FairTest

Lead: Straight A’s in the Commonwealth do not necessarily mean a diploma.

Peter, a 14 year old freshman at Springfield High School, is very concerned about his future. He already knows that he wants to go to college and become a dentist, and was an honor student in middle school. But he is worried that regardless of the grades he receives in high school, his graduation is still dependent on his passing the MCAS tests. Peter says, "it could mess up my whole life." The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) was implemented as part of the Education Reform Law of 1993. Beginning with the class of 2003, all public school students in the Commonwealth must take the test in order to graduate high school. The test is administered in grades 4, 8, and 10. A recent study has found that students in states with mandatory high school graduation tests perform worse on a neutral measure of academic performance than students from states with lower-stakes assessment systems (Neill, Monty & Schaeffer, Bob "High-Stakes Testing Fails to Improve Student Learning." A FairTest Report (January 21, 1998)).

The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) is a strong advocate against using MCAS and other standardized tests as sole criteria to make important decisions about students. The organization is concerned that test scores will be the sole determiner of the performances of not only students, but of teachers, schools, and districts. FairTest also believes that the MCAS exams are not accurate measures of students’ progress. Furthermore, FairTest notes that teachers are changing their classroom curriculum in order to teach specifically to the test. By providing educators and parents with information about alternative methods of measuring student performance, they hope to end the over reliance on test scores. Until then Peter hopes that he learns everything he needs to know so he can do well on the MCAS come his sophomore year. "It just tests how well you memorize stuff and take tests," says Peter.

Relevant Program

National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest)
Director, Monty Neil
342 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 864-4810
FairTest@aol.com
www.fairtest.org

FairTest, founded in 1985, is an advocacy organization which works to end the abuses, misuses, and flaws of standardized testing. FairTest also works to make certain that evaluation of students and workers is fair, open, accurate, accountable, and educationally sound. FairTest is funded by foundations and private grants.

FairTest was founded on the following principles:

• Tests should be fair, valid, and provide equal opportunity
• Test should be open, with proof of validity and reliability
• Other than standardized testing, alternative methods of evaluation should be implemented
• Standardized testing should not drive a teaching curriculum, and scores should not be used in high stakes decisions

In order to keep these principles, FairTest is involved in the following:

• Providing educators, parents, public officials, journalists, and other policymakers with information about testing and alternatives
• Providing training and strategic advice to parents and educators
• Coordinates educators, citizen groups, and parents about testing reforms

Story Contact

Karen Hartke
Program Manager
342 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 864-4810
FairTest@aol.com
www.fairtest.org

Expert Contacts

Douglas Archbald, Ph.D.
University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
150 South College Avenue
Newark, DE 19716
(301) 831-6408
Relevant area of expertise: Expertise in testing and assessment

Marilyn Segal
Project Director
Citizens for Public Schools
126 High Street
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 457-8890
marilyncps@ajcongress-ne.org
Relevant area of expertise: Testing and evaluation of students

Loretta "Lorrie" Shepard
University of Colorado
Office of Public Relations
Campus Box 9
Boulder, CO 80309
(303) 492-8108
lorrie.shepard@Colorado.edu
Relevant area of expertise: Nationally recognized expert on K-12 standardized testing

Background

In urban areas, an especially high percentage of students would fail to graduate if they were held to what, in MCAS terms is currently deemed "failing." In 1998 in Boston, for instance, more than 50% of students in all high schools except for the exam schools earned "failing scores" in the subjects, English, math, and science and technology. (Conroy, Steve. "Passing grade for MCAS weighs heavy on board." The Boston Herald (October 7, 1999): p.10)

Statewide, 50% of 10^th-graders failed the math exam in 1998. (Conroy, Steve. "Passing grade for MCAS weighs heavy on board." The Boston Herald (October 7, 1999): p.10)

Lower scores (NAEP) are associated with practices commonly found to accompany test-driven schooling. (Neill, Monty "High Stakes Tests Do Not Improve Student Learning." A FairTest Report (January 1998) Retrieved from www.fairtest.org)

"Education Experts Express Mixed Review on Reform’s Progress." The Associated Press State and Local Wire (October 3, 1999)

Estrin, Robin. "Some Students Balking at MCAS Test." Union-News (April 28, 1999)

Estrin, Robin. "Tests Highlight Inequities between Urban, Suburban Schools." Union-News (December 9, 1998)

Greenberg, Dan. "The Fatal Flaws of MCAS." Metro-West Daily News (February 19, 1999)

Greenberg, Dan. "MCAS is Testing for Unnecessary Knowledge." Metro-West Daily News (February 12, 1999)

Marcus, Jon. "The Shocking Truth About Our Public Schools! (They’re Better Than You Think!)." Boston Vol.10 (October 1999) p.70

Neill, Monty. "High-Stakes Testing Flunks." USA Today (September 7, 1999)

Neill, Monty & Schaeffer, Bob "High-Stakes Testing Fails to Improve Student Learning." A FairTest Report (January 21, 1998)

Taylor, Jerry. "A View Inside the Classroom." The Boston Globe (October 3, 1999) p.1

Compiled by Ebonee Athanaze