State declares test results for schools invalid

English and algebra tests taken in schools across Missouri last year are moot this year for comparative purposes, as the state government has declared the scores invalid because of problems with a new vendor.

Sarah Potter, communications coordinator for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said by phone Friday the end-of-course assessments, or EOCs, for English II and Algebra I scores were not comparable to past year’s assessments.

That’s a problem, because those results are used to track year-to-year progress of districts, Potter said, and the EOC results also factor in to a district’s APR, or annual performance report, used to determine accreditation.

The department also recommends districts use EOC raw scores in a student’s regular course grade, according to its website.

Potter said the results showed students performing at one level in 2015, and 2016’s scores showed an uptick, but “performance went way down in 2017,” she said.

A technical advisory committee was brought in to analyze the data, Potter said.

The committee determined the results are valid at the student level, but the test forms were not comparable to past year’s forms, Potter said.

“We did test the right things. It’s just that the actual tests that were given out were not comparable,” Potter said.

The test vendor, Questar, recently was bought by and made a subsidiary of Educational Testing Service, or ETS, according to a memo released Monday.

It’s up to the testing vendor to ensure tests aren’t biased, Potter said, and the test results are comparable, valid and reliable.

“Really, it all comes down to we’re pretty frustrated with our vendor’s inability to deliver usable results,” Potter said. “We expect from them to give us a test we can compare from year to year and track progress for districts.”

Potter said DESE wants to ensure the public understands students still can use these scores for A+ eligibility, and the raw score is still accurate.

While raw scores for students are valid, these two courses’ results will not be included in data each school district uses to determine teacher performance or for accreditation purposes.

The committee recommended the data for these two tests not be published, and because the data isn’t comparable to past years’ results, DESE will not publish the data for these two tests on its website, according to the memo.

Neil Glass, superintendent of Cape Girardeau public schools, said DESE’s decision won’t affect students’ grades. Students will not have to retake the EOCs, he said — a statement that was echoed in the DESE memo.

Students prepare for the EOCs all year, Glass said, and it is a significant amount of work for teachers and students alike.

“I think the impact is to the districts,” Glass said, adding DESE is trying to work with the districts to make the situation right.

“The commissioner [Margie Vandeven] has been very upfront and positive with us, has communicated as much as possible as it develops,” Glass said.

Adrian Eftink, superintendent at Oak Ridge schools, said the district looks at objectives that come with the standards to ensure those objectives are being covered through the course of the year so students are prepared to take the end-of-course assessments.

“We usually get [the data] back pretty quickly after they do the assessment,” Eftink said.

Teachers then will review those results, looking for strengths and weaknesses of the group performance, then modify their curriculum accordingly, he said.

“The data we get from it normally is pretty productive,” Eftink said.

Eftink said over the last few years, Oak Ridge has been able to get all points in the APR’s achievement areas.

“We feel like our teachers know what the standards are for the tests, and they teach the information in the classes effectively,” Eftink said.

At the local level, Eftink said, final exams in all courses give the district information about how effectively teachers are delivering material to students.

“The state-level test gives us an idea if we’re meeting our state standards, if we’re doing an effective job,” Eftink said.

“What we’re looking for is student growth, and that’s the issue at the state level,” Eftink said. “It concerns them when they’re not able to help us.”

If data from those two EOC exams isn’t available, Eftink said, the district doesn’t have the clearest picture it could have about student performance.

Eftink said Oak Ridge schools don’t have the same concern as other districts that might have been trying to bring up their APR scores because Oak Ridge had received maximum scores previously. He said it is his understanding DESE will use 2016 scores instead of 2017 scores for the English II and Algebra I EOCs, so districts won’t “go backwards,” he said.

“Our intent is to try and make it right for districts. They deserve that,” Potter of DESE said Friday. “We want to make sure people have an accurate understanding of the performance of a school. That’s our responsibility for the public.”

DESE did not respond to an email Tuesday asking for the cost of tests.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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