“Assessment and accountability are polemic topics, and not just in Kentucky,” said Education Commissioner Jon E. Draud. “Many – including the members of this task force – have strong opinions. But, this group came to consensus on some key areas, providing the Department of Education and the Kentucky Board of Education with an early blueprint to help us maintain accountability to 2014 and decide what the system will look like in the future.”
The group had four main recommendations:
- Expand a pilot project that enabled assessment of elementary schools’ arts programs -- The project, conducted in the 2007-08 school year in 20 schools, provided the means to measure schools’ arts instructional programs against standards for curriculum, instruction, assessment and organizational support for the arts and humanities program. The task force recommends that the project be expanded statewide and to all grade levels. The project would eventually be phased in to the school and district accountability system to take the place of paper-and-pencil tests taken by students.
- Encourage formative assessments – Formative assessments are those that encourage learning and provide direct and immediate feedback to students and teachers. Examples of formative assessments include classroom assessments, anecdotal records, quizzes, lab reports and diagnostic tests.
- Work toward concise standards and a balanced assessment and accountability system – The task force supports reviewing the state’s subject-area standards and ensuring that those are rigorous and relevant. The group also wants a focus on a system of assessments that are accurate, efficient and provide detailed information on how well students attain specific standards.
- Provide teacher training and preparation related to assessment – The goal is to focus on standards and different types of assessment to foster a sense of “assessment literacy” among educators to ensure that they use appropriate testing to best meet the needs of students.
The group’s four recommendations will be considered by the Kentucky Board of Education at its meeting December 10-11.
Commissioner Draud will appoint a work group of practitioners and others for further action. The group would explore the next generation of assessment and accountability, maintaining the state’s goal of having all schools reach proficiency by the year 2014 and providing a plan to update assessment and accountability for the future. Members will be named in early 2009, and the group will provide periodic updates to the task force.
Formed in June, the task force reviewed the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) to provide a blueprint for the system’s progress in the future to ensure that the system meets the best interests of public school students. Members of the group included policymakers and experts in the field.Education Commissioner Jon E. Draud asked statewide organizations, partner groups and leaders of the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives to name members to the task force. The group began meeting in August, with the goal of having recommendations to present to the state legislature in early 2009.
Minutes from the task force meetings are available online.
SOURCE: KDE press release
3 comments:
The paucity of recommendations from the KDE’s Assessment and Accountability Task Force is a travesty.
But, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty wrong with CATS, or that legislators don’t know it.
Last week’s meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Education brought that legislative displeasure home loud and clear. Of course, with press coverage of education issues all but extinct in the commonwealth, you have to go to the Bluegrass Institute (www.bipps.org) web site, and its blog to learn anything about what is happening.
In fact, that Web site, and the new public policy Wiki, www.freedomkentucky.org, are about the only independent places you can find any information about the task force. The print media never made a single task force meeting, which says a bundle about how important the task force really was in the larger scheme of things.
Yeah. Much ado...
I've been busy with a grant idea and some other work lately and haven't been able to blog as much as I would have liked. On the other hand...there wouldn't have been much to report.
It seems pretty clear that this issue will be contested legislatively again. Is it unreasonable to predict a similar outcome? My doc class is meeting with Sen Dan Kelly in Frankfort tonight. We'll try to get his take on it.
Things could be different this year.
Legislators on both sides of the aisle really are really upset that the education gaps have persisted "since forever" as Senator Neal put it. Neal said he was "almost speechless" over the situation.
Representative Addia Wuchner said its time to reform the reform.
And, CATS is taking flak.
Some legislators are upset about all the CATS test prep. Representative Derrick Graham says we have prepared kids for CATS, but not for the college need. Legislators are really worried that CATS results simply don't jibe with the big college remediation rates.
Given the obvious further inflation in CATS scores that we both have noted, and that I have extensively documented quantitatively (most lately with a posting about "CATS Academic Test Inflation" in the freedomkentucky.org Wiki site), CATS probably has less credibility now than at any time since it was enacted.
It could be an interesting session.
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