By Patricia Levesque, ExcelinEd
This op-ed originally appeared in The Oklahoma Voice
When it comes to K-12 education, setting passing scores on state assessments can be a boring and little-noticed process, but it’s one of the most important things a state can do to ensure student success.
Why, you ask? Because a student’s score on the state assessment and whether that score indicates the student is at, below or above grade level performance is the only objective signal the state sends to parents about how an individual child is doing.
In most states, students who are below grade level—in other words, who fall below the state’s passing score—receive additional attention, supports, interventions and resources.
Unfortunately, the Oklahoma Department of Education has undermined the integrity of this system by lowering passing scores on the state’s standardized assessments, effectively moving the goalposts on student achievement.
When states determine passing scores on annual assessments, that line determines whether a student is on grade level or proficient in the subject. By substantially lowering that score, a large swath of Oklahoma students now appear more proficient on paper than they may be in real life.
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