Testing refusal rates in your district

[Tinijocaro]

The new GED is written by none other than PEARSON! It is an online only test, which means that people who don't own a computer or who don't have a credit card to sign up for the exam in the first place are not going to be able to take it. From what I've read, the GED passing rates have dripped significantly. What are these people going to do now that it's extremely difficult to get a GED? We are going to need more prisons. I'm certain that soon, Pearson will be offering "GED Preparedness classes" To help students pass their extremely difficult exam. How nice of them. They create the problem, and offer the solution, making even MORE money.

http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/new-version-of-ged-results-in-plummeting-passing-rates/

People across the country are struggling to pass the new version of the GED released this year, finding it to be harder than previous versions — and states are struggling to explain the massive drop in passing scores.

The test is supposed to be one of the easiest examinations a person can take in the US. However, according to the most recent data from the GED Testing Service, there was a drop this year of almost 90% in the number of people who earned a GED across the country this year. In 2012, 401,388 people passed, and 540,000 passed in 2013. Only about 55,000 passed this year.

In Rhode Island, only 225 students passed the exam this year compared to the 2,363 students who passed it last year, according to Linda Borg for The Providence Journal.

“The completion rate is down because it’s a new test this year with no carry-overs from previous years,” said Elliot Krieger, spokesman for state education commissioner Deborah A. Gist. “Anyone who didn’t complete the test by Dec. 31, 2013 had to start from scratch.”

Georgia saw a 51% passing rate with just 2,270 people out of 5,340 passing the test this year. The state has historically seen about 18,000 pass the exam per year.

The test was brought “up to date” and “relevant” this year in order to comply with the new Common Core standards used in most high schools nationwide. Test takers are now required to take the exam digitally and write more essays than ever before. The exam is now composed of five parts divided by subject area and involves more problem solving questions rather than multiple choice.

The new test requires more knowledge of subjects tested than prior versions, in addition to more algebra and geometry. In order to finish the exam on time, test takers must show some proficiency with a computer mouse and with typing skills, reports Ty Beaver for The Tri-City Herald.

With fewer people taking the exam this year, it seems that many are afraid of the new format, especially low-income people who may not have access to computers or the Internet.

The drastic drop in the number of people who pass the GED is considered a nationwide problem, as the test makes up 12% of all high school diplomas handed out each year.

GED test teachers feel that the intentions behind the exam have changed, from previously seeing if the test-taker is ready to find employment or move into a better job position, to a new category of checking the college preparedness of the test-takers.

 

[Tinijocaro]

I would like to see a list of why these tests are good. Not allowed to say they drive or instruction because they do not. They cannot. Not allowed to say they help us understand where students struggle, because they do not. Anyone want to tackle that list? I'd love to know how these tests benefit students-specifically.

http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-problems-with-tests.html

My Problems With the Tests


1. There are too many tests
2. The tests are too long
3. The tests are poorly designed and poorly written
4..The tests are surrounded by a level of secrecy usually reserved for a nuclear arsenal
5. The tests are never returned to students and teachers to inform instruction.
6. The tests are used to rate teachers, schools and whole school districts, purposes for which they were never intended
7. The tests are made by profit making companies who give huge contributions to legislators and perks to policy making bodies
8. The tests are used to justify the implementation of a National Curriculum- the Common Core- whose advocates claim it is neither national nor a curriculum.
9. The tests are incredibly expensive and take money away from the arts, counseling, and libraries
10. The tests are discriminatory in the manner they are applied to Special Needs and ELL Students.
11. The high stakes attached to the tests have forced schools in high poverty districts to use recess and gym for test prep.
12. The tests have been used as an excuse for closing thousands of schools and firing tens of thousands of teachers, many of them teachers of color.

That is my list.

 

[Colleen27]

I love this one: "'I refuse the tests because the union told me to,' said no parent ever!"

And it's true. The media claims that many opt-out parents are just pushing a union agenda are completely laughable.

I'm a teacher who is not a fan of the union and I'm against this style of testing. (Please note, I'm not against testing or accountability, but it needs to be structured so that the data is valid. The PARCC and similar tests are not.)

One of the things I find most fascinating about the opt out movement is the conflicting interests being blamed for it. On one hand, the blame gets pointed at the unions who don't want "accountability" (which has been reduced to little more than a buzzword). On the other, fingers point at the anti-central-govt tea party interests. And the blame game seems to be a play to the audience in some media outlets; those that cater to a more conservative audience are blaming the union agenda while those that attract a more liberal audience are blaming it on anti-government sentiment.

 

[Chernabog#1fan]

#11 should be tweaked, we do not live in a low income area and our recess is still being taken away. Instead, children are being sent to get ADHD medication to be able to sit in a seat for hours on end. We finally pulled my son out of public school and found a private school that allows them to be up and moving. They have standardized tests, but the way they do it is the right way. They take the SAT10 at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. They get the breakdown of where the kids have grown or where they need more help. They do not use them to retain a child. I am okay with that type of testing.

 

[Colleen27]

I'd like to see the school districts take a bigger stand, have their teachers opt out of giving the tests instead of relying on the parents. The gov't won't be able to ignore that either.

I'd like to see that too, but I imagine few districts are willing to take that chance. I don't know about other states but in mine there's been conflicting information coming from the capital about what repercussions, if any, there will be for schools with a too-high opt out rate. And the state has the ability to take over schools that are failing academically or financially, so there's a fear that if the district isn't managed properly (as defined by the state) we risk losing local control altogether.

This is the last thing we need. America's strength is the mosaic of different skill sets of its people. A national curriculum would marginalize millions whose strengths don't fall all along the lines of whatever the powers that be decide a national curriculum would entail and make us a nation of widget-people, all knowing and thinking the same things.

Amen! And frankly, some of the things that get feel-good support in curriculum initiatives are such a waste that I'd hate to see them spread. More PE, to use an example from the previous poster's comments. I can't imagine a worse move than for schools to require kids to be in gym class every day for all four years of high school, crowding out academic and arts electives in the process. The schools are supposed to be in the education business, not the personal trainer business; my son taking computer programming and my daughter taking environmental science are much more consistent with an educational mission than taking away the few personal-choice slots available to them in favor of pushing more gym class.

The drastic drop in the number of people who pass the GED is considered a nationwide problem, as the test makes up 12% of all high school diplomas handed out each year.

GED test teachers feel that the intentions behind the exam have changed, from previously seeing if the test-taker is ready to find employment or move into a better job position, to a new category of checking the college preparedness of the test-takers.

That has been stated pretty plainly here. It is all about college readiness, even for high school drop outs. And that doesn't leave any path open for those students who just need a HS diploma or equivalent in order to enter the workforce.

#11 should be tweaked, we do not live in a low income area and our recess is still being taken away. Instead, children are being sent to get ADHD medication to be able to sit in a seat for hours on end. We finally pulled my son out of public school and found a private school that allows them to be up and moving. They have standardized tests, but the way they do it is the right way. They take the SAT10 at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. They get the breakdown of where the kids have grown or where they need more help. They do not use them to retain a child. I am okay with that type of testing.

That's how our (private) school does it too and I really think that's how it should be. Students are tested at the beginning of the year and the scores are used to measure year-over-year progress and to identify strong/weak areas so the year's instruction can be tailored to the student's needs. They don't lose recess or instruction in non-tested subjects to prep, tests take less than one week of class time, and the results are detailed and immediately useful to improving education. That's how testing should be, not dragging out over weeks and providing only vague pass/fail data that is of no practical use to teachers or principals.

 

[nugov2]

Our state does not require passing the test to graduate. It looks like 26 states have passing the test tied to graduation, but it also looks like most have alternatives for kids who are getting good grades and meet a certain attendance rate to still graduate, like presenting a portfolio. I don't think that is a bad option, but I also don't think the test should be the only deciding factor. I'm just curious though. Almost all of these states have had this policy in place since 2008, why the backlash now? What will you do if/when they scrap parcc and go to another test. The consequences will be the same. Your message is again muddled PARCC doesn't require that, it is your state. You should be fighting for a well balanced exit assessment not opting out.

 

[Colleen27]

Our state does not require passing the test to graduate. It looks like 26 states have passing the test tied to graduation, but it also looks like most have alternatives for kids who are getting good grades and meet a certain attendance rate to still graduate, like presenting a portfolio. I don't think that is a bad option, but I also don't think the test should be the only deciding factor. I'm just curious though. Almost all of these states have had this policy in place since 2008, why the backlash now? What will you do if/when they scrap parcc and go to another test. The consequences will be the same. Your message is again muddled PARCC doesn't require that, it is your state. You should be fighting for a well balanced exit assessment not opting out.

I think it is a snowball effect - what started as a small number of parents aware of/protesting changes has become a bigger movement as more parents have become aware of the problems and as that first small group has gotten more vocal after realizing that not only were their complaints not being addressed, the system is continuing to move in the direction they objected to years ago.

There are really two sides to it. Testing, which parents around me started getting upset about when NCLB made it an annual ordeal tied to funding and thus to academic decisions (like retaining non-test-ready students rather than taking the evidence-based route of promoting them with additional academic support), is one part. College-for-all, which started getting some backlash here with the implementation of a "college ready" high school graduation requirement that crowds out vocational training because all students are now required to take the course sequence recommended for applicants to our selective state flagship, is the other. And like I said, the objections to it are snowballing as more students are affected, more parents become aware, and those who are active become louder in reaction to non-responsive local authorities. In 2008, the "protests" were letters to the school board, speaking at meetings, writing to elected officials. That didn't work, so the opposition to these changes is now taking a different approach to calling attention to the problem.

ETA: I also think the changes to the GED are adding fuel to the fire, so to speak. Until 2013, students who couldn't/didn't meet the "college ready" high school graduation requirements could take the GED and enter the workforce or enroll in a trade skills program at the local community college. With the GED now aligning with the "college ready" movement that isn't an option any more so more parents and students are seeing the concrete consequences of an educational system that is designed around serving one "right" post-secondary path.

 

[nugov2]

I don't disagree with the protest, but just how it is being done and what is being put out there. Using kids as pawns and scare tactics are ways to make your movement much less credible. I don't know anyone IRL protesting so I don't know if some of the posters here are an accurate representation of the protesters, but if they are the movement is in trouble.

 

[IDoDis]

Our state does not require passing the test to graduate. It looks like 26 states have passing the test tied to graduation, but it also looks like most have alternatives for kids who are getting good grades and meet a certain attendance rate to still graduate, like presenting a portfolio. I don't think that is a bad option, but I also don't think the test should be the only deciding factor. I'm just curious though. Almost all of these states have had this policy in place since 2008, why the backlash now? What will you do if/when they scrap parcc and go to another test. The consequences will be the same. Your message is again muddled PARCC doesn't require that, it is your state. You should be fighting for a well balanced exit assessment not opting out.

Where did you get your information? I know that is absolutely not true where I live. Students have to attempt the test 3 times their senior year if they don't pass BEFORE alternative measures can be looked at and those alternative measures are EOC's (End of Course exams that the state PED writes, not the teachers teaching the courses), and the ACT/SAT, agaiin assuming the student needs to be at a college level to graduate if they need a "passing" ACT score. There is no student portfolio assessment, even though that's what the teachers have been asking for. But then there's no money to be made doing it that way if it's not a test made by Pearson.

 

[undertheradar]

All of the posts about how much time the tests take and the computer issues associated with them. My hs junior took an experimental online only ACT this past Saturday. There was no cost to the attendees and it was held at the local hs. Due to a computer glitch, 20 minutes of test time was "lost." I have not read hatred and hellfire about this simple computer issue, why can't the anti Pearson folks protest without all of the hype? Simple facts and reasonable solutions would serve a much better platform than all of the doom and gloom portrayals.

 

[nugov2]

Where did you get your information? I know that is absolutely not true where I live. Students have to attempt the test 3 times their senior year if they don't pass BEFORE alternative measures can be looked at and those alternative measures are EOC's (End of Course exams that the state PED writes, not the teachers teaching the courses), and the ACT/SAT, agaiin assuming the student needs to be at a college level to graduate if they need a "passing" ACT score. There is no student portfolio assessment, even though that's what the teachers have been asking for. But then there's no money to be made doing it that way if it's not a test made by Pearson.

Searching testing alternatives when you fail test.

New Jersey, for example, students who don't pass the exit exam have the option to show their "portfolio" of work and can receive a diploma that way. In 2007, 11.5 % of New Jersey' seniors earned their diplomas by showing portfolios. This raises two questions: Does the portfolio demonstrate the same level of competency as passing the exit exam, or are too many students using the portfolio as an easier road to graduation?

In Oregon, plans are in place for a high school exit exam that lets students pick from three options: a national test, state assessments, or a local version, such as a student portfolio, to show colleges and employers they have mastered reading, writing, applied math and speaking skills. Passage on any one of the three, along with fulfilling course requirements, would guarantee a diploma.

There are lots of states with "backdoor options" and many like Texas are in the process of pushing these options through. You have to search the 26 states to see who has what in place I can't find a website that has all of them listed in one place.

What state are you in?


In New Jersey it is called the special assessment. I know some requirements are changing in 2016, but I can't find anything that states this won't be available but I am just searching out of curiosity not because it's my mission. It looks like more states are pushing to have these provisions added though.

I find it hard to believe we live in a nation with states that want 50 % of their students not graduating hs. What purpose does that serve.

 

[sam_gordon]

All of the posts about how much time the tests take and the computer issues associated with them. My hs junior took an experimental online only ACT this past Saturday. There was no cost to the attendees and it was held at the local hs. Due to a computer glitch, 20 minutes of test time was "lost." I have not read hatred and hellfire about this simple computer issue, why can't the anti Pearson folks protest without all of the hype? Simple facts and reasonable solutions would serve a much better platform than all of the doom and gloom portrayals.

I asked my 5th grade DS how they do the testing at his school. It's a week's worth of testing, but the testing is timed. I'm assuming 60-90 minutes a day. I know they are tested in four subjects, so I'm assuming one subject for each day. They take the tests on paper (not computer). This will be his third year of testing (they start in 3rd grade).

ETA: They somehow find time for other lessons also. Today they have a field trip to an "upscale" restaurant to cap off an ongoing "manners & etiquette" lesson. They have gym twice a week, and recess every day. I think one day of art, one of music, and one of library through the week (it might be two, but I don't remember). Yet another example that some schools are finding ways to NOT have the test overshadow everything.

 

[undertheradar]

What I find interesting is that there aren't even the same requirements for teacher certification in all 50 states. Maybe that should be the first change required, and then a national graduation standard will follow?

 

[IDoDis]

I asked my 5th grade DS how they do the testing at his school. It's a week's worth of testing, but the testing is timed. I'm assuming 60-90 minutes a day. I know they are tested in four subjects, so I'm assuming one subject for each day. They take the tests on paper (not computer). This will be his third year of testing (they start in 3rd grade).

ETA: They somehow find time for other lessons also. Today they have a field trip to an "upscale" restaurant to cap off an ongoing "manners & etiquette" lesson. They have gym twice a week, and recess every day. I think one day of art, one of music, and one of library through the week (it might be two, but I don't remember). Yet another example that some schools are finding ways to NOT have the test overshadow everything.

This does not sound like CCSS testing since CCSS is only English/Language Arts and Math. Are you in a non-CCSS state?

 

[sam_gordon]

This does not sound like CCSS testing since CCSS is only English/Language Arts and Math. Are you in a non-CCSS state?

Kentucky... the first state to roll out CC. They take the K-Prep (http://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/Pages/K-PREP.aspx). According to DS' 2014 results, they were tested in Reading, Math, and Science.

ETA: It looks like they add writing as part of the 5th grade assessment.

 

[jodifla]

All of the posts about how much time the tests take and the computer issues associated with them. My hs junior took an experimental online only ACT this past Saturday. There was no cost to the attendees and it was held at the local hs. Due to a computer glitch, 20 minutes of test time was "lost." I have not read hatred and hellfire about this simple computer issue, why can't the anti Pearson folks protest without all of the hype? Simple facts and reasonable solutions would serve a much better platform than all of the doom and gloom portrayals.

This isn't remotely the same. Think your student wouldn't have been angry if it had been a required test, and he worked on it for a couple of hours then lost his work??

 

[IDoDis]

Kentucky... the first state to roll out CC. They take the K-Prep (http://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/Pages/K-PREP.aspx). According to DS' 2014 results, they were tested in Reading, Math, and Science.

ETA: It looks like they add writing as part of the 5th grade assessment.

Thank your lucky stars that your state took the time to roll out the standards and gave schools 4 years to get used to them before counting the tests towards grad requirements which doesn't start until next year. Also the tests seem much more manageable with a fraction of the time spent testing. The bad news is that the math scores in Kentucky continue to drop. Look for that to be an issue next year when these tests count towards graduation requirements. Also, only 19% have passable ACT scores. Despite that, I think this whole CCSS roll out would have been much more successful across the country had Kentucky's model been followed by the rest of the states!

 

[undertheradar]

This isn't remotely the same. Think your student wouldn't have been angry if it had been a required test, and he worked on it for a couple of hours then lost his work??

I'm sorry, what part of computer issue isn't the same? You are so blinded by you're hatred for CC that nothing else matters. The ACT is REQUIRED to graduate in our Midwestern state!

 

[IDoDis]

I'm sorry, what part of computer issue isn't the same? You are so blinded by you're hatred for CC that nothing else matters. The ACT is REQUIRED to graduate in our Midwestern state!

While taking the ACT test in your state is a requirement to graduate, PASSING the ACT test with a certain cut score is NOT a requirement. That is a BIG difference, IMO. Also, your DS's test was a practice test compared to a student who needed to pass to graduate. This is not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[undertheradar]

While taking the ACT test in your state is a requirement to graduate, PASSING the ACT test with a certain cut score is NOT a requirement. That is a BIG difference, IMO. Also, your DS's test was a practice test compared to a student who needed to pass to graduate. This is not an apples to apples comparison.

Exactly what state am I in? My son graduated college last May!