SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY NOT NEW CONCEPT TO STATE

Higher taxes drive the bandwagon of school reform this year. With only 17 days remaining in this legislative session, lawmakers are working to hammer out a compromise of reform and money that proponents hope will be acceptable to the governor.

Two thrusts of the movement to reform schools are a) grading schools and student work objectively, not subjectively; and b) emphasizing accountability in education.

Neither concept is altogether new to Missouri's public schools. A good example is the Missouri Mastery Achievement Test (MMAT). First used in 1987, the statewide standardized exam has measured skills that students are expected to know in language arts, math, science and social studies.

This week students in Cape Girardeau public schools are taking the MMAT. Many other area schools already have completed this year's testing; the window of testing opportunity was mandated between April 1 and May 10. While the state requires that the test be given in grades three, six, eight and 10, a number of districts administer the test in grades two through 10. Cape Girardeau is among those districts.

Feedback from the statewide test occurs at several levels. The state will distribute a district report for each grade level as well as results at the building, classroom, and individual levels. Districts can also compare their scores to statewide averages.

Area schools have reacted positively to the test, using results to adjust curriculum gaps or target weaknesses of individual students. It also provides a basis for statewide comparison. Passing the test is not a requirement for graduation.

The test is not written in stone, but will be revised next year with input from educators across the state. It's to be hoped that their ideas will make the test even more effective.

Initial worries about "teaching the test" have pretty well subsided. Some teachers probably do teach the test, but in doing so, teach the skills and competencies required by the state. On the down side, a computer error skewed statewide comparisons the last two years, which proved a disappointment to districts.

As taxpayers and legislators demand greater accountability in our public schools, they should also be aware some mechanisms are already in place. The MMAT is by no means a panacea. But it is providing schools with a tangible measure of the basics young Missourians should know.