Jeffrey Weiss and Daniel Lathrop report that test results on the state’s STAAR tests have been flat. In addition, they report in the Dallas Morning-News that the STAAR test results show widening gaps between the lowest performing students and their peers.
The great puzzle is why state officials expect scores to go up every year, especially after sustained and large budget cuts. The legislature cut over $5 billion from public schools in 2011. Why do they expect scores to rise with larger class size and other loss of programs and personnel?
“If STAAR results are any measure, Texas is failing its lowest-performing students. Despite government-mandated programs for many thousands of test-challenged kids, three years of scores show no benefit.
In every test at every grade, groups of students who scored lower when STAAR rolled out three years ago are still behind — and in most cases, the gaps are growing.
The problem, said Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams, is that teaching has not changed to meet the increased difficulty of the tests.
“This is about changing the quality, enhancing the quality of instruction,” he said last week. “I am not suggesting that teachers are not caring or working hard. I am suggesting that what we are requiring of teachers today is much more difficult than what we required in the past.”
Last week, Williams announced that he would be granting new flexibility for school districts to use $1.3 billion a year in federal money for low-income students. He said that the changes were to help close student achievement gaps. And that the state would offer examples of successful programs.
The examples have not yet been identified.
Others say the gap problem is primarily a lack of resources — low school funding. Or unrealistic expectations — the new standards are too high. Or a problem with the tests — they’re not a good measure of what students learn.”
State Commissioner Williams is not an educator. In his last position, he “regulated” the energy industry, which in Texas is very lightly regulated. Why he thinks he has the knowledge to tell teachers how to teach is one of the signs of our dysfunctional age.
Why Texas–and the nation–expects test scores to go up every year is a mystery.
Why Texas–and the nation–expect low performing kids to have higher test scores as their schools’ budget is cut is another mystery.
Why politicians think the way to raise test scores is to make the tests harder is baffling.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Someone with no experience in education telling teachers how to educate children; what could possibly go wrong?
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The only way to solve “the gap problem” is to mandate that poor children be born to more educated (usually richer) parents.
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In general test scores should be flat–if the group has matured and teaching effective. There is a maximum!!! It’s developmental…we are not widgets where you can gain productivity for ever. Of course the gap persists and should be closed but that is a different condition. We must stop telling lies about ever increasing test scores! IMHO Ryan
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The University of Virginia research recently done looking at hundreds of twins across the nation showed a dramatic connection between poverty and learning. The consequence of living in poverty had a profound effect on the part of the brain primarily responsible for memory and learning. If this situation is not addressed in the first 12 years of life, then it is almost impossible for these students to be successful later on in their education. Why are we as a nation supposedly interested in improving our lowest performing schools not responding to this type of research findings and focusing our resources to correct this situation? Is this solution not a Politically Correct solution? What happened to the idea of basing our actions on sound research?
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Gates $2 billion could have had historic impact, if he’d read and believed research about poverty. Instead, his money spirals down the ugly black hole of Republican/Koch dogma.
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Do you have a link to that research please?
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I would agree with Commissioner Williams’ comment “I am suggesting that what we are requiring of teachers today is much more difficult than what we required in the past.” He did not; however, take the observation far enough. He should have added . . . what we are requiring our students today is much more difficult that what we required in the past. This is not to mention that the rules of the game change every five to seven years depending on which “guru” is in-charge of testing format and by which name the test is known, but no one mentions that what the state is asking students to do especially in the area of the ELA tests is developmentally inappropriate for students at given grade levels. If the state were truly interested in student growth and they continue to insist that this growth be calculated by a test, then why not assess with an instrument similar to the Texas Primary Reading Inventory where student are tested 3 times in one year – this establishes a baseline, provides mid-year data for specifically targeted instruction and a final assessment to determine overall annual growth. Better yet, test student in December, extend for those who pass, focus and target weakness for those who didn’t, test again in late February or early March with the same procedure and again in late April or early May and if necessary in mid June. Count all tests for accountability purposes (not just one 4 hour session in a year) thereby using the assessments as a diagnostic tool. To me, this would be a better option since the state is obviously enamored with Pearson and I don’t see the testing going away any time soon.
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In the last ten years I have not followed a single instructional program for more than two years. My district wants us to implement several different reading programs into one. Do a little Reading Workshop, include Writing Workshop, data crunch, stay aligned to the TEKS, and include STAAR formatted reading passages. Students are to be “nuanced” readers, and if we do a little bit of everything we might accomplish such a goal. We are expected to assess our 30+ students BOY, MOY, and EOY with Fountas and Pinnell to determine their independent, frustration, and instructional levels while still following a rigid instructional agenda. Of course, all this greatly exceeds allowed class time. You are absolutely right — what we are doing is much more difficult for teachers and for students as well. And from all this excess, I do not feel I have stronger or better informed students – no matter how well they perform on the STAAR tests.
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The Republican Governor in Nevada cut one billion dollars in public education and implemented legislation which the education reforming democrats developed to link 50% of student scores to teacher evaluations. Take the money. Up the rigor. Beat labor with a whip. And we wonder why we have the lowest graduation rates in the nation.
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Angie, what is sad is that many of our colleagues vote for these people too! One problem is that we can’t seem to find viable candidates to run against them. I truly fear for the future. I do not see much hope left for the middle class or public education at this time. We seem to be falling to the oligarchs. I am at 17 years with the Clark County School District, ground zero of all things reformy.
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Why? My thought: Makes them feel smart when in actually they are just arrogant and greedy. The DEFORMERS don’t care nor do they care one hoot.
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Politicians need to take a class in child psychology. There are such things as the Bell Curve and IQ. Expecting a child to progress two or more levels each school year is unrealistic. A C student doesn’t magically turn into an A student, even with the best teachers. That’s why the NCLB idea that ALL students would move from a 1 or a 2 to a 3 or 4 was ludicrous.
Yes, it is possible for a child to improve. It is possible to teach the child how to take the test. However, the moving target score and the ever increasing difficulty of the tests makes it difficult for a child to maintain the current score, let alone improve upon it.
Ultimately, these tests don’t accurately measure anything other than how well a particular child can do on this sort of test. That and a couple of bucks might buy you a cup of coffee, it won’t tell you anything about a child’s ability.
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“There are such things as the Bell Curve and IQ.”
NO! The bell curve is just a statistical artifice. IQ is pure bullshit put out as mental masturbation for all.
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The only valid thing the Texas STAAR can measure is an 8 year old’s endurance for psychological torture.
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There was no “Bush Miracle”. Bush was a Charlatan. He lied to the American people about weapons of mass destruction in order to start a war with Iraq, while at home starting the “real” weapon of mass destruction with NCLB. NCLB birthed the Common Core, just like the Devil birthed George Bush!
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What few reports include is that TEA did not bump the passing standard that remained as flat as the scores. Only 67% of urban and rural student made a passing grade of 56% on the 5th reading or math tests. Suburban students averaged an 89% and those may sound like happy scores but even the burbs are ramping up their game as well.
And with Dan Patrick a virtual shoo-in for Lt. Governor, here is an article where he promotes competition between charters and public schools to improve scores. This is just going to get worth in Texas and any hope for a balanced and viable education is out the door. Texas children are the left in the dust to these self-righteous politicians’ and bureaucrats’ agendas.
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2014/06/12/Senator-Dan-Patrick-What-we-do-in-Texas-Education-Matters
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It all comes down to poverty. Until the liberal politicians and liberal news media promote abstinence among young people, they will continue to be poor, be raised by parent/parents that are uneducated, have children raised by grandparents, have drugs and crime in the streets, have young adults in prison because of drugs. No parent in the homes. Girls don’t know who their baby daddy is. That leads to poverty and lack of education. The conservatives have talked non-stop about community leaders in poor areas reaching out to the poor, but it’s not happening. That’s because the liberals WANT IT THAT WAY!!
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The point of what I was saying is the poor will stay that way and not do well on tests if they are behind their fellow students who have parents who care. They can NEVER catch up.
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