Private school vs public school?

How does the PSSA effect the education a student receives in a public school vs a private school where the PSSA test is not required? I am in the unique position to have one child in public school and another in private school. I can say absolutely, in the case of my family, my child who attends private school receives a better education. Not only does the private school have an excellent curriculum that revolves around the basic subjects, but they still manage to fit in real life experiences. I just came back from chaperoning my daughter's class trip to the local soup kitchen where students handed out care packages to the soup kitchen "clients". The class had done a fundraiser, bought the personal care items at a local store, bagged them, and then distributed the items at the soup kitchen. During the visit, they were required to pose questions to the director of the establishment about poverty, it's causes, and possible solutions. They were encouraged to make eye contact with the needy people and to speak with them. The children were moved by this amazing experience which could not have been duplicated in the classroom! (and certainly not tested on the PSSA test) My son, in contrast, has participated in money collection and drives for charity, but has never followed through with the delivery of the items. Standardized tests, such as the PSSA, do not allow the time for these "extra" activities. I recently heard a public school teacher say that she was thinking of sending her children to private school because many public school teachers have cut back on "hands on learning" simply because they are "too busy" with the PSSA test preparation. How sad that our children will be schooled in neither the social problems of society nor the application of concepts simply because of tests like the PSSA. Real life applications and experiences mold all of us in different ways. Our understanding of Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies improves exponentially with every true to life experience. In these matters, public schools and government should follow the private school lead. Let us liberate our public schools from the PSSA test in order to help our children to be better thinkers and allow them the chance to have "life moments" that will shape not only their future, but the future of our world.
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A test on the test...

I can name several vices that the PSSA test brings to education. Today, I will discuss the one that is popping up in my son's Seventh grade English and Math class. I should preface this blog by telling you that, historically, my son does not do well on the PSSA test. However, with certain supports, his grades in school are good. "At least he has good grades," I always think when I look at yet another year of PSSA test scores. Well, I can kiss that comforting thought good-bye because this year the teachers decided to give "sample" PSSA tests and use them for grading purposes. Basically, the students are being tested on the Test! (Note that I have capitalized the word "Test". No, it is not really a proper noun, but it seems to be taking on a life of its own, so I thought it was the appropriate thing to do. Someone call Webster's-we've got a new word here!) Back to testing on the test. Is it not enough that we have set children up to fail on the test? Must we also have them fail in their grades thereby causing their future to be that much more dim? As if devoting six weeks to PSSA test preparation isn't problematic enough, let's throw salt on the wound and make the prep part of the grade. Students should be learning concepts, the interrelationship of those concepts, and the practical usage of them. To use a standardized test such as the PSSA to teach and grade is a travesty of the spirit of education, a waste of tax dollars, and is disrespectful to the diverse needs and learning styles of our students.
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Importatant dates for the 2008 PSSA test!

March is soon upon us, and so too, is the PSSA test. This year the window in which the Reading and Mathematics test must be given is from March 31, 2008 to April 11, 2008. The Reading and Mathematics PSSA test will be shipped from Data Recognition Corp. (DRC) to the schools by March 3, 2008. If you are a parent and would like to review your child's PSSA test prior to the test date, then you can make your request know to the school any time after March 3, 2008. By March 17, 2008, the school will be sending a flyer to all parents which answers some basic questions about the PSSA test with the last question talking about the parent's right to review the test. If you are reviewing the test, make certain that you request the specific test that your child will be taking. (In case you missed the earlier information, there are many different tests per grade level.) You may meet with a little reluctance or hesitation due to the fact that the District Test Coordinator or the principal may not know how to handle such a request. In my case, I have already spoken with the District Test Coordinator. She was unsure what to do when I asked to review the specific test that my son would be taking, However, she was able to call the appropriate person at the PA Department of Education who said it would be allowable to open a pack of tests and whatever test was given to me for review from that pack would then be labeled as my son's test. The Coordinator said she would pass this information on to the principal of the school that my son attends. Remember, if you are working, you do not have to take time off work review this test. The school must schedule a time for you to review the test that is at your convenience. Be warned that there are stipulations to reviewing the test. Among other things, a confidentiality agreement must be signed and a district representative must be present while you are reviewing the test. Despite this, I would love to see every parent reviewing this test! Let us show the lawmakers, the school personnel, and our children that we want information about this test and more importantly, we want a say in how it is used to judge our students.
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Interfering again!

After having many informative blogs over the last month or so, this one differs as it tends to more of a complaint. Once again, my 7th grade son will do nothing in Math over the next month except for prepare for the PSSA test. He has more homework relating to the PSSA test than he had when he was following the regular curriculum. Students find this frustrating because of the increase in homework and the inconsistent material thrown their way. I find it detrimental to the learning cycle of the school year. The January, February, March time of the school year is considered by many to be the prime learning months for students. The beginning of the school year is a time for learning the rules and being eased into a routine of a new year. The holidays bring many vacation days. The end of the year is stacked with student excitement in anticipation of the summer holidays. The winter period is more conducive to learning than any other time. Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania Department of Education is interfering with this window of educational opportunity by mandating when the schools must schedule the test. Stop the madness and let the kids learn already!
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Will the PSSA always carry so much weight?

In December 2007, a discussion paper released by the PA State Board of Education recommended that high school graduation requirements be standardized throughout the state. Presently, students can show proficiency in Reading, Writing, and Math by scoring in the proficient range on the PSSA or by passing a local assessment. (A local school district can use their own test if a student cannot score proficient on the PSSA. Presently, this is not subject to a rigorous state review.)

The Board is proposing the use of four different methods to show student proficiency. First, a score of Proficient on the PSSA can be used. Second, a local assessment can be used with the additional requirement that the school district have the assessment independently reviewed to show that the test is aligned with the state standards. Third, ten Graduation Competency Assessments (GCA) would be given in the subjects of Mathematics, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. A show of proficiency on one GCA in English, two in Mathematics, one in Science and one in Social Studies would be necessary for graduation. Fourth, proficiency could also be determined by the use of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) placement tests in subjects tested by a GCA. Any combination of these assessments may be used to show proficiency in the subjects listed. (PDE Discussion Paper) In January 2008, these new regulations were unanimously adopted. If the new regulations survive the year review process then they would be adopted in 2014.

Though this provides more options for meeting the requirements for graduation, generally school officials are not supportive of this venture. Many questions can be raised: Would the money needed to implement this test be better used to reduce class sizes and provide other educational support to the schools? (Raffaele) Will the GCA’s be a new kind of standardized test? Will it provide more opportunity for students to “pass” or simply have the school district decide on which “test” to concentrate. The list can go on!
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Will there be any PSSA changes for special needs students?

In early 2007, the United States Department of Education authorized modified academic standards to be written by individual states for students who have disabilities and cannot reach the academic standards typically required. A new standardized test would be implemented that relied on these standards. (U.S. Department of Education, May 2007) This test would be a “middle ground” between the PSSA and the PASA. (Recall the PASA is the test that might be taken by a student with severe cognitive issues.).

In Pennsylvania, there is, to date, no modified standards for students who have disabilities. However, sources within the PA Department of Education have confirmed that work has begun on modified standards and the completion of this is expected in three years.
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Will the laws governing the PSSA and other assessments change?

The NCLB Act is really the driving force behind the reliance on the PSSA test to measure student performance and school accountability. Presently, this act is being reviewed by our federal government. NCLB could possibly be reauthorized in 2008. There are over 100 advocacy groups that have signed the Joint Statement Organizational Statement. (Joint Organizational Statement, Jan. 2008, Fair Testing, April 2007) This statement provides recommendations to the lawmakers to improve the function of the NCLB. Among other things, the Joint Statement asks for the use of multiple measures of a student’s achievements instead of relying on one all encompassing test. The proposal includes being able to count the student’s show of progress on standardized testing instead of just relying on the achievement of preordained academic standards. There is also a push to test in fewer grades, allow several years for the school improvement plan to show success before punishment would result, generate more family involvement in school, and put more decisions about accountability into the hands of each state rather than the federal government. Other organizations are advocating for similar ideas to be considered in the reauthorization. (Joint Organizational Statement, Jan. 2008, Fair Testing, April 2007)
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Do students need to become proficient on the PSSA in order to graduate from high school?

This depends on the school district. All students must demonstrate proficiency in Reading and Math in order to graduate from high school. If a student’s score on the eleventh grade PSSA is not high enough to be considered proficient, then the student can retake the test in the fall of their senior year. If the student is still not scoring proficient, then the individual school district can elect to use a local assessment to allow the student to demonstrate proficiency. The local assessment should be aligned with the state standards and thus, in theory anyway, the PSSA.

Since the school’s graduation rate influences the AYP, the school districts have a lot of incentive to help the student show proficiency. (Not to mention the fact that it is difficult to “flunk” all these kids.)
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Do special needs students have to take the PSSA?

Yes. In many circles, it hardly seems fair to have a child with a disability compared to a typical child, but according to the IDEA Act of 2004 and the NCLB Act, IEP students must have equal access to any standardized testing being given to the regular education student and they must have equal access to the materials needed to be successful in standardized testing. This sub- group of students was intentionally included so that they would have the same high expectations applied to them as are applied to the regular education students. (Cortiella, 2006) If an IEP student meets certain criteria, he/she can take an alternative test called the Pennsylvania Alternative System of Assessment (PASA). Generally, a student must have severe cognitive issues to be able to take this test instead of the PSSA. (Bureau of Assessment and Accountability Booklet 2007)

Students with IEP’s and 504 plans can take the test with accommodations. (504 plans can qualify students for special education services even when they don’t quite meet the criteria for special education.) For example, using more time, reading the Mathematics portion aloud, using large print or Braille booklets, are all allowable accommodations. The school records all IEP students, title one students, IEP students that have exited the IEP process, and students with gifted IEP’s that take the PSSA test along with any accommodations that they have used. This information is reported to the state to allow the PDE to report the progress of these groups of students and to make sure the schools are “evening the playing field” for students with disabilities. (2008 Accommodation Guidelines)

Unfortunately, some accommodations that would help IEP students are not allowable. For example, during the reading phase, a question may refer back to a bold faced printed word. Not being able to see bold faced print, a visually impaired student is at a definite disadvantage when this occurs, yet no one is allowed to even guide the student’s hand to the proper word. For a child whose disability affects their reading, charts that help these students visually map a story are not an allowable accommodation even if the student has this accommodation on their IEP.

During the development of the PSSA test, there is a sensitivity review of the test in which committees with experts in the field of special education are to evaluate questions to ensure fairness to special needs students. Unfortunately, it is difficult to be an expert in all disabilities, so, invariably; some questions will always be unfair to specific groups. (ex. A child on the autism spectrum may or may not be able to answer a question dealing with the feelings of a character in a story.)
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Can a student be excused from the PSSA?

There are several reasons why a student could be excused from the PSSA. If the parent reads the test and wants the child to be excluded from it based on religious beliefs, a letter can be written to the Superintendent of the school making the request known. “Parents do not have to defend their religion nor do they have to state specific parts of the test that are religiously disagreeable to them. A statement expressing a religious conflict is all that is necessary for exemption. Schools must provide an alternative educational setting for these students while testing is in progress.” Any exclusion based on parental consent will negatively impact the schools progress AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) numbers. (Bureau of Assessment and Accountability Booklet 2007 pg 8)

Students who have extended absence for the testing window of the PSSA or have had a recent medical emergency can be excluded. Students who are uncooperative and refuse to participate in the test are excluded. Students who have no IEP and are placed in a court or agency appointed school or in an alternative education setting do not have to participate. Students who are first year English Language Learners do not have to participate in the reading sections of the test, but must participate in the Mathematics section of the tests. Students who will be participating in the Pennsylvania Alternative System of Assessment (PASA) are excluded from the PSSA. (Bureau of Assessment and Accountability Booklet)
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Shouldn’t a parent or teacher know the exact result of a student's test so that they can further help the child move toward proficiency?

Of course, ideally, the answer is a resounding yes, however, this is a “secure test” and the exact questions cannot be revealed. Still, all parents do have the right the review the PSSA. Any parent or any interested citizen may read the tests prior to the administration of the tests. In other words, parents can call the school that their child attends and schedule a time to see the PSSA test before their child takes the test. The school district must provide a convenient time for the parent to review the test. There are stipulations for doing this type of review. Confidentiality agreements must be signed, school personnel must be present, and no part of the test may be recorded in any way. (Handbook of Assessment pg 8)

A parent should remember that a few of the PSSA test questions are different from student to student (remember that there are many different versions at any given grade level). At the time the appointment to view the test is scheduled, a request can be made to read the exact booklet that their child will receive. Not only can the test be reviewed for acceptable content, but depending on memory, this may provide a parent with limited information on the incorrect answers. In 2008, this opportunity for viewing is fast approaching. I strongly encourage everyone to read this test. Let us show our schools and, in turn, our politicians, that we care and that we want a say in how this test is used.
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How do parents know how students performed on the PSSA and who decides on what is Proficent?

Parents are sent a report called the The Pennsylvania Parent Report. The student’s results are on the report. The first page shows the average score which is 1300 for both Mathematics and Reading. The report shows your child’s score for each subject and where the score will fall in the performance categories. (Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced). There are two things to be aware of on this page.

First, student scores are shown in the thousands. The reason for this is not that there are hundreds of questions on the PSSA, but that the Raw scores, which are the amount the student actually had correct (ex. 33 out of 72) are converted to scaled scores so that the statistics used to check the test have more meaning. The average score for the PSSA is arbitrarily set at 1300. (DRC Tech Report 4, 6, 7)

Second, the 4 levels of performance that can be seen on the Parental Report are: Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. These items are called Performance Level Descriptors (PLD) because they describe the level that students is supposedly performing at as measured by this test.

The PLD are decided upon by a committee of teachers which review the Pennsylvania Academic Standards and decide, based on consensus, the definitions of the different PLD. The State Board of Education has the final approval. (DRC Tech Report 4, 6, 7)

Once approved, the PLD are used by a panel of teachers and educators to aid in the process of deciding which questions can be answered by a Below Basic student, Basic student, Proficient student, and an Advanced Student. The PSSA test questions are presented to the panel from easiest to hardest. The panel is asked to decide where the cut off point is between each PLD. This process takes several rounds of discussion and consensus and is further validated using statistical information. Once decided upon, the cut off points between the descriptors are presented to the State Board of Education for final approval. (DRC Tech Report 4, 6, 7)

Once again this is a subjective process made as objective as possible. However, it stands to reason that if a student is on the borderline of any level, then the score could have actually gone to either performance level depending on subjectivity in scoring, performance on the given day, etc. (Well, at least in my humble opinion.)

On the second and third pages, Mathematics and Reading are broken down into smaller categories. An unscaled score (a score that is based on actual points instead of adjusted into the 1000’s) for each category is listed. For example, out of 20 possible points in the category of Numbers and Operations, 12 points were received. However, there is neither a listing of the types of problems that a student answered incorrectly, (open ended versus multiple choice) nor examples of problem types for each category. The website listed to assist parents in helping there children “grow” educationally is http://www.pagrow.com/. This website shows some more basic information and has links to pertinent areas of the Department of Education website that show some sample problems and how the tests are scored. However, once again, its usefulness is limited in actually helping parents to help their children perform better on the PSSA test.

All school district scores are posted on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website. http://www.pde.state.pa.us/.
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If you just joined us...

We are working toward an understanding of the PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment). Each blog contains and element of explaination. Read the blog titles to find your area of interest. A bibliography is included.
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Do all of these statistics, committees, readers, and writers make the PSSA a fair and valid test?

The hundred million dollar question! Though many statistics are used to ensure that test questions are as statistically fair as our mathematics system will allow, subjectivity by “expert readers” and committees will inevitably occur. (After all, we are all human beings.) When reviewing the results of the 2006 PSSA in the Technical Analysis of grades 5, 8, and 11, there are differences in the scores of male versus female as well as differences in the scores that were collected from the different subgroups. For example, students that were Asian had different scores from those students that were White. (DRC Tech Report 5, 8, 11). In looking at these diverse scores, a troubling question crosses one’s mind. Are the differences in scores of the different groups based on a true educational disadvantage of one group or are some of the lower scores, particularly in the Analysis and Interpretation of Fiction, a manifestation of how students from diverse backgrounds interpret questions? Must the government insist that all of our students view these works in the same way? Arguments can be made for and against this question.

To answer in a less thought provoking manner, the PDE commissioned Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) to study the validity of the PSSA. Basically, HumRRO reported that though average scores differ between the different groups of students (white versus black), this difference is also seen in other standardized tests that are comparable to the PSSA. (Thacker, Dickinson, Koger) Additionally, students from a higher socioeconomic class have higher scores on the PSSA as well as other standardized tests. Also, those students who perform well on the PSSA will also perform well on the SAT and university placement exams. (Thacker, 2004) (Sinclair, Thacker 2005).

The question now becomes, if our students do well on the SAT, will they succeed in college? The College Board would say an emphatic “YES”, but evidence shows that the relationship between the academic SAT and the prediction of freshman grades is rather weak. (Sinclair, Thacker 2005) In fact, between the introduction of the essay questions on the 2005 SAT and the SAT tests general failure to make accurate predictions about college success, many colleges have ceased to require the SAT for admissions or at least decreased the importance of the test in the acceptance process. Other factors such as grades and class rank are actually a stronger predictor freshman success. (Perez, 2002)

So, in other words, a student can get good grades, score low on the PSSA and SAT and still do well in college or any other future endeavor. This fact supports what is common knowledge for most of us (but apparently not for our government): a motivated student can learn and succeed whether or not they can sit for a couple of hours and take a test that is supposedly fair and unbiased.
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How are the PSSA tests scored?

This is an important question for all of us. After schools have administered the PSSA test and the tests are returned to DRC (The company that is contracted to handle the PSSA test for PA.) for scoring.

After many checks and cross checks to assure that the proper number of boxes received equals the number sent to each school and the proper number of booklets are in each box, the tests are cut, divided and scanned for scoring. (DRC Tech Report 5, 8, 11)

Multiple choice items are scored using the computer (Remember when you were young and took a standardized test and your teacher insisted you use a number 2 pencil? Remember the teacher made you practice filling in the bubble neatly? The computer needs these bubbles filled in nicely in order to read the selected answer).

Open ended scoring is more complicated. Hundreds of expert readers are hired. The pool consists of educators, writers, editors, and other professionals who read and score the students open ended responses. Training and education on the 3 or 4 point scoring system (recall the Math open ended questions are worth 0-4 points and the Reading open ended questions are worth 0-3 points) and examples of writing at each level 0-4 is given to all of the readers. (Examples of each level of writing 0-4 are decided upon by Rangefinding committees consisting of Pennsylvania educators committees, PDE staff, and DRC employees.) (DRC Tech Report 5, 8, 11)

All open ended questions are scored at least once with 10% randomly picked to be scored twice. Reports and other quality controls are used to ensure scoring accuracy. However, even with all the checks and balances, there are still discrepancies in scoring when two different scorers have actually read the material. For example, in the case of the 2006 PSSA Reading open ended questions for grades 5, 8, and 11, same scores on the same question could be duplicated only 71 to 83 percent of the time. In cases where the score given by the second reader, was different from the score given by the first reader "adjacent" scoring often occurred. (Adjacent scores are scores “next” to each other: i.e. receiving 2 points from one scorer and 3 points from another scorer for a given response.) (DRC Tech Report 5,8,11 pg 45) An amazingly low agreement rate considering all the student and school district implications of the PSSA test score! It is also a strong indicator that subjectivity and bias do exist despite the fact that “readers were required to set aside their own biases about student performance and accept the scoring standards.” (DRC Tech Report 5,8,11 pg 42)
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What types of subjects and questions are included on the PSSA test?

The PSSA tests proficiency in Math and Reading. Science will soon be added. Types of questions included on the test are multiple choice and open ended questions. (Open ended questions are ones which require a written response.) Multiple choice questions for both Math and Reading are worth one point. Reading Open ended questions are worth 0-3 points. Open ended Mathematics questions are worth 0-4 points. (DCR Tech Report gr 4, 6, and 7 Pg. 10)

In the 2006 PSSA there were 16-20 different tests per grade level. (DRC Tech Report gr 5, 8, 11 pg. 10) (DRC Tec Report 4, 6, 7 pg 10) All the different forms are used in any one classroom. Included in these tests are questions called core items, matrix items, and field test items. Core items are the identical in all tests across the grade level and determine the individual student score. (This is the score appearing on the Parent Report.) Matrix items vary in the different tests and are used to provide the school with a random sample of how the school is fairing in teaching the Academic Standards for each grade level. Since there are a variety of tests, each with different matrix items, more information can be gathered to decide if the school curriculum is successful in teaching the students the standards. A combination of the core items and matrix items score is used for school level reporting. Field tested items are not used in scoring; they are questions that may be used on future PSSA tests depending on student responses. (DRC Tech Report 5, 8, 11) (DRC Tech Report 4, 6, 7)

Several commonly used statistics help to determine if the questions are fair. For example in field tested items, one statistic that is used is the percentage of students who answered correctly. If too many students answered correctly (above 90%) or too few answered correctly (below 30%), then the question would be flagged and reviewed prior to being placed as a scored question on the PSSA test. Other statistics used would answer different questions. Are the students who are “more capable” responding to the “easier” questions with the correct answer and vice versa? Are males and females responding to the items differently? Are Hispanic students responding differently than Caucasians? If the statistics show a problem with any question, the items are either discarded or reviewed and revised. (DRC Tech Report 5, 8, 11)

After the process of statistical, committee, and expert review, acceptable items are entered into a computer system. From computer generated cards and graphics, DRC specialists develop the final tests. The PDE gives the final approval of the test as written and submitted by these specialists. (DRC Tech Report 5, 8, 11)
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