Three thoughts on all this test score back and forth in New York City. I don’t know enough about the test there to know if the gains are solid but…
…when I first got in this in this business it was the anti-public school folks who were always debunking test score increases because the public schools couldn’t possibly being doing better…now it’s the pro-public school crowd…depressing politics.
…a lot of people think that having teachers’ unions involved in charter schooling is an irredeemably lousy idea. I don’t agree. While they used to decry stories like this, now they’re a part of them…something to chew on.
…all the back and forth about the testing up there reaffirms my belief that we need more transparency around this entire process. The next version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act shouldn’t micromanage states on these processes but should do more to ensure clear and usable public reporting about the technical construction of these assessments. Cut scores are one place to start but there are a host of other issues. That can be done in a way that doesn’t compromise the integrity of the testing process….such as it is…
Yes, it is depressing politics again, I think. Always someone is not happy, this time it happens to be my crowd of pro-public school people. From my experience with standardized testing of students in public schools, we need to be completely transparent with the STUDENTS who are to be taking the tests. They need to know exactly what the stakes are of their scores.
regarding the ‘charters outperform district’ on tests meme:
of course they should, the students in charters are obviously more motivated than your average district students (they applied to the school, which signals some base level of desire for a better education from the student or the parent).
the more appropriate comparison group would be between students in charters and students who applied to charters, didnt get in, and are schooled in the district schools.