Ed Department should come in from cold
The state Education Department needs to bow to reality. It’s time to pull the plug on Nebraska’s maverick experiment in student testing.
Nebraska is the only state in the country with a system that allows local school districts to devise their own tests.
The Legislature last year passed a law requiring uniform statewide testing. But Education Commissioner Doug Christensen chose to interpret the law as allowing districts to continue using the local tests. He protested that he was “following the law to the letter.”
His interpretation was roundly criticized. The Legislative Performance Audit Committee said the education department was not implementing the law the way the legislature intended. Gov. Dave Heineman said the department was “dragging its feet.”
And if Christensen thought clarification was needed, he’s about to get it in unmistakable terms.
The Legislature gave 30-4 first-round approval to a bill designed to remove all doubt that a majority of senators want students in Nebraska to take a common test.
“For the good of teachers out there, we need to bring this to conclusion,” said Sen. Greg Adams of York, a former high school teacher who believes the current system has value but is time-consuming.
Nebraska’s STARS (school-based, teacher-led assessment reporting system) has attracted flattering attention from educators who view it as a preferable to high-stakes testing under No Child Left Behind.
There should be little disagreement that the STARS system has benefited Nebraska students. It provides more accountability than previously existed in the state.
But the weakness of the system is that it makes it difficult to compare the performance of school districts because they are using different tests and even set different standards. The only uniform statewide test is for writing.
LB987 would require a statewide test in reading in 2009-10 for grades three through eight and one grade in high school. A statewide mathematics test would begin the next year and a statewide science test the year after that. The bill also would establish a technical advisory panel with three to five nationally recognized assessment experts to review the state’s plans.
The state Board of Education, which oversees the department, has supported resistance to the statewide tests. On Friday, however, the board finally voted conditional support for the pending legislation and, significantly, agreed to implement whatever is approved by senators.
There’s little doubt that Christensen and other state education officials are personally invested in the STARS system. In some circles, they are viewed as heroes.
But for the good of students, it’s time for Nebraska’s educators to rejoin the rest of the country. It’s taking too much time and energy to continue this solitary battle.
Nebraska is the only state in the country with a system that allows local school districts to devise their own tests.
The Legislature last year passed a law requiring uniform statewide testing. But Education Commissioner Doug Christensen chose to interpret the law as allowing districts to continue using the local tests. He protested that he was “following the law to the letter.”
His interpretation was roundly criticized. The Legislative Performance Audit Committee said the education department was not implementing the law the way the legislature intended. Gov. Dave Heineman said the department was “dragging its feet.”
And if Christensen thought clarification was needed, he’s about to get it in unmistakable terms.
The Legislature gave 30-4 first-round approval to a bill designed to remove all doubt that a majority of senators want students in Nebraska to take a common test.
“For the good of teachers out there, we need to bring this to conclusion,” said Sen. Greg Adams of York, a former high school teacher who believes the current system has value but is time-consuming.
Nebraska’s STARS (school-based, teacher-led assessment reporting system) has attracted flattering attention from educators who view it as a preferable to high-stakes testing under No Child Left Behind.
There should be little disagreement that the STARS system has benefited Nebraska students. It provides more accountability than previously existed in the state.
But the weakness of the system is that it makes it difficult to compare the performance of school districts because they are using different tests and even set different standards. The only uniform statewide test is for writing.
LB987 would require a statewide test in reading in 2009-10 for grades three through eight and one grade in high school. A statewide mathematics test would begin the next year and a statewide science test the year after that. The bill also would establish a technical advisory panel with three to five nationally recognized assessment experts to review the state’s plans.
The state Board of Education, which oversees the department, has supported resistance to the statewide tests. On Friday, however, the board finally voted conditional support for the pending legislation and, significantly, agreed to implement whatever is approved by senators.
There’s little doubt that Christensen and other state education officials are personally invested in the STARS system. In some circles, they are viewed as heroes.
But for the good of students, it’s time for Nebraska’s educators to rejoin the rest of the country. It’s taking too much time and energy to continue this solitary battle.
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