Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for March 22, 2007 MARCH MADNESS

Deja vu...all over again!

Just wonder if the powers that be ever thought about field-testing their tests...have someone who is smarter than the average fifth-grader take the tests to at least see if the directions are correct. Incorrect answers can be easily fixed in the scoring process without impacting the validity of the test results...like a teacher who finds an error in her/his scoring key. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine the impact of incorrect directions on students taking the tests...which could range from zero to significant.

But...probably won't happen. All those folks are too busy standing in line trying to get on Jeff Foxworthy's new TV game show!

The gang who couldn't shoot straight from the Chicago Sun-Times...

Elementary tests contain errors: state

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter

State achievement tests being given this week in some public elementary schools contain at least 13 mistakes -- including four error-ridden questions that must be disregarded, state education officials conceded Monday.

This year's mistakes follow a host of problems to last year's elementary tests, including test booklets that arrived late, with missing or misprinted pages.

This year's tests contained 13 errors -- nine in tests of third-grade reading and math; fourth-grade math; fifth-grade math; sixth-grade reading and math; seventh-grade reading; and eighth-grade math, said State Board of Education spokesman Matt Vanover.

Four other errors occurred in the instruction manual, a sample question and a Braille test, Vanover said.

In seventh-grade reading, booklets mistakenly directed students to answer one question on the wrong page. In sixth-grade math, a pilot question was listed in centimeters, but all the answers were in inches.

Two questions will be tossed, five items will be "fixed in scoring,'' and two pilot items will be disregarded, Vanover said.

Two companies to blame Instructions on how to address most of the mistakes were sent to schools the week before the March 13 testing window opened, Vanover said. However, some errors were caught last week, he said.

After last year's problems, state education officials trimmed their 2007 contract with Harcourt Assessment, transferring some responsibilities to Pearson Educational Measurement. Both companies were to blame for this year's problems, Vanover said.

Illinois' repeated snafus are "further proof that the testing industry is overextended and cannot be trusted," said Bob Schaefer of the testing watchdog FairTest.