground, t is the time elapsed since the arrow was projected upward, and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s2).
What is the maximum height from the ground the arrow will rise to the nearest meter?\I'm not sure if those are the kinds of things that made the actual test hard or not.
My daughter thought the reading was harder than the math, but the reverse was true for most of her friends.

3) Not sure about harder since this new version is the only one my son ever took. It's aligned to CC math, CC algebra in particular, which might be different than what kids are used to if they haven't learned it.  Cc algebra goes into algebra 2 topics.  There are 2 math sections and one does not allow calculator usage.  Some kids might perceive that as being harder.

I was unaware that the exam started with a half hours worth of personal questions including religion, me and my husband's education and other questions.

Other parents with older kids all seemed to know about this process from SAT and the Common App.  I naively thought the PSAT was a "get your feet wet thing." I'm still upset that College Board, without my knowledge or consent, is asking my child personal questions about himself and me and my husband.

I'm very disappointed my school guidance department for not sharing information about this with parents.  It's not mentioned in testing review books either.

4) Difficult numbers and fractions are the signature of CC math.   The kids probably would have had the calculator for that sort of question.

On the actual PSAT practice test, the non-calculator section math questions didn't involve any difficult numbers to cope with.  

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

PSSA 2016 Support Public Schools and Teachers - OPT OUT

Today is September 29, 2015 - exactly 6 months since the PSSA testing was completed on April 29, 2015 statewide in Pennsylvania.  Why is this significant?   This week parents and students are receiving their PSSA scores - six months after taking the test!  Our kids are in the next grade with different teachers and in different classes and the scores (a word and a number) provide no indication what a students strengths or weaknesses are in any particular subject area.

The scores are manipulated (raw scores are not used, cut scores are determined AFTER the raw scores are in so that a certain number of students pass, and a certain number do not pass).  Cut scores are financially and politically motivated making them null and void for the purpose of student achievement or educational measurement.  PA: Ugly Cut Scores Coming explains how PSSA scores are fabricated, and not an indication of what a students academic level is.

The PSSA's stands for: Pennsylvania System of SCHOOL Assessment not: Pennsylvania System of STUDENT Assessment.  

State and School level PSSA data can be found HERE

What does this mean for parents, students, teachers and schools?  It means the test is being used to grade our schools and teachers NOT our students.


If you support public education, and public school teachers OPT OUT of the PSSA 

There is no educational value in the test, not for students and not for teachers.  We are given a word and a number (i.e. 1438/Proficient).  These tests do not provide student-specific information as far as strengths or weaknesses in any particular area.

If 5% of a school opts out, then the scores are invalidated and cannot be used to evaluate teachers and schools.  It is critical, if you support public education, and your support your child's teachers and your  community school - OPT OUT.

When to Opt Out for 2016?
You can start the process to opt out any time during the school year.  Many parents opt out in the beginning of the year so they can also opt their children out of test prep, such as Study Island and CDT's.  More information HERE.  NOTE:  Opt out letters can be emailed or mailed, I would email so you have record of when it was sent.

How to Opt Out of the PSSA's

STEP 1:  
Parent request in writing to the building principal to review exam within two weeks of exam.  Sample letter:  

Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(4) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [NAME], excused from PSSA testing because of religious beliefs.
Two weeks prior to the testing window, exams must be made available for review.  School districts must provide a convenient time for the review.  Parents will need sign the 'Parent Confidentiality Agreement' that simply states they will not share what is on the test with anyone


STEP 2:
Parent reviews test at school (usually in April, within 2 weeks of test administration).

STEP 3:
Parent provides written request to be excused from test to the Superintendent. Can be worded same as first letter, stating that that you reviewed the exam.  Sample letter:
Dear Superintendent,
On [Date] I had the opportunity to review the PSSA test and pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(4) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [Name] excused from Keystone testing because of religious beliefs.  
STEP 4:
Superintendent reviews the request - this request cannot be denied.
School personnel must provide an alternative learning environment for the student during the assessment and complete the “Non-Assessed Students” grid by selecting “Student had a parental request for exclusion from the assessment.”

How to Opt Out of Test Prep

When you write your Opt Out letter, include in it that you are also opting out of test prep.  Sample letter:  
I am writing to inform you that [student's name] be excused from PSSA test prep, including but not limited to, ALL the CDT and Study Island computer assessments.  If there is a PSSA related assessment she is required to take I would like it to be informed prior.  While I have concerns with the educational value of the CDT and Study Island assessments, I am also concerned with the time spent test prep because of lost instructional time, data collection and privacy.  

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Back To School Parents: Opt Out

Its back to school time for students and parents!  The most effective way to protest the excessive state testing is to OPT OUT.  Information necessary to do that can be found below.  Included below are the four things parents need to know about Opting Out of the PSSA's.
1.  Why opt out
2.  When to opt out
3.  How to opt out of PSSA's (Keystone exam information HERE) and PSSA refusal
4.  How to opt out of test prep such as CDT's and Study Island 
Why Opt Out?
There are many reasons to opt out of the PSSA's and they are listed below.  Before you go to the list, I urge you to read this blog post: PA: Ugly Cut Scores Coming by Peter Greene.  He explains how the cut scores came to be for the 2015 PSSA's scores.  The test scores are manipulated AFTER the scores are in by a small group of people in Harrisburg and they are politically and financially motivated.  These scores are NOT a determination of a students abilities, knowledge or achievement.
1.  The tests are developmentally inappropriate for grade level and age (usually 2 grades, or more, levels higher)
2.  Scores come back in September when students are already promoted to the next grade and new teacher(s)
3.  Teachers, students and parents do not get any student specific information from these tests.  The results are a word and a number.  For example: Student Name; 1568; Proficient.  That is it!
4.  The tests are not graded by teachers, or people with an education background!  The only qualification required is proof of a college degree.  More information HERE
When to Opt Out?
You can start the process to opt out any time during the school year.  Many parents opt out in the beginning of the year so they can also opt their children out of test prep, such as Study Island and CDT's.  More information HERE.  NOTE:  Opt out letters can be emailed or mailed, I would email so you have record of when it was sent.

How to Opt Out of the PSSA's

STEP 1:  
Parent request in writing to the building principal to review exam within two weeks of exam.  Sample letter:

 Dear Superintendent/Principal,
Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(4) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [NAME], excused from PSSA testing because of religious beliefs.
Two weeks prior to the testing window, exams must be made available for review.  School districts must provide a convenient time for the review.  Parents will need sign the 'Parent Confidentiality Agreement' that simply states they will not share what is on the test with anyone

STEP 2:  
Parent reviews test at school (usually in April, within 2 weeks of test administration).

STEP 3:  
Parent provides written request to be excused from test to the Superintendent. Can be worded same as first letter, stating that that you reviewed the exam.  Sample letter:
Dear Superintendent,
On [Date] I had the opportunity to review the PSSA test and pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(4) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [Name] excused from Keystone testing because of religious beliefs.  
STEP 4:  
Superintendent reviews the request - this request cannot be denied.

School personnel must provide an alternative learning environment for the student during the assessment and complete the “Non-Assessed Students” grid by selecting “Student had a parental request for exclusion from the assessment.”

How to Opt Out of Test Prep

When you write your Opt Out letter, include in it that you are also opting out of test prep.  Sample letter:  
I am writing to inform you that [student's name] be excused from PSSA test prep, including but not limited to, ALL the CDT and Study Island computer assessments.  If there is a PSSA related assessment she is required to take I would like it to be informed prior.  While I have concerns with the educational value of the CDT and Study Island assessments, I am also concerned with the time spent test prep because of lost instructional time, data collection and privacy.  


Friday, July 31, 2015

PA Education Legislation Update and Action

There are three pieces of legislation that will have an impact on the Keystone exam graduation requirement.  Please consider writing to the PA House Education members and urging them to support removing the Keystone exam graduation requirement (sample letter and contact information is below).  These are the 3 bills currently being discussed and potentially voted on.

Parents, teachers, administrators, students and taxpayers - please consider writing to the House Education Committee and urge them to support HB 172 that would remove the Keystone graduation requirement.  Sample letter and contact information is below.

SB 880

SB 880 will delay the Keystone graduation requirement for 2 years, moving the grad requirement back to the class of 2019.  SB 880 passed the Senate Education Committee unanimously 49-0 on June 29, 2015.  It is now in the House Education Committee waiting to be brought to a vote. You can read more about SB 880 HERE

HB 172

HB 172 will remove the Keystone graduation requirement.  This bill was referred to the House Education Committee on January 23, 2015 but there has been no discussion or movement on this bill.  This bill has been brought up again by a few legislators after the House Education Hearings on July 29, 2015.  You can read more about HB 172 HERE

HB 168

HB 168 would leave the Keystone graduation requirement up to each school district.  While local control is a good thing, having the option of some school districts using the Keystone graduation requirement is not.  You can read more about HB 168 HERE

Sample letter:

Dear Represenative,  
I am a parent/student in _____________ school district, in ___________ county.  I urge you to support removing the Keystone graduation requirement.  SB 880 which delays the use of the Keystone exams as a graduation requirement until the class of 2019 would help students who are currently oppressed with burdensome remedial classes and re-testing.  
Please consider supporting HB 172 which removes the Keystone graduation requirement.  This would allow teachers and students to gain more instructional time to prepare for college or employment.
The Keystone exam graduation requirement is an unfunded mandate that deters from instructional time and student advancement.  SB 880 is urgent and HB 172 is even more relevant and urgent – this unfunded and burdensome graduation mandate is creating havoc in every Pennsylvania school district. 
Sincerely,
Your Name

E-Mails of All Members of House Education Committee for Group E-mail
(copy and paste into email)
ssaylor@pahousegop.comjroebuck@pahouse.netrbrown@pahousegop.comjchristi@pahousegop.comhenglish@pahousegop.commgillen@pahousegop.comsgrove@pahousegop.comkhill@pahousegop.comHLewis@pahousegop.comboneill@pahousegop.comtquigley@pahousegop.com, klrapp@pahousegop.com, Mreese@pahousegop.comCStaats@pahousegop.comwtallman@pahousegop.commtobash@pahousegop.comdtruitt@pahousegop.commcarroll@pahouse.netsconklin@pahouse.netpharkins@pahouse.netRepKim@pahouse.netmlongiet@pahouse.netdmiller@pahouse.netgmullery@pahouse.netmobrien@pahouse.netssantars@pahouse.netschreiber@pahouse.net

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

July 29th - PA State House Ed Committee Public Hearing

The PA State House Education Committee is holding a public hearing on assessments in Harrisburg Wednesday July 29th at 10AM in room G50 of the Irvis Building, 450 Commonwealth Ave, Harrisburg PA 17120-0303.  This hearing is meant to be an overview of PA’s current system of assessments (PSSAs and Keystone Exams) to discuss general information on State testing, the current status of State testing, areas of concern, and improvements that could be made.

There is growing concern about the negative effects of high stakes testing.  There is a tremendous need to demonstrate to our state legislators how many Pennsylvanians are upset about the testing landscape in our public schools.  A strong and unified showing is essential at this hearing.  Concerned parents are encouraged to attend the hearing wearing green T-shirts.  Concerned educators are encouraged to attend wearing blue T-shirts.  The following can be written on your shirt to ensure a unified and positive message: "Less testing = more..." and then choose your own word.  Creativity, inspiration, hands on time, time to learn, passion, freedom are some examples.

If you are an educator or district administrator in PA with a unique view on the negative impacts on high stakes testing, please consider submitting written testimony by Monday the 27th to the following contact: Jonathan Berger, Executive Director, Education Committee (R) PA House of Representatives at jberger@pahousegop.com.  Ask that your comments be entered into the hearing record, and your testimony will be disseminated to all committee members prior to the hearing.  For resources on relevant legislation and opting out of high stakes tests visit http://optoutpa.blogspot.com/.

All media inquiries should be directed to Dawn Sweeney at optoutpatest@gmail.com for comment.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

SB 880 - Bill to Delay Keystone Graduation Requirement

  • Update: SB 880 would delay the Keystone Graduation requirement until the class of 2019 
  • Action Item: contact Senator Corman to get this bill to the floor for a full vote, contact information and sample letter below.
Jim Scanlon, WCASD Superintendent, sent this Keystone Exam Update on Tuesday June 9, 2015 (bold emphasis is mine): 
Senate Bill 880 passed very quickly out of the Senate Education Committee this morning with a unanimous vote from all committee members, including Senators Pileggi, Dinniman, Folmer, Scarnatti, Eichelberger, Leach, Teplitz, and Williams. Sen. Lloyd Smucker was convinced by all the letters and phone calls he received about Keystone Exams to put a bill in that would delay implementation for two years so a new assessment system can be worked out.
He introduced the bill on Friday, it got voted out of committee unanimously today (6/9/15) and is on to the full senate for a vote.  SB 880 would delay implementation of Keystone Exams as a graduation requirement until the graduating class of 2019 (current 8th grade class), effective immediately. There is similar language being written in the House of Representatives Omnibus Bill.    
Jake Corman is the Senate Majority Leader and has complete control over what gets voted on. He has been in favor of Keystone Exams and could hold things up. I will be calling his office later this week to ask for his support to bring this to a senate floor vote. If he supports it we can write letters thanking him and others for supporting it. If he holds it up, we will need to focus efforts to write and call his office.    
I believe it is critically important to pass this legislation ASAP because this Friday we are scheduled to send information to parents about summer Keystone remediation and summer opportunities to take the exams again. If this bill becomes law, it will save money, time and emotional drain on students this summer.   The bill needs to pass the Senate, then go to the House for a vote. If it passes the House, the governor will most likely sign the bill into law. 
-Jim Scanlon, Superintendent WCASD
ACTION REQUESTED:  
Please write to Senator Corman and urge him to support SB 880 and bring this bill to a senate floor vote.  Senator Corman does not get emails, we need to use the form on his website to contact him.  Please go HERE to contact Senator Corman.  

Sample letter (it would be valuable to include your school district and/or county and to share with them how the Keystone graduation requirement is impacting your child in just 1-2 sentences):

______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Senator Corman,  
I am a parent in _____________ school district, in ___________ county.  I urge you to support SB 880 which delays the use of the Keystone exams as a graduation requirement until the class of 2019.
The Keystone exam graduation requirement is an unfunded mandate that deters from instructional time and student advancement.  SB 880 is urgent – this unfunded and burdensome graduation mandate is creating havoc in every Pennsylvania school district. 
Sincerely,
Your Name
______________________________________________________________________________

Another sample letter thanks to parent Andy S., feel free to use and share:
Please support Senate Bill 880, this would delay the Keystone graduation requirement for two years while our state decides the best direction for our education and graduation requirements. I am especially supportive of this because of the grave injustice this imposes on students from poorer school districts. Several wealthy school districts I am aware of are already able to offer the PBA for students who do not test well. However, other school districts can afford neither the remediation to help their students pass the Keystone exam nor the PBA's.

I ask you, "Is it fair that your ability to graduate and move forward with your life depends on what school district you were born into?"

Please do everything in your power to help the kids who are not able to help themselves. Support Senate Bill 880 and buy some time while our education committee figures out the best way to proceed.

I ask you, "Is it fair that your ability to graduate and move forward with your life depends on what school district you were born into?"
Please do everything in your power to help the kids who are not able to help themselves. Support Senate Bill 880 and buy some time while our education committee figures out the best way to proceed.

This is the letter I wrote, feel free to use this information in your letter:

I am a parent in _________________ school district in _______________ county.  I urge you to support SB 880 which delays the use of the Keystone exams as a graduation requirement.  SB 880 is urgent – this unfunded and burdensome graduation mandate is creating havoc in every Pennsylvania school district. 
I have reviewed all 3 Keystone exams.  They are confusing, ambiguous and tricky with multiple plausible answers and teachers need to change instruction to accommodate the different methods covered in the tests due to scoring.  The test design is not assessing knowledge or achievement in an educationally valuable way.  It also concerns me that according to DRC and the PDE, the only pre-requisite for people who score the open-ended sections of Keystone exams is that they have proof of a college degree.  They are not required to have an educational background or experience in the subject they are grading.
The Keystone Graduation requirement is costing my school district over $250,000 this year for remediation and that cost is expected to significantly increase next year due to the class of 2017 taking the Biology and Literature Keystone exams this May.  I am concerned that there is no exemption to the graduation requirement for students who are admitted to college early or for students who have earned an NCAA scholarship. 

Friday, May 15, 2015

Moratorium on Keystone Graduation Requirement

SB 838 is currently in the Senate Education Committee. Information on Senate Bill 838 can be found HERE.  This bill will establish a moratorium on the use of the Keystone exams as a graduation requirement.

**UPDATE** (from Senator Dinniman's office):  
Six members of Senate Education Committee have signed (Senators Dinniman, Folmer, Leach, Teplitz, Tomlinson and Williams). Senators Smucker, Scarnati, Pileggi, Eichelberger and Browne have not signed on to the bill. Targeted letter writing campaign to the Education Committee, thanking the supportive members and encouraging the support of those yet to sign on would be great.  Should the bill get out of Committee, the support of Senators Scarnati and Corman are critical in bringing it to the Senate floor for a vote, so cc'ing Senator Corman could be helpful.  

**UPDATED ACTION REQUESTED:  

Please write to Senators Smucker, Scarnati, Pileggi, Eichelberger and Browne and urge them to support SB 838.  

Their email addresses are (copy and paste):  
lsmucker@pasen.gov, jscarnati@pasen.gov, dpileggi@pasen.gov, 
jeichelberger@pasen.gov, pbrowne@pasen.gov

Please go HERE and send Senator Corman an email through the form on his website.  He only gets emails through this form and its important he hears from people on this issue.

Sample letter (it would be valuable to include your school district and/or county and to share with them how the Keystone graduation requirement is impacting your child in just 1-2 sentences):

______________________________________________________________________________


Dear Senator ____________,  
I am a parent in _____________ school district, in ___________ county.  I urge you to support SB 838 which places a moratorium on the use of the Keystone exams as a graduation requirement until the Basic Education Funding Commission and the General Assembly determine and enact a fair educational funding formula.
The Project-based assessment is an unfunded mandate that deters from instructional time and student advancement.  SB 838 is urgent – this unfunded and burdensome graduation mandate is creating havoc in every Pennsylvania school district. 
Sincerely,
Your Name
______________________________________________________________________________

This is the letter I wrote, feel free to use this information in your letter:

I am a parent in _________________ school district in _______________ county.  I urge you to support SB 838 which places a moratorium on the use of the Keystone exams as a graduation requirement.  SB 838 is urgent – this unfunded and burdensome graduation mandate is creating havoc in every Pennsylvania school district. 
I have reviewed all 3 Keystone exams.  They are confusing, ambiguous and tricky with multiple plausible answers and teachers need to change instruction to accommodate the different methods covered in the tests due to scoring.  The test design is not assessing knowledge or achievement in an educationally valuable way.  It also concerns me that according to DRC and the PDE, the only pre-requisite for people who score the open-ended sections of Keystone exams is that they have proof of a college degree.  They are not required to have an educational background or experience in the subject they are grading.
The Keystone Graduation requirement is costing my school district over $250,000 this year for remediation and that cost is expected to significantly increase next year due to the class of 2017 taking the Biology and Literature Keystone exams this May.  I am concerned that there is no exemption to the graduation requirement for students who are admitted to college early or for students who have earned an NCAA scholarship. 

These are the current co-signers:

Republican co-signers
Senator Hutchinson
Senator Alloway
Senator Vulakovich
Senator Brooks
Senator Tomlinson
Senator McGarrigle
Senator Greenleaf
Senator Rafferty
Senator Folmer
Senator Ward

Democrat co-signers
Senator Teplitz
Senator Wozniak
Senator Tartaglione
Senator Fontana
Senator Yudichak
Senator Schwank
Senator Blake
Senator Boscola
Senator Farnese
Senator Haywood
Senator Leach
Senator Wiley
Senator Kitchen
Senator Costa
Senator Smith
Senator Hughes



To send an email to all members of the PA Senate Education Committee, copy and paste these:

lsmucker@pasen.gov, andy@pasenate.com, mfolmer@pasen.gov, jscarnati@pasen.gov, pbrowne@pasen.gov, jeichelberger@pasen.gov, dpileggi@pasen.gov, rtomlinson@pasen.gov, senatorleach@pasenate.com, senatorteplitz@pasenate.com, williams@pasenate.com

Contact information for each PA Senate Committee member can be found HERE

Morning Call article: Keystone Exams one big headache for Lehigh Valley school districts
Quick Facts
  • 82% of Allen High School students scored below proficient in Biology and will have to retake and pass the exam or receive remedial instruction and complete a Project-Based Assessment
  • “The overall impact of the tests and the magnitude it has in districts, it's unbelievable.” - Joseph Kovalchik, Northampton Area School District
  •  “A disaster waiting to happen.” - Joseph Roy, Superintendent of Bethlehem Area School District
  • "It's so overwhelming” - Prescious Correa, Sophomore at Dieruff High School 

Thanks to Dot O. for writing the letter and her help in getting this information.


Thursday, May 14, 2015

PA Senate Education Committee

This is the contact information (email and twitter) for the PA Senate Education Committee

Chair, Lloyd K. Smucker:  lsmucker@pasen.gov,      @SenatorSmucker
Minority Chair, Andrew E. Dinniman:  andy@pasenate.com

Majority


Mike Folmer:  mfolmer@pasen.gov                         @SenatorFolmer

Joseph B. Scarnati lll:  jscarnati@pasen.gov            @senatorscarnati
Patrick M. Browne:  pbrowne@pasen.gov,               @SenatorBrowne
John H. Eichelberger Jr:  jeichelberger@pasen.gov
Dominic Pileggi:  dpileggi@pasen.gov                    @SenatorPileggi
Robert M. Tomlinson:   rtomlinson@pasen.gov      @SenTomlinson

Minority


Daylin Leach:  senatorleach@pasenate.com           @daylinleach

Rob Teplitz:  senatorteplitz@pasenate.com           @SenatorTeplitz
Anthony H. Williams:  williams@pasenate.com    @SenTonyWilliams


Copy and paste the below for to send an email to all members of the PA Senate Education Committee:

lsmucker@pasen.gov, andy@pasenate.com, mfolmer@pasen.gov, jscarnati@pasen.gov, pbrowne@pasen.gov, jeichelberger@pasen.gov, dpileggi@pasen.gov, rtomlinson@pasen.gov, senatorleach@pasenate.com, senatorteplitz@pasenate.com, williams@pasenate.com

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Legislation to Eliminate Keystone Grad Requirement

Here is a sample letter that can be used to write to legislators requesting to remove the keystone graduation requirement.  Feel free to copy, edit or use in any way.


Dear Representative ____________, 

I urge you to support PA HB 172 eliminating the keystone graduation requirement. Please support eliminating keystone exam requirement entirely rather than leaving it up to school districts to decide how to use them. This requirement is a burden to students, teachers and schools and a costly unfunded mandate for taxpayers.

Evidence PA Core Standards are Failing Students:
http://optoutpa.blogspot.com/2015/03/evidence-pa-core-standards-are-failing.html

Sincerely,


Copy and paste these email address to email the PA House Education Committee:

ssaylor@pahousegop.comjroebuck@pahouse.netrbrown@pahousegop.comjchristi@pahousegop.comhenglish@pahousegop.commgillen@pahousegop.comsgrove@pahousegop.comkhill@pahousegop.comHLewis@pahousegop.comboneill@pahousegop.comtquigley@pahousegop.com, klrapp@pahousegop.com, Mreese@pahousegop.comCStaats@pahousegop.comwtallman@pahousegop.commtobash@pahousegop.comdtruitt@pahousegop.commcarroll@pahouse.netsconklin@pahouse.netpharkins@pahouse.net, RepKim@pahouse.net, mlongiet@pahouse.netdmiller@pahouse.netgmullery@pahouse.netmobrien@pahouse.netssantars@pahouse.netschreiber@pahouse.net

Contact information for the PA House Education Committee is HERE


PA HB 172

Information on PA HB 172 Repealing the Keystone Exam Graduation Requirement Mandate can be found HERE. The memo explains the bill and the text is the actual bill.


PA HB 168

Information on PA HB 168 to leave the keystone graduation requirement up to school districts to decide can be found HERE. The memo explains the bill and the text is the actual bill. Please note that this bill will leave it up to the school districts to determine how to use the keystone exams. This is concerning because then school districts could choose to use them. 

Friday, May 8, 2015

Who Scores the Keystone Exams - Not Teachers

The testing company that Pennsylvania uses for the Keystone exams and PSSA's is Data Recognition Corporation or DRC.  They create, distribute and score the Keystone exams and the PSSA's.  DRC hires employees they call 'scorers' to score the open ended portion of the exams. Open ended questions are non-multiple choice questions that require a person to read and score.

The only prerequisite for a potential 'scorer' is that they have proof of a 4 year degree.  Some implications are that these are people who are likely otherwise unemployed and are not required to have an education background or teaching experience.  

A company called “Glassdoor” has a web site that describes interviews for jobs from all types of companies, based on what interviewees reported to them. I have included comments posted on the Glassdoor web site of individuals who were interviewed for the position of scorer for the DRC.   You can read them online HERE and I urge you to do so. 

It seems to me that the standard for obtaining scorers is extremely low.  

According to John Weiss, Director, Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Assessment and Accountability:
Ten percent of the responses are independently read by two readers for the purpose of monitoring and maintaining inter-rater reliability.  Additionally, to ensure that the 90% of the responses that are read by one reader are scored reliably, pre-scored responses are randomly included to ensure that scorers have not drifted from the rubric.    
In such a high stakes test that is used as a graduation requirement, it would seem to be essential to have two graders grading every subjective question, and if the scores deviate, to bring in a third, particularly because, as was stated before, there are legitimate concerns as to the quality and credentials of the graders.  While this would be expensive, it would seem to be the fairest way to assure accuracy in grading.

Below are comments from DRC scorers from the Glassdoor WEBSITE:

Show up, present a college diploma, take a simple test on reading/writing/math skills and have a brief interview.

They want to know if you're capable of following orders like a good factory worker. That's all. Just say that you have no opinions on education and you'll just do whatever they say.

Take it or leave it. There is no negotiation for temporary work that, frankly, an intelligent 15 year old could do, but for which standards require a college degree.

Honestly, there was nothing you couldn't answer easily off the cuff, this is not applying to Harvard.   

It's kind of like working in a factory but instead of making widgets you are grading tests. 

They had a short presentation on the job. There were two short test (very short and easy). You had to take orginal degrees or transcripts of Bachelors degree or higher. Then there was a short one on one interview. You were then offered the job or not and told what assignment you were on.

The most frustrating part of this job is the tendency for the team leader to reinterpret the scores you gave to students in a completely different way that doesn't fit with the rubric and call it a "holistic" approach to scoring the test. This seemed to occur when the score matrix needed to skew in a slightly different direction.

You will leave at the end of each day for the first 2 - 3 weeks completely drained and not able to do much of anything that evening. The quiet scoring rooms coupled with the monotony of reading similar answers to the same question for hours will leave you exhausted. It can be quite boring.

Occasional death marches. Depressingly sterile office. A lot of turnover. Mediocre technology. Many weak hires. Uneven management.

This is a repetitive job that can be less than stimulating but some of the kids responses to essay questions can make you laugh.

People are appointed to group leaders and scoring directors based on longevity rather than talent or education.

Very sedentary working environment that involves staring at a screen reading bad handwriting all day is hard on the body.

Brought in batches to be tested for middle school intelligence in a computer lab. Taken in for individual interviews just to basically confirm we had a pulse, didn't forge our diplomas, and weren't a threat to others or ourselves. Hired on the spot.
Interview Question – x+1=2   

Come in to the office, listen to a presentation, and take two written assessments. One is a pre-algebra level math test, and the other is a writing sample, my prompt was "describe your best achievement in the last two years". After turning in your assessments, you talk one on one with the HR rep for a short (10 minute) interview where she basically wants to see if you will be comfortable with the close quarters of the working environment, the repetition and monotony of grading, and if you can be consistently impartial. If you're smart you just say yes.


Honestly, there was nothing you couldn't answer easily off the cuff, this is not applying to Harvard.   

There is no negotiation.  It's a temporary FT job.  Salary is 13.00 or 14.25 if you complete 40 hours of scoring

These are the people who score the Keystone exams that determines if our children will graduate.  The results of the PSSA and Keystone exams are used to evaluate our teachers and schools as successful or failing.  

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Project-based Assessment Graded by Unpaid Teachers

An on-line application for teachers to sign up to be graders for the PBA’s is displayed on the Pennsylvania Department of Education Website  It states: 
PDE is seeking certificated Pennsylvania educators to evaluate Project Based Assessments in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature.  Educators selected to evaluate student projects must participate in online training.  Projects will be evaluated via an online portal.  ACT 48 HOURS WILL BE AWARDED FOR BOTH TRAINING AND PROJECT EVALUATIONS.
Act 48 requires all Pennsylvania educators to participate in ongoing professional education Unfortunately, the PDE has perverted the intention of Act 48 and decided that they have a cheap source of labor for grading the Project-based Assessments – teachers!    

Both students and teachers will be the losers if teachers are used as lackeys for rote grading of PBA’s in lieu of more appropriate ways of continuing their professional education.  Shame on the PDE for even considering this!!!