The Rhode Island Department of Education has announced a new testing policy that should come as welcome news for many high school students. Under the new rules, 10th and 11th graders no longer have to take annual standardized tests of English and Mathematics.
Rhode Island, which is part of a group of states using the PARCC test, will now require testing only for grades 3-9.
High school sophomores and juniors will have the option of taking free PSATand SAT tests, although the tests are not required.
In a statement explaining the policy, RIDE cites changes in federal education law, known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and state graduation requirements, which apparently will no longer include test scores.
"As we transition to new high-school graduation requirements and a new accountability system aligned with ESSA requirements, we must continue to guard against over-testing," the statement said.
Here are the basics of the new requirements:
- Students in grades 3-8 will continue to take PARCC tests in English and Mathematics.
- Students in 9th grade will take PARCC tests in English.
- Students in grades 7-9 will take only one subject-based PARCC Mathematics assessment, if they are enrolled in Algebra I, Geometry or Algebra II.
- Students in 10th and 11th grade will take no PARCC tests.
- All tests will be taken on computers.
The policy is certainly a reversal from recent years, when the state Board of Education considered requiring PARCC scores for a high school diploma. Under new Education Commissioner Ken Wagner, state officials have moved away from a score requirement.
RIDE Spokesman Elliot Krieger says there's another reason for the change.
"We are dropping Grade 10 PARCC, as noted below, because we are encouraging grade-10 students to take the PSAT (for free, at school). "
Krieger also noted that federal law requires only one high school grade to participate in annual standardized testing.
The new rules seem designed to boost Rhode Island's score reports in Mathematics. Last year, scores dropped off significantly among high school students. In addition, 7th and 8th graders taking a subject-based Mathematics assessment scored considerably better than 10th or 11th graders taking the same test. That may be due to the fact that only the more advanced students enrolled in those courses by the earlier grades.
Either way, 10th and 11th graders were significantly less likely to meet expectations in either Algebra I or Geometry. Using Geometry as an example, 100 percent of 8th graders taking the test scored a 4 or a 5, compared with 38 percent of 9th graders. But just 6 percent of 10th graders, and fewer than 1 percent of 11th graders achieved comparable scores. Most of the students taking the test, 76 percent, were 10th and 11th graders.
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