NEW CHALLENGES: STATE TESTING PROGRAM

 

TRENTON, August 4, 2000—For students and teachers, the 2000-01 school year will bring new challenges as New Jersey marches toward the new, higher educational standards it set four years ago, according to the president of the New Jersey School Boards Association. 

“Schools may appear the same on the outside as they did a generation ago, but what is occurring on the inside is dramatically different,” said Patti Pawling, NJSBA president.  “You will find elementary schools introducing young students to foreign languages, a new state testing program that measures how well students are meeting New Jersey’s Core Curriculum Content Standards, and the development of continuing education programs designed to help teachers help students meet those standards.”  [See related article on continuing education requirement for teachers.] 

Adopted by the state Board of Education in 1996, the curriculum standards define what students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate. 

“The standards will have a strong impact on what happens in the classroom during 2000-01,” explained Pawling.  “We are already seeing high school students taking 50% more coursework in science than in past years.” 

With the curriculum standards has come a rigorous state testing program in the 4^th and 5^th grades, 8^th grade and 11^th grade.  New state-developed tests depart from traditional multiple-choice standardized tests, according to the state education department.  For example, students are expected to revise a letter to the editor or apply math principles to real-world scenarios. 

By the 2003-04 school year, schools are expected to test students’ progress in all seven areas addressed by the curriculum standards—science, social studies, math, language, fine arts, health/physical education, and world languages. 

How to measure student progress in all of these subject areas has yet to be determined, however. 

In April 2000, Commissioner of Education David Hespe called for a study into other methods—beyond a state-developed “paper-and-pencil” test—to assess student progress in the visual and performing arts, physical education and world languages.  This fall, an “assessment advisory panel” is scheduled to report to Hespe with recommendations on the best way to test student performance in these areas.  The panel consists of educators, educational organizations and representatives from the business community. 

“For 2000-01, students will see changes in how the state tests are administered, as well as growth in the subject areas they measure,” said NJSBA’s Pawling.  “Our state’s testing program is a work in progress.  Ultimately, we expect to see a system that assesses student progress and also enables educators to help our children meet high standards.” 

Recent developments affecting the state testing program include the following:

·        In the Elementary Schools  When students first took the 4^th grade test—the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment—in the spring of 1999, many school administrators and teachers found it too long and stressful for young children and its questions unclear.  A New Jersey School Boards Association study, released in January 2000, found that the 4^th grade test—which measured progress in math, science and language arts—was in fact longer than the SAT and even the State Bar Exam.  The state Department of Education has responded to these concerns and, in 2000-01, students will find shorter tests that are spread over the 4^th and 5^th grades. 

Commissioner of Education David Hespe has called for a one-year delay in implementing the social studies portions of the state’s elementary school and 8^th grade tests.  Therefore, the social studies tests will be administered on a trial basis this year.  

·        In the Middle Schools   The Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment was introduced in 1999, replacing an early warning test that was designed to flag students who are lagging academically. So far, the 8^th grade test covers math, language and science; this coming spring, a social studies portion will be administered on a trial basis. 

·        In the High Schools  The new High School Proficiency Assessment will not officially arrive in schools until 2001-02.  This coming school year, the state will field test four parts of the new test: math, language arts, science and social studies.  Also, schools will begin keeping a Ninth Grade-to-Graduation Transcript for every student to monitor their progress and track any employment or structured learning experiences that would help them meet graduation requirements. 

·        In Special Education  As a result of federal requirements, school districts will begin testing virtually all special education students.  They may use modified versions of the assessments given to regular-instruction students or an Alternate Proficiency Assessment designed for severely disabled students.  In the past, some severely disabled students may not have been tested.  However, federal regulations require that, by 2000-01, states administer an alternate assessment.