Education reform bill would end PACT tests

http://www.goupstate.com/article/20080129/NEWS/528599467/1051/NEWS01
Article published Jan 29, 2008
By Robert W. Dalton
Published: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 | Updated: 11:35 am
State Rep. Bob Walker will introduce legislation this week to overhaul the Education Accountability Act, and his plan includes eliminating the much-maligned Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests.

The state Legislature passed the EAA in 1998 to establish standards for improving K-12 education.

“It’s been 10 years, so it’s time to look at our accountability act and see if it’s working or not working,” said Walker, R-Landrum, chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee. “One thing we’ve heard is that we need to improve our testing to give teachers and parents more information.”

State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said the changes are long overdue. He said the system is despised by “anyone who has direct contact with it.”

“When I was running (for office), I heard everywhere I went that people didn’t like the system we had, didn’t like PACT and didn’t like the scorecards. I made a promise then to try to improve the system.”

A new testing system would replace PACT beginning in the 2009-10 school year and would be a diagnostic evaluation designed to give parents and educators an idea of where students stand in meeting grade-level expectations.

A writing portion would be taken in March, with all multiple-choice portions taken at the end of the school year. Results would be returned in the summer, so parents and educators would be able to assess a student’s progress before the beginning of the next school year.

One of the criticisms of PACT is that it’s an accountability tool, not a diagnostic test. And results usually aren’t available until well into the school year.

The end-of-year tests would measure the ability of students in grades three through eight in math and English. Science assessments would be given in one elementary grade, one middle school grade and once in high school.

While PACT scores are reported in four categories — below basic, basic, proficient and advanced — scores of the new test would be reported in three: Not met grade level standard (not met), met grade level standard (met) and demonstrated exemplary performance in meeting grade level standard (exemplary).

For reporting purposes required by the No Child Left Behind Act, students scoring met or exemplary would be considered proficient. Under PACT, students scoring proficient or advanced are considered proficient.

Walker said the state would be changing its definitions, not its rigorous standards.

“We established one of the toughest accountability systems in the country, and it’s very important for people to understand that it’s not going away,” Walker said. “But when it comes to No Child Left Behind, we want to make sure we’re in line with what other states are doing.”

Walker said the new testing system would align with the state’s standards.

Denver Merrill, a spokesman for pro-voucher group South Carolinians for Responsible Government, said the bill is an effort to make the state’s results look better than they are.

“If you condense to only three categories, certainly more people will be included in a higher level of achievement,” Merrill said. “We agree there is a need for reform, but at the same time, we can’t lower the standards. That’s not going to do any good in the long run.”

Rex said he’s not surprised by the criticism, especially from SCRG. SCRG head Randy Page recently wrote an op-ed piece comparing the public education system to communism, drawing an angry response from Rex.

“There are groups always willing to criticize public education for not being willing to change,” Rex said. “Finally we get a change that’s long overdue, and they want to criticize us for that.”

The legislation also proposes changing the terms that describe a school or district’s performance on the annual report card required by the EAA.

The labels are excellent, good, average, below average and unsatisfactory. The new rankings would be school or district of academic distinction, academic recognition, academic progress, academic review or academic priority.

Schools designated in academic review or academic priority would be required to formulate special plans for improvement and would be subject to state intervention.

Spartanburg School District 6 Superintendent Daryl Owings said he doesn’t think the current system gives a clear picture of student performance relative to grade level. He hopes the new plan changes that.

“All of us want a fair measure of the progress children are making in their educational growth,” Owings said. “We want to be accountable, but we want a system that gives an accurate measure. Right now, I don’t think we have that.”